To ask where we consider living near Toronto?!!

[Torontowannabe]

My wife has been offered a fab job opportunity in the Toronto office of her company (currently London). We are a same sex married couple with twin 5 year olds who are happy and settled in reception. It could be an amazing family adventure but we have never been to Canada before and no idea where to rent near Toronto. The company pay for and sort out the full relocation. So, any Toronto or Canadian mumsnetters out there - where could we live that is picturesque, striking distance of Toronto with good schools and a liberal / gay friendly vibe? We would rent initially but have a budget of 600 - 700k to buy in the future. Obviously we will be researching this ourselves but would love to hear any suggestions. Thanks!

My family lived in Brampton, Ontario which is near the city...check it out

Thank you!

Is that you Harry?

Or Megan, even

Aaah hold up, you’re both Megan!
—I’m going away now promise—

Haha! Not sure Megan is a lesbian with twins and I expect the royal have slightly more budget than us

Look at the Beaches. Property prices have probably gone up since I lived there but it was a great place to be with young DC.

Thank you! I will do. I have no idea what / if we can afford so it's great to have some ideas of where to start exploring.

Oakville, Burlington suburbs are nice. But quite a commute to downtown Toronto.

Oakville would be my choice, probably followed by Mississauga. Not overly keen on Brampton.

Thanks very much. Current commute to London is 1 hr so don't mind that really. More looking for something that is liberal, where we can afford a decent sized home and garden and access nice scenic areas easily. Oh and that is child orientated. I know, long wish list...!

Can you give us the (rough) location of her office? That would assist.

Public transport there is nothing like London. You'd really want to factor in the commute.

Definitely not Brampton. I would look for a place close to subway. If your wife is working downtown, living close to subway would be convenient for commute and also handy for exploring the city.
Is the budget you stated in CDN$ or British pound?
Look at www.realtor.com.ca

Thanks! Budget is in British pound. Office is Adelaide Street West Toronto. But we actually have a big choice of Canadian offices, we thought Toronto a good fit as a same sex family. Ideally we don't want to live in Toronto, we are outdoorsy and like the country lifestyle but we know we have to compromise!

There is a pocket in downtown Toronto that people call the Gaybourhood, I love the area BUT it’s downtown. Toronto is a pretty liberal area in general but I think the Beaches like j said above would be a good fit. Right on the lake, playgrounds, schools, families, cafes are all geared up for kids, street car goes right down Queen St. We genuinely loved it there and were sad to leave!

Thank you! Sounds a perfect fit. I had really hoped for some where less urban / bigger houses and gardens and views but perhaps that is too far outside of the city. Will look at Vancouver and others as well. Thanks!

I’ve been looking at houses there for the last couple of weeks. Looking more rural though.

Beaches as others say might be a good fit, near the city good transport links but outdoorsy. You could also consider bloor west village/high park/roncesvalles also on the subway. A little further out is port credit (also on the lake). About 1/2 hour on the train, you can paddle board in summer on the credit river, boat, canoe. It has good restaurants, splash pads (free) and a nice marina. Further along, Oakville and Bronte are about 49 mins out, again marinas etc are lovely and parks and trails galore. Further along into Burlington you have a lovely outdoor ice skate park on the lake in winter and a beach in summer. We are about 20 mins from a lovely ski slope which is great at weekends!! Most places are pretty liberal and mixed, I wouldn’t worry about that too much. Message me if you want some resources on schools, we did the move 5 years ago and it can be very hard to get information. This is an example though of the difference going further out can mean. www.realtor.ca/real-estate/21299192/1225-old-bridle-path-oakville-glen-abbey or this www.realtor.ca/real-estate/21496072/492-indian-grve-toronto-junction-area

I'm in the upper beaches and it's lovely.

Thewomen - please can I ask what rural areas please?

Winner - thanks so much! Really helpful. Can I ask, in your experience is there anywhere more rural that is still an hour or so from Toronto or does that not exist? Thanks!

Love this www.kijiji.ca/v-house-for-sale/markham-york-region/1081-skyline-road-oakwood-ontario/1474233890 but is a bit far from Toronto and no idea about other facilities for the kids.....!

I like Oakville, Burlington and Vaughan. One possibility is getting a holiday home, often called a cottage, outside Toronto for the best of both worlds with a place in town. Muskoka is gorgeous.
Traffic is hellish commuting around Toronto, so look to locate somewhere you also have the option to use public transport.

Willow Beach on Lake Simcoe is lovely. Just under an hour north of Toronto but loads of great family friendly facilities and definitely into the country a bit without being too far away from shops and restaurants. Not sure about the schools there.

Thanks so much!! Great to have some ideas for when we visit.