The Harbourfront Neighborhood is one of the best downtown neighborhoods in Toronto. It offers a unique mixture of residential, cultural, recreational, and commercial features all in one neighborhood. It is a diverse community with beautiful picturesque water views of Lake Ontario and the Toronto Islands.
Harbourfront neighborhood is somehow a playground in Toronto’s downtown, which attracts all residents, as well as being an amazing destination for tourists. This neighborhood is located between Bathurst to Jarvis Street, along the Toronto waterfront. Queens Quay is the main east-west road that runs through this neighborhood.
There are many neighborhood landmarks in there: Harbour Square, Harbourfront Centre, Queens Quay Terminal, Jack Layton Ferry Terminal, HTO Park, Waterfront Community Centre, City School, and Toronto Music Garden are located in this neighborhood. There are many recreational sites in this neighborhood, which make it a great destination for locals and tourists. Professional couples and singles who work downtown and earn more than average incomes are the main residents of this downtown neighborhood.
Harbourfront Neighborhood Lifestyle
As many call it “Toronto’s Playground”, this amazing neighborhood always hosts many locals and tourists. It is a busy downtown neighborhood with many recreational facilities, such as parks and beach ways. It also hosts many shops, restaurants, and cafes, which are great places to visit and buy various items in Toronto’s downtown.
For those people who love foods, Harbourfront offers very cool options, like the International Marketplace Festival, that offers food from across the globe; and the World Café, which serves dishes from various restaurants around Toronto. When the weather is nice, there are many patios in there to enjoy the environment. There are also many options there for those who love the nightlife, including rooftop lounges and dance clubs.
Harbourfront Neighborhood Homes
The concentration of luxury condominium apartment buildings in this neighborhood is the highest one in the city of Toronto. Many residential units in this neighborhood have a full or partial water view and a balcony. These features make Harbourfront Neighborhood a perfect neighborhood for those people who are seeking a luxury lifestyle with the best restaurants, bars, and outdoor recreation areas. They can find the best amenities in the city of Toronto right in their neighborhood.
This new neighborhood does not come cheap, so it is not a good location for low-income people. Its towers and high-rising buildings are also not so suitable for families of 4 or 5 persons. The residential units’ prices in this neighborhood are about 31% higher than Toronto’s average prices.
Harbourfront Neighborhood Recreational Sites
There are many more recreational opportunities in this neighborhood than any other Toronto neighborhood. One of the most important recreational sites located there is the Harbourfront Centre, an arts and culture center that hosts performances of dance, theatre, music, literature, and film, and it contains 2,000 seats. This popular lakeside center hosts almost 4,000 events annually, ranging from sailing lessons and craft workshops to food fairs and jazz festivals.
In the winter people can learn skate lessons in Natrel Rink, or enjoy the place with recreational skate and even DJ skate night parties. There are also about 45 diverse mini-camps for children with everything from circus, cooking, and sports, to kayaking, sailing, and digital photography.
Harbourfront Neighborhood is also a great place in the summer, with a great chance for children to enjoy many reasonable, educational, and fun-filled programs. One can also find sail and motorboat rentals and short or long term sailing club memberships at a surprisingly affordable rate.
Many Toronto landmarks, such as the Air Canada Centre, Skydome, C. N. Tower, and the Harbourfront Antique Market are all located within this downtown neighborhood. And one more amazing thing is that you can reach Toronto Island in ten minutes by ferry boats.
Harbourfront Transportation
This neighborhood is located between Gardiner Expressway and Queen’s Quay way. Queen Quay West has access to both express and regular bus services, which connect to Union Station. And from Union Station one can ride Go Transit or Toronto Transit lines to reach anywhere in the city Toronto. And those who love to use their vehicles can reach in and out of the city via Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard. This neighborhood has also a dedicated bike path for those who want to use cycling for their transportation.
This downtown neighborhood is somehow busy most of the time. That’s because as we mentioned earlier, it is known as Toronto’s playground, which means many people every day visit Harbourfront Neighborhood to enjoy its various entertainment and cultural programs. As a Toronto-based real estate agent I recommend this neighborhood for those who work downtown, who don’t need long commutes to their jobs.
There are also Toronto island ferries that connect the mainland Toronto to the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario. These ferry services carry passengers from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal to three docks on the islands. There are also additional private ferries carrying passengers to different island boat clubs. This is one of the most amazing transportation options one can find in this downtown neighborhood.
Harbourfront Neighborhood Amenities
As we mentioned earlier, as a playground for all Toronto citizens, this neighborhood hosts tons of amenities, from prestigious art and cultural shows to dining at Queens Quay Terminal, which is the local mall. As a downtown neighborhood, there are many shops in this area. Almost every need of residents can be fulfilled right in their neighborhood. There are many business offices in these towers, which make this neighborhood a great residential place for those professionals who work at these businesses. This neighborhood also hosts the financial district of Toronto, which makes it a great option for those who work there.
The Power Plant Contemporary galleries
As a cultural neighborhood, many art and culture galleries and shops are located in the Harbourfront neighborhood. The power plant is one of the most influential art places in the city of Toronto. It is located at Queens Quay street and has a distinctive architecture with its smokestack. People can experience contemporary art, theatre, dance, performance, and other artistic activities. This place also hosts some restaurants, cafes, and shops which attract many visitors daily. It is one of the most important amenities located in the city’s entertainment district.
Queen’s Quay Terminal
Queen’s Quay terminal is a building from the 1920s that experienced rebuilds to become a residential condominium, retail, and office center in the Harbourfront neighborhood. This building has four residential floors that are added to it in the 1970s. Now, its first floor hosts one of the biggest grocery stores among some shops and several restaurants. Some of the most important companies, such as Yahoo! Canada, Labatt, DHX Media, and PortsToronto have offices on the second floor. This floor is also the home for Pearl Harbourfront Restaurant, a Chinese famous restaurant. Fleck Dance Theatre is located at Queens Quay Terminal third floor.
Harbourfront Neighborhood Distinctive Features
This amazing neighborhood is one of the best neighborhoods in Toronto. It is located right in Toronto downtown and hosts many locals and tourists every day. This neighborhood has water sports facilities and one can reach Toronto islands from there via ferry boats. Harbourfront Neighborhood has more parks and open spaces than any other neighborhood in the city.
Some of the most cultural places in Toronto are located there, which attract artists to these centers. Harbourfront Centre is one of the most effective cultural places in the city, with more than 4,000 events per year. It hosts many artists and young people with various artistic and cultural programs. There are many various programs in this center, from literary events to dance, multidisciplinary arts, and theatre. This center contains many venues, including many theatre salons, stages, music gardens, craft, and design shops, shops, cafes, and outdoor Lakeside Terraces.
What is interesting about Harbourfront Neighborhood is that it hosts many more recreation sites than Harbourfront Centre. This one is one of the great popular open realm places in this neighborhood, but many other public places should be noticed. There are many WaveDeck in this neighborhood. Martin Goodman trail, Spadina WaveDeck, Simcoe WaveDeck, Rees WaveDeck, and HTO Park are some examples of this kind of recreation site. There are many other landmark places like Harbourfront Square Park, which is an amazing destination for those who want to enjoy a mixture of nature and urban beauties at the same time.
As a Toronto-based real estate agent I’ve seen fewer neighborhoods in the city with so many attractions. If you are looking for an opportunity to make a move to this amazing neighborhood, we can help you to find the best possible options as soon as possible.
Conclusion
There are many other landmark places like Harbourfront Square Park, which is an amazing destination for those who want to enjoy a mixture of nature and urban beauties at the same time.
As a Toronto real estate agent we’ve seen fewer neighborhoods in the city with so many attractions. Whether you decide to move to this area for living or buy a property as an investment, currently, your decision is just and on time.
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