Parkdale

Your Typical Neighbour

Parkdale is one of the most diverse and economically mixed neighbourhoods in the west end. It has a large Tibetan community, a high share of renters (85%), and a wide income range that runs from long-time low-income residents to the professionals and creatives drawn in by the housing and the food. It’s denser and younger than the house neighbourhoods nearby, with a lot of people living in the converted apartments of those big old homes.

Source: City of Toronto Neighbourhood Profile, South Parkdale (Neighbourhood 85), 2021 Census

What We Love

The houses and the food, in that order. Parkdale’s Victorian and Edwardian homes are some of the biggest and most characterful in the west end, which is exactly why so many became multi-unit properties. The eating is serious and genuinely global, from the momos of Little Tibet to the tacos at Grand Electric to a long bench of bars along Queen. And it’s still relatively attainable for the location, with the lake, the streetcar and the whole west end on your doorstep.

What We Don’t Love

Parkdale wears its social challenges in the open. Stretches of Queen can feel rough, the divide between long-time residents and newcomers is real, and gentrification is a live and sometimes uncomfortable conversation here. Many houses have no parking, the Gardiner walls the neighbourhood off from its own waterfront, and the condition of the older converted homes varies enormously. This is a neighbourhood you should walk at different hours before you commit.

Real Estate

Parkdale is defined by its old houses, large Victorian and Edwardian semis and detached homes, a striking number of them long since divided into apartments or rooming houses. That makes it a magnet for buyers chasing income potential and for those willing to take on a conversion back to a single family home. South Parkdale, closer to the lake, holds the grandest stock. Condo supply is limited but growing along Queen. Renovated, vacant-possession houses draw competition; tenanted multiplexes trade on the numbers. New to the market? Start with our First-Time Buyer guide, or compare neighbouring Roncesvalles.

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

Schools

There are a few more public than separate, and it’s important to note that if your youngsters are of a high school age in the Catholic system, they will have a little ways to go to get to the nearest option.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Queen Victoria Public School
Holy Family Catholic School
Garden Avenue Public School
Fern Avenue Public School
Odyssey Montessori School
Parkdale Public School

SENIOR SCHOOLS

Parkdale Collegiate Institute
Mary, Mother of God School

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

Schools

There is an abundance of transit options here. 24-hour streetcars on both King and Queen, as well as the Dufferin St bus all offer easy access to the subway line should you need it. The simplicity with which drivers can access both the Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Blvd make Parkdale attractive to anyone working outside the downtown core.

Transit

The 501 Queen streetcar is the workhorse straight into downtown, with the 504 King a short walk north and the 505 and other routes filling in. Exhibition GO is nearby for a quick run to Union, and drivers reach the Gardiner in minutes for trips west or downtown. There’s no subway in Parkdale, the main transit knock, but the streetcar coverage is strong.