Kathy Gordon

The City of Etobicoke is Toronto's neighbour to the west and is in turn the neighbour of Mississauga to the east. Starting at Lake Ontario, Etobicoke stretches north to Steeles Avenue and north to the City of Vaughn. The actual area of Etobicoke is quite large and is home to number of great neighbourhoods. These neighbourhoods have great contrast in terms of price and offer a little bit of everything for everybody. Starting down near Lake Ontario, prospective renters can find few smaller neighbourhoods that tend to be a little more expensive depending on the neighbourhood's proximity to the lake. New Toronto, which is located in the southern region of Etobicoke, is an interesting little community that really has an old fashioned feel to it. This area contains a wide range of prices and would be an excellent choice for a renter who wants to be situated close to downtown Toronto and not have the feeling of living downtown. As Etobicoke moves north away from the lake the number of residential areas increases greatly. The opportunity for a renter to find a spacious apartment that is affordable and close to the city is very common. The areas of Eatonville, Humber Valley Village and Centennial Park are home to a great number of large apartment complexes. These areas offer affordable housing while keeping downtown Toronto within a ten or fifteen drive and are accessible by public transportation. Running through the centre of Etobicoke is the Highway 427, which is downtown Toronto's main access to Pearson International Airport. Highway 427 runs north/south and at the south end of the highway it runs into a highway called the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW). The area where these two highways meet provides some of Toronto's best shopping. Sherway Gardens is another one of the Greater Toronto Areas great shopping malls. As like with the other giant malls, Sherway has everything everybody wants from a great number of stores to some excellent restaurants. Located at the northern end of Etobicoke is the Woodbine Centre. This is another giant large mall, which will certainly have everything that you could not find at Sherway Gardens. In addition to over 200 shops and services, the Woodbine Centre also features an indoor amusement park called Fantasy fair. Woodbine Centre is located at 500 Rexdale Blvd. and like Sherway Gardens, it is open seven days a week. Schools in Etobicoke Public schools in Etobicoke are overseen by the Toronto District School Board. High schools include Central Etobicoke High School, Etobicoke Collegiate Institute, founded in 1928, Kipling Collegiate Institute, Lakeshore Collegiate Institute, Martingrove Collegiate Institute, North Albion Collegiate Institute, Richview Collegiate Institute, founded in 1958, Silverthorn Collegiate Institute, Thistletown Collegiate Institute, West Humber Collegiate Institute, founded in 1966, and the specialist Etobicoke School of the Arts,Scarlett Heights Entrepreneurial Academy. In addition to the public school system, Etobicoke is home to several Catholic schools, overseen by the Toronto Catholic District School Board. These include Michael Power/St. Joseph High School, Bishop Allen High School,Don Bosco High School, and Father John Redmond High School, as well as one of Canada's top high school basketball teams at Father Henry Carr in Rexdale (North Etobicoke). History of Etobicoke It is thought that the French explorer, Étienne Brûlé, was the first European to visit the area, circa 1615. The name "Etobicoke" was derived from the Mississauga word wah-do-be-kang, meaning "place where the black/wild alders grow", which was used to describe the area between Etobicoke Creek and the Humber River. The first provincial land surveyor, Augustus Jones, also spelled it as "ato-be-coake". Etobicoke was finally adopted as the official name in 1796. The township of Etobicoke was incorporated in 1850. In 1953, Etobicoke Township became a part of the newly-formed regional government, the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto ("Metro"). In 1967, the township of Etobicoke was merged with three small lakeside municipalities — Long Branch, New Toronto and Mimico — to form the borough of Etobicoke. The borough was reincorporated as a city in 1984. In 1998, six local municipalities (including Etobicoke) and the Metropolitan Toronto government merged to form the amalgamated city of Toronto. Etobicoke has the lowest population density out of the former cities and boroughs that currently make up the city of Toronto. It has numerous public parks, notable among them is James Gardens on the banks of the Humber River. The park includes seasonal flowers, walkways, a rock garden, streams, and waterfalls. It is a very popular site for taking wedding photographs. The Humber Bay park is mostly located in Etobicoke. Etobicoke is home to Humber College, University of Guelph-Humber, Woodbine Race Track and Slots, Woodbine Centre and Sherway Gardens Shopping Centre. List of Neighbourhoods in Etobicoke Alderwood Eatonville Edenbridge-Humber Valley Eringate Etobicoke West Mall Islington Humber Heights-Westmount The Kingsway Kipling and Dixon Long Branch Markland Wood Mimico Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown New Toronto Princess-Rosethorn The Queensway Rexdale Richview The Elms (Old Rexdale) The Westway Thistletown West Humber-Clairville West Deane Park -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Etobicoke, Central Etobicoke, The Kingsway, Sunny Lea, North Drive, Valecrest, Thorncrest Village, Humber Valley Village, Lincoln Woods, Edgehill Park, Princess Ann Manor and Princess Gardens Neighbourhoods You will love to live in any of these areas. For more information: Send Kathy an E-mail or phone her at (416) 236-1241 More about Etobicoke Ontario Canada See more Etobicoke Neighbourhoods and information --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well when you read an article about what the top Realtors in Canada think about what is going on you know they will put a positive spin on our situation . But this time they made some valid points that I think you would be interested in. TREB President Maureen O'Neil and many of the countries Top realtors came to these conclusions. And I quote...




"Indeed, we have seen much more challenging times than
these. Many of today's homeowners can recall the days of
the early ‘80s when interest rates peaked at more than 20
per cent and infl ation jumped to nearly 13 per cent, and the
early ‘90s when massive lay-offs made the news headlines
on a daily basis. In contrast, today's interest and mortgage
rates remain at historically low levels, infl ation sits at 3.5 per
cent and more than nine out 10 Canadians are working.
Comparing Canadian homeowners to those in the United
States also illustrates our healthy situation. According to Canada
Mortgage and Housing Corporation, only 0.27 per cent
of Ontario mortgages are more than 90 days in arrears, this
compares to 6 per cent during the recession of 1992. In the
United States meanwhile, four per cent of prime mortgages
and 18 per cent of sub-prime mortgages are in default.
There is also much for Canadian homeowners to look forward
to with respect to real estate values in the next decade
as the children of our country's 11 million baby boomers
begin house hunting. According to one recent study, the
number young adults currently living with parents in the
GTA is 10 per cent higher than the national average. This
group's future demand for housing is coupled with the fact
that Canada is ranked number one in terms of population
growth amongst the G7 nations, with more than quarter of a
million new immigrants each year.A recent study by the International Monetary Fund substantiates
what Canada's top real estate experts already know. It
studied housing markets in 17 countries and found that Canada
was one of only two nations in which house prices are
supported by the economy. According to CMHC, from 1999
to 2004 Canadian residential real estate offered an average
annual growth of 6.8 per cent compared to only 5.8 per cent
for equities and 5.3 per cent for bonds. All of these positive
statistics point to a fairly quick return to good market conditions
As anyone who has bought a home knows there is no
better long term investment."

I can see the promise here in these statements and as well feel the effect the American market will have upon us in the coming days. These facts do support a healthier economy presently but loss of jobs and growth may stem the tide. We know how American retailers have taken over our industry with their Big box concepts. Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowes have been large contributing factors to our dollar spending in the cocooning process. They have changed the landscapes of our small towns in such a short period of time. Ontario has been booming and the grip on our disposable income will now be more intensified by these companies who have all the buying power. We've watched Eatons, Simpsons, The Bay go whos next Canadian Tire. And how will this affect these small towns. These people will have to come to where the money is should it come to that. The GTA will be the benficiary when people got to move.

For more information please contact:

Kathy Gordon
Sales Representative
RE/MAX Professionals Inc., Brokerage
270 The Kingsway Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario M9A 3T7

BUS (416) 236-1241
FAX (416) 231-0563
E-MAIL kathy@etobicokehomes4sale.com
Website: etobicokehomes4sale.com