Toronto is an absolutely enormous city. It spans over 600 square kilometers - 7,000 if you include its suburbs - and contains hundreds of neighborhoods. For people moving into the area from elsewhere and looking for condos for sale in Toronto, the city's sheer size and number of neighborhood options can be overwhelming. It can help to sit down and think about which general area of Toronto you would like to live in: North, South, East, or West. We've briefly outlined the characteristics of each of these areas so that you can get an idea of what they're like.

North

North Toronto, which includes the former municipalities of York and North York, and beyond that, the suburbs of Vaughan and Richmond Hill, is a primarily residential area. Although there is some industry in the northeast, especially towards Markham, real estate prospects tend to be in quieter neighborhoods. North Toronto contains some of the wealthiest neighborhoods with the largest homes in Greater Toronto, such as Lawrence Park, Thornhill, and Richmond Hill, but it also has a few sketchy neighborhoods as well. Generally the further north you go, the nicer things are.

South

South Toronto is the heart of Toronto. It's where the old City of Toronto can be found, the original municipality that became so large and successful it was able to absorb every city and town within a hundred kilometers. South Toronto is where you'll find the entertainment and the financial sectors as well as the most densely populated neighborhoods in Canada. You can find some detached homes or town homes in South Toronto, but they tend to be like Riverdale houses - very expensive! So the most likely option for someone moving to South Toronto is a condo.

East

East Toronto consists of the former municipalities of East York and Scarborough, and beyond them, the smaller eastern suburbs like Ajax and Pickering. While houses for sale in Ajax and the other suburbs will have more of a small-town feel, much of the rest of East Toronto consists of middle and working class housing from the earlier days of Toronto. Homes will be cheaper in East Toronto, but they will also likely be smaller, more densely packed, and located in unfashionable neighborhoods.

West

West Toronto comprises the former cities of Etobicoke and Mississauga, and beyond that the western suburbs of Brampton and Oakville. Much of the closer west side was once industrial lands that are being reclaimed into housing while the further west you go the more rugged the terrain gets and the cheaper the housing becomes. Mississauga has neighborhoods almost as busy as South Toronto, but a Brampton mortgage broker can show you homes nestled into protected ravines where you'll get your own quiet little piece of wilderness.