Cabbagetown

Around the Neighbourhood

Cultural landmarks: Riverdale Farm, a free, city-run working farm modelled on a 19th-century Victorian farmstead with horses, cows, pigs and goats; the Toronto Necropolis, the historic cemetery and Gothic Revival chapel on Winchester; and the Cabbagetown Festival, the big street party that takes over Parliament every September.

Hot local spots: the House on Parliament pub at 454 Parliament, a neighbourhood fixture for more than two decades; Jet Fuel Coffee at 519 Parliament, one of the city’s oldest and most no-nonsense independent cafés; and F’Amelia on Amelia Street for northern Italian and wood-fired pizza.

Parks & green space: Riverdale Park West with its skyline-view hill and toboggan run, the Riverdale Farm grounds and ponds, and the Don Valley ravine trails right at the eastern edge.

Your Typical Neighbour

Cabbagetown draws an unusual mix: white-collar professionals who want a short commute and serious curb appeal, alongside artists, writers and musicians who’ve been here for years. The City of Toronto files the area as Cabbagetown-South St. James Town, and that pairing is telling… the profile blends prime Cabbagetown’s seven-figure Victorians with the dense rental towers of South St. James Town, so the neighbourhood’s averages mask a sharp split. Homeownership lands near half-and-half as a result, and incomes range widely block to block. See the City profile for the full age, income and ownership breakdown.

Source: City of Toronto Neighbourhood Profile, Cabbagetown-South St. James Town, 2021 Census

What We Love

The architecture, full stop. Nowhere else in the city gives you this many original Victorian streetscapes in one place, and the preservation association has kept them intact. Add Riverdale Farm and Riverdale Park, the independent pubs and cafés along Parliament that survive on loyal local regulars, and a location minutes from downtown, and you get a genuine village feeling in the middle of the city.

What We Don’t Love

The same things that give it character also give it friction. Parliament Street has rougher patches, the apartment towers of South St. James Town are close by, and you may get asked for change on the walk to transit. Heritage rules mean the Cabbagetown Preservation Association has a say in what you can do to your house, which protects the streetscape but can frustrate renovators. And the houses, however grand from the curb, are often narrow, old and short on parking.

Real Estate

The vast majority of Cabbagetown’s homes are original, built between roughly 1860 and 1895, which makes for charmingly consistent historical streetscapes you don’t find in many Toronto neighbourhoods. Row houses are the norm, so expect narrow, deep floor plans even in tall houses, plus the oak bannisters, stained glass and high ceilings that come with the era. Fully restored homes carry designer-level finishes and prices to match, well into seven figures, but the occasional fixer-upper still surfaces for a buyer with the stomach for a heritage renovation. Note that the preservation association and heritage designations shape what’s possible. New to the market? Start with our First-Time Buyer guide.

(Current prices and days on market appear in the live statistics block below, updated quarterly.)

Schools

There are quite a few schools nearby, though the public far outweigh the separate options.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Sprucecourt Public School
Winchester Public School
Lord Dufferin Junior and Senior Public School
Nelson Mandela Park Public School
Rose Avenue Junior Public School
École élémentaire Gabrielle-Roy
Church Street Junior Public School

SENIOR SCHOOLS

Jarvis Collegiate
Eastdale Collegiate Institute

CATHOLIC & PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Rotherglen Montessorri School
St. Martin Catholic School
Liberty Prep School

For school rankings and Fraser Institute scores, see our interactive Toronto school map.

Transit

The 506 Carlton streetcar runs through the neighbourhood and into downtown, with the 65 Parliament bus connecting north-south and Castle Frank and Wellesley stations on the Bloor-Danforth and Yonge lines a short walk or ride away. There’s no subway stop inside Cabbagetown, but drivers are only a few blocks from the Don Valley Parkway, and the whole neighbourhood is built for walking.