Rural Oshawa

Around the Neighbourhood

Cultural landmarks: Purple Woods Conservation Area at Simcoe Street and Coates Road, home to a 150-year-old sugar maple bush on the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Purple Woods Maple Syrup Festival every March… a genuine Durham institution. The Oshawa Zoo & Fun Farm on Grandview Street North packs 40-plus species onto 22 acres and has been a kids’ favourite for years.

Hot local spots: sparse, by definition. The nearest shops and restaurants are down Simcoe Street in north Oshawa.

Parks & green space: the whole point of living here. Purple Woods and the moraine trails to the north, Kedron Dells Golf Club just south, and your own property doing most of the work in between.

Your Typical Neighbour

Community-level census data isn’t published for this rural pocket, so here are the Oshawa-wide numbers: 175,383 people in 2021 and a median household income of about $86,000. The rural band itself skews toward long-time farm families and buyers who traded a subdivision for acreage… expect more pickup trucks and horse paddocks than the city-wide stats suggest.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Profile, Oshawa (City)

What We Love

Space, quiet and dark skies, twenty minutes from a GO station. The moraine setting is legitimately beautiful, the maple syrup festival is the kind of local tradition money can’t manufacture, and property here comes with possibilities a 40-foot lot never will: shops, barns, pools, privacy.

What We Don't Love

The city is coming. Oshawa’s growth plans point north, and parts of this countryside are earmarked for eventual development, so the view from your kitchen window may not be permanent… check what’s planned around any property before you buy. Rural ownership also means wells, septic, propane and a snowblower you’ll actually need. And with a handful of sales a year, pricing your property (or your offer) takes real judgment, not just comparables.

Real Estate

The inventory is a grab bag: century farmhouses, custom builds on multi-acre lots, hobby farms and the occasional true working farm. No two properties are alike, which is exactly why people love them and exactly why they’re tricky to value. 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.)

Transit

Essentially none. This is two-car (or truck) territory. The 407 is the saving grace for regional driving, with the 412 and 401 beyond it, and Oshawa GO on the Lakeshore East line is a 20-to-25-minute drive for the roughly hour-long train to Union.

Schools

There are no schools within the rural area itself. Students are served by the Durham District School Board and the Durham Catholic District School Board at schools in north Oshawa, with catchments depending on your exact address… confirm with both boards before buying. For school rankings and Fraser Institute scores, see our interactive Durham Region School Map.