# Where to live - Toronto area



## Ausnuck (Jul 1, 2015)

Hi All,

It's looking likely that I'll be transferring with my company from Australia to Canada later this year. The office I'll be working in is in Mississauga.

We've done some research and aren't sure of the best area to look for a house in the GTA. Mississauga itself? Oakville? Brampton? Etobicoke? etc.

It will be my wife and 2 small children (4 & 1yo) moving so we'd like family-friendly but also somewhere with a bit of life and excitement! I'm guessing our budget could be classified as upper medium.

Thanks in advance for your tips! I'm sure all the areas have pros and cons but all feedback appreciated.


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

You should know that the City of Mississauga covers a huge swath of land. So question to you is, how long is your desired maximum commute. 
If you provide a location for your work we can best determine a home location for you in line with your desired commute.
Will you buy or rent?


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

Ausnuck said:


> Hi All,
> 
> It's looking likely that I'll be transferring with my company from Australia to Canada later this year. The office I'll be working in is in Mississauga.
> 
> ...




Mississauga is quite large...can you provide an address or main intersection?

Mississauga, Brampton, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, etc. are all good choices and Toronto is less than half an hour down the highway from all of them.


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Your budget will also play a huge role in deciding where you can (afford to) live.


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## Ausnuck (Jul 1, 2015)

The work location isn't far from QEW and Winston Churchill. A commute of 30 mins or less would be ideal. Budget would be in the 2000-2500/mth range.

Thanks again.


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Look at all neighbourhoods along Dundas in Oakville. Good neighbourhoods and within your commute. You will find newer townhouses within your budget, or older detached houses.
Forget about Milton, Brampton, Etobicoke and Burlington, as they are not within 30 minutes commute during rush hour. Border of Burlington and Oakville can be ok too, and some parts of Mississauga, but no idea about the quality of the neighbourhoods there.

(hope you are talking about 30 minutes by car?)

Is your wife planning to work, or be a stay-at-home mom?


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

Etibicoke is _never_ 30 minutes by car from downtown except perhaps between 2am-4:30am. 

Agree with the suggestion of Oakville... easy access into the city. My sister in law's parents live that way and come into town to see her and my brother and the kids in a regular basis.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

EVHB said:


> Look at all neighbourhoods along Dundas in Oakville. Good neighbourhoods and within your commute. You will find newer townhouses within your budget, or older detached houses.
> Forget about Milton, Brampton, Etobicoke and Burlington, as they are not within 30 minutes commute during rush hour. Border of Burlington and Oakville can be ok too, and some parts of Mississauga, but no idea about the quality of the neighbourhoods there.
> 
> (hope you are talking about 30 minutes by car?)
> ...




Milton might not be too bad if cutting straight down Bronte Rd. or a similar route. And Brampton (depending on where in Brampton) might not be too bad because they would be going against the worst of the traffic (ie. traffic going into Toronto).


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

WestCoastCanadianGirl said:


> Etibicoke is _never_ 30 minutes by car from downtown except perhaps between 2am-4:30am.




Sure it is, I do that trip all the time.


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## MarylandNed (May 11, 2010)

colchar said:


> Mississauga, Brampton, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, etc. are all good choices and Toronto is less than half an hour down the highway from all of them.


Huh? Do you actually know the GTA? Burlington isn't 30 mins from Toronto even with no traffic. I doubt any of the rest are either during regular commuting times. I used to live in Brampton and it took me 20-25 mins to get to my job in Mississauga and I know that traffic is a lot worse now than it was then. I would never have made it to Toronto in 30 mins.


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## MarylandNed (May 11, 2010)

Ausnuck said:


> The work location isn't far from QEW and Winston Churchill. A commute of 30 mins or less would be ideal. Budget would be in the 2000-2500/mth range.
> 
> Thanks again.


Somewhere in Oakville would appear to be your best choice.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

MarylandNed said:


> Huh? Do you actually know the GTA?



Well considering the fact that I grew up in Brampton and now live there again after a decade in KW I am going to say yes, I do know the GTA - extremely well in fact. I am sitting in the GTA as I type this (a quick glance at my location above my post should have told you that).





> Burlington isn't 30 mins from Toronto even with no traffic.



Baloney. It most definitely is if there is no traffic as it is a quick run down the QEW through Oakville, the bottom end of Mississauga, and into the west end of Toronto. Traffic makes it take far longer of course but if you are doing the trip at a time when there is no traffic it is easily done in 30 minutes. 

As proof, I used the address of a guitar shop in Burlington that I will be at later today as the starting point (3180 Mainway Dr.) and used Sherway Gardens Mall (25 The West Mall) as the end point. I punched those two addresses into Google Maps and it says the journey will take 25 minutes under current driving conditions (11:30am on a Saturday). The distance is only 36.3km and, if there is no traffic, you are doing 100kmh (or slightly more) on the QEW so that trip is easily done in under 30 minutes. 




> I doubt any of the rest are either during regular commuting times.



Regular commuting times are entirely different because of traffic volume. If one is doing the trip outside of normal commuting times the distances are actually fairly short and can be done quickly (try leaving the north end of Brampton, where I live, on a Sunday evening and see how quickly you can get into downtown Toronto).




> I used to live in Brampton and it took me 20-25 mins to get to my job in Mississauga and I know that traffic is a lot worse now than it was then. I would never have made it to Toronto in 30 mins.



Again, you are talking about normal commuting times (ie. rush hour) which is completely different. You cannot base your opinion on rush hour commutes while also claiming that "_Burlington isn't 30 mins from Toronto even with no traffic_" as that is simply wrong. You are comparing apples and oranges there.


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## MarylandNed (May 11, 2010)

colchar said:


> It most definitely is if there is no traffic as it is a quick run down the QEW through Oakville, the bottom end of Mississauga, and into the west end of Toronto. Traffic makes it take far longer of course but if you are doing the trip at a time when there is no traffic it is easily done in 30 minutes.
> 
> As proof, I used the address of a guitar shop in Burlington that I will be at later today as the starting point (3180 Mainway Dr.) and used Sherway Gardens Mall (25 The West Mall) as the end point. I punched those two addresses into Google Maps and it says the journey will take 25 minutes under current driving conditions (11:30am on a Saturday). The distance is only 36.3km and, if there is no traffic, you are doing 100kmh (or slightly more) on the QEW so that trip is easily done in under 30 minutes.


Driving from Burlington to the western edge of Toronto under light traffic conditions is one thing. But most people visiting Toronto are going closer to the downtown core. Toronto traffic is pretty bad at most times and Google Maps is not an accurate indicator of how long it takes to drive there.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

MarylandNed said:


> Driving from Burlington to the western edge of Toronto under light traffic conditions is one thing. But most people visiting Toronto are going closer to the downtown core. Toronto traffic is pretty bad at most times and Google Maps is not an accurate indicator of how long it takes to drive there.



No Google Maps isn't a great indicator but it does provide the distance. Since the distance that we are talking about here is only 30-40km you do the math on how long that journey will take when driving at 100-120kmh (or take the middle figure of 110kmh and then do the math).

Making it from Burlington to downtown Toronto is easily done in 30 minutes in light traffic (downtown only being a few minutes along the QEW and Gardiner from Sherway Gardens) and one doesn't exactly have to break the sound barrier to accomplish it as normal highway speeds (100-120kmh) will suffice.

I have lived in the GTA for just over thirty years, and for ten of the years that I wasn't living in the GTA I was still in the area several times per month as my parents continued to live in Brampton. Who do you think is more familiar with driving in the GTA - you who live in Maryland and who lived here for a comparatively short time or me who has lived in the area for more than thirty years and who drives in the GTA every single day?


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## JGK (Dec 12, 2009)

MarylandNed said:


> Driving from Burlington to the western edge of Toronto under light traffic conditions is one thing. But most people visiting Toronto are going closer to the downtown core. Toronto traffic is pretty bad at most times and Google Maps is not an accurate indicator of how long it takes to drive there.



When I was in ON in 2007-8, the drive between Third line and Erin Mills Parkway was inevitably~45 minutes. Using upper middle or QEW made no difference. When i moved to live in Georgetown I used ninth line and that journey, which was twice as far, took about the same time


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## MarylandNed (May 11, 2010)

colchar said:


> No Google Maps isn't a great indicator but it does provide the distance. Since the distance that we are talking about here is only 30-40km you do the math on how long that journey will take when driving at 100-120kmh (or take the middle figure of 110kmh and then do the math).
> 
> Making it from Burlington to downtown Toronto is easily done in 30 minutes in light traffic (downtown only being a few minutes along the QEW and Gardiner from Sherway Gardens) and one doesn't exactly have to break the sound barrier to accomplish it as normal highway speeds (100-120kmh) will suffice.
> 
> I have lived in the GTA for just over thirty years, and for ten of the years that I wasn't living in the GTA I was still in the area several times per month as my parents continued to live in Brampton. Who do you think is more familiar with driving in the GTA - you who live in Maryland and who lived here for a comparatively short time or me who has lived in the area for more than thirty years and who drives in the GTA every single day?


Stop talking about Sherway Gardens. I'm talking about the downtown core. I lived there too in an era when traffic was lighter than it is now. I'm still up there very frequently. You can't average 100-120 kph on a journey from downtown Burlington to downtown Toronto. Part of it is driving on city streets.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

MarylandNed said:


> Stop talking about Sherway Gardens. I'm talking about the downtown core.



If you had bothered to read what I posted you would have noticed that I mentioned downtown. I only brought up Sherway Gardens again as a reference point - to point out that downtown is only a short distance past there.




> I lived there too in an era when traffic was lighter than it is now.



Traffic varies based on time of day yet you keep comparing rush hour to other times when traffic is much lighter. You originally claimed that "_Burlington isn't 30 mins from Toronto even with no traffic_" which is completely and utterly false. 




> I'm still up there very frequently.


That's nice, but you do not drive in the GTA every day like I do. I'm about to drive from the northeast side of Brampton down to Mimico (right down on the lake) and I am leaving half an hour before I have to be there because I can easily make it down there in that time. I know this because, unlike you, I drive in the GTA every single day.




> You can't average 100-120 kph on a journey from downtown Burlington to downtown Toronto.


That is complete and utter bollocks as you most certainly can. I was on the QEW in Burlington and Oakville just yesterday and the only time I was doing under 100kmh was through a construction zone which is a temporary impediment.





> Part of it is driving on city streets.



Getting to the downtown core does not have to involve driving on city streets. If you exit the Gardiner at York/Bay/Yonge then you are in the downtown core the instant that you exit the Gardiner but have not driven on any city streets to get there. Or are you going to argue that the bottom of York, Bay, and Yonge are not part of the downtown core?

If you are talking about reaching some specific destination in the downtown core, like the Eaton Centre or UofT or wherever, then yes, driving on city streets will be required and that will increase the time required to drive there. But the fact remains that one is not required to drive on city streets in order to make it into the geographic area designated as the downtown core as one is in that area the instant that one exits the highway. There are parking lots right at the bottom of Yonge St. and those who park there, who have reached the downtown core the instant that they exited the Gardiner, will only have driven on downtown streets for a couple of hundred feet before reaching those parking lots (I have used those parking lots hundreds of times myself as I used to work right there and still go to lots of Leafs games at the ACC and they are located almost right at the bottom of the exit ramp from the Gardiner). 

Just accept it, you are wrong about how long it takes to drive from Burlington into Toronto


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## luvcanada (Nov 10, 2011)

I suggest you try the website realtor.ca to find townhouse, condo or house rentals. Using the map facility within this site is a good way to evaluate distance from your workplace. Also, use google maps and street view to get a sense of the location and nearby facilities. Oakville and Mississauga are likely your best bets. 

I am not sure of the rental system in Australia but here you will likely have to pay utilities (water, heat, electricity) beyond the rental costs if you are renting a house or townhouse. In a condo these are usually included in the rental costs, but parking may be extra.

The GTA is a great place to live. 

Good luck to you and your family.


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

All I know is that taking the Gardiner Expressway from Wellington Street West (at John Street) area out to Pearson Airport at 1 p.m. on a sunny weekday afternoon in May is a BIG mistake.

Traffic is like a frigging parking lot.

Hell, even headed west out towards Hamilton on the Gardiner in the afternoon of a Saturday in early January in snow flurries, the roads are busier than one would reasonably expect them to be.

Craziness, I tell you!


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## MarylandNed (May 11, 2010)

colchar said:


> Just accept it, you are wrong about how long it takes to drive from Burlington into Toronto


Go to Google Maps and you'll see the distance from Burlington to Toronto is 57.2km. Google Maps states it takes 42 mins with no traffic on the QEW.

I lived up there for 7 years and I have driven up there a lot since I left. I have NEVER driven from Burlington into Toronto in 30 mins. I don't think I've ever done it in 42 mins either. Maybe 42 mins is possible if conditions are absolutely optimal (like 3am in the morning outside of winter) but the fact is that as you approach Toronto at most times, you're having to make a choice between the QEW and the Lakeshore and there is usually heavy traffic along both. I can't remember the last time I was approaching the Yonge St exit at 100-120 km/hr.


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## OldPro (Feb 18, 2015)

Are you guys here to argue commute times or to help the OP? Where is the 'dislike' button?

Ausnuck, what you need to know is that the GTA is a nightmare for commuting to work from anywhere to anywhere and that your 30 minute criteria may not land you in a neighbourhood that you are happy with.

I would suggst you pick the neighbourhood and live with the commute whatever it might be. The average commute for Toronto and the entire province can be seen here: Toronto area commutes add to time crunch, study shows | Toronto Star
As you will see, the average is 47 minutes and by inference, the average in the GTA is around an hour.

Most of the GTA area is wall to wall built up with suburban cookie cutter houses, townhouses, apartments, all within a few feet of each other. Most of the area is not 'neighbourhoods' in my description of what a neighbourhood is at all. Most areas are indistinguishable from each other.

Since your job will be near Winston Churchill and the QEW and I am guessing your employer will be paying for a hotel until you find a place to stay, I would suggest you consider the Hilton Garden Inn which is more or less right at that intersection. 

From there I would suggest you take a drive south down WC to the Lakeshore and then go west to Burlington and then east to Port Credit. Look at Burlington, Oakville, Bronte, Port Credit streets between the Lakeshore and the QEW. Those 4 places do have an actual town centre to them unlike some of the other places that have been named here. Places like Brampton have a town centre that basically consists of a shopping mall. You couldn't pay me to live in most suburban GTA 'towns'. The closer to Lake Ontario you are, the older the neighbourhoods are. As you move north and west, the more cookie cutter things become with few exceptions. Take a drive right up Trafalgar Road to the north and look at Georgetown which has a nice little town centre for example. Halton HIlls is another nice little town.

To me it is really more about what kind of neighbourhood you want to live in. If you are happy in a cookie cutter house on a cookie cutter street in a cookie cutter suburb, driving your kids in a cookie cutter car to a cookie cutter school, no problem finding a place to live. If you want a bit more than that though you are going to have to look harder and probably commute longer.

If people were willing to admit it, the reality is that where 90% of people live in the GTA sucks. And less someone accuses me of being some kind of anti-GTA nut, I grew up in Etobicoke. But on the Lakeshore in what was an actual small town back then, New Toronto.

I would suggest you Google for the places being suggested to you and see what you find. For example read here: Explore: Port Credit’s a genteel place to live | Toronto Star


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