Blake-Jones

Around the Neighbourhood

Cultural landmarks: The Danforth itself, Toronto’s Greektown, forms the neighbourhood’s northern edge and sets its character, anchored by long-running spots like Athens Pastries (509 Danforth Avenue), a Greek bakery that has been on the strip since the 1970s.

Hot local spots: Greenwood Smokehouse BBQ at 673 Danforth Avenue near Pape for slow-smoked brisket and ribs; Serano Bakery at 830 Pape Avenue for Greek baking and bread; and Cafe Serano at 1055 Pape Avenue for loukoumades, frappe and gelato when the weather turns.

Parks & green space: Jimmie Simpson Park and Recreation Centre offers a pool, rink, tennis courts and a playground a short walk south. Withrow Park, just west toward Riverdale, is the larger green space locals use for the dog hill, the rink and the farmers’ market. Felstead Park adds a smaller neighbourhood green to the east.

Your Typical Neighbour

Blake Jones is a densely built, mixed-tenure neighbourhood. It is small and compact, with a notably higher population density than the city as a whole, and a tenant-leaning split, with a meaningfully lower rate of homeownership than the Toronto and national averages and a large share of one-person and family households. Incomes sit close to the city median rather than above it, and the population is well educated, with a high proportion of residents holding a postsecondary credential. In short, it skews toward younger professionals, renters and families in older houses rather than wealthy detached-home owners.

Source: City of Toronto Neighbourhood Profile, Blake-Jones (#69), 2021 Census

What We Love

Three subway stations within walking distance, the Danforth’s bakeries and patios at the top of the street, and house-form living at a discount to neighbouring Riverdale. It is a genuine neighbourhood, not a development. If you like the idea of Riverdale but not the price, this is where you look.

What We Don’t Love

The Ontario Line construction at Pape Station is loud, dusty and ongoing through 2026, and it sits right on the corner this neighbourhood depends on. Parking is tight, the lots and houses are narrow, and the rail corridor to the south brings train noise on some streets. You are buying older housing stock, so budget for the realities of century-old semis.

Real Estate

The stock is mostly two and three-bedroom brick semis, with a smaller number of detached homes and a growing set of renovated lofts and low-rise condos near the Danforth. Buyers here are often priced out of Riverdale or comparison-shopping against Playter Estates and the Danforth and Greenwood-Coxwell. Renovated semis move quickly. To see what is currently available, browse the live Blake Jones listings.

Transit

Line 2 service runs along the Danforth, with Pape, Donlands and Greenwood stations all within walking distance, so downtown is a 20 to 25 minute subway ride. The Ontario Line is under construction at Pape Station, with the new entrance planned for the north side of Danforth east of Pape. Expect noise, lane closures and service changes around that corner through 2026, with a faster cross-city connection as the long-term payoff. Several bus routes run along Pape and Greenwood for north-south trips.

Schools

Blake Jones is home to ten public schools, 4 Catholic schools, and 1 private school. 

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Blake Street Junior Public School
Monarch Park Collegiate Institute
É Élém La Mosaïque
Frankland Community School
First Nations School of Toronto
Riverdale Collegiate Institute
Collège français secondaire
Earl Haig Public School
Earl Grey Senior Public School
Wilkinson Junior Public School

CATHOLIC & PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Madinah Islamic School
Holy Name Catholic School
ÉÉC Georges-Étienne-Cartier
ÉÉC du Bon-Berger
ÉSC Saint-Frère-André

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