Blake-Jones MLS® Listings

In the 17th Century, York (now called Toronto) was growing substantially and needed more land. The Mississaugas people (who resided in the area for hundreds of years) agreed to sell the British officials of York more of their land, hence the ‘Toronto Purchase of 1787’. Now, with more land under their British belt, the area was renamed the Town of York and established it as the capital of Upper Canada, but the Battle of York in 1812 damaged the area heavily. Through rebuilding and reconstructing York’s position in southern Ontario, its name was changed to the City of Toronto, and in turn, became the capital city of Ontario by 1834. The northwestern shores of Lake Ontario are where the city of Toronto begins (with 29 miles of waterfront shoreline, Toronto Harbour, the Toronto Islands and Port Lands), and it meets (and is part of) the Golden Horseshoe. Surrounding Toronto’s borders is Steeles Avenue in the north, Pickering/Scarborough town line in the east, Lake Ontario in the south, and Highway 427 in the west.The City of Toronto is the epitome of great wealth, with massive amounts of diversity in inhabitants’ ethnic cultures, international & national business structure, strong and growing economy and environmental awareness, Toronto is one of the best cities in the world to live, work and play in. There are over 200 verifiable ethnic origins and over 160 varying languages spoken in Toronto, but English is this incredible cities first language. Toronto is a major center for finance, the arts, culture, music, film production, ranging media outlets, museums, galleries, events, fairs, festivals, national historical sites, entertainment establishments, sporting events, education, tourism, technology, fashion, ‘green innovation’, sciences, food services, and business services (just to name a few, but there is a lot more!).Toronto real estate for sale is an eclectic mix of the old with the new with highly desirable prime locations. The downtown core of Toronto is a lavish sea of highrise condos that are dripping with perfect city views and high-end perks. Moving away from the downtown area opens up little ethnic districts that are loaded to the teeth with charm and an ‘old world’ feel to the homes for sale (detached and semi-detached dream houses with gorgeous lots and surprisingly spacious interior layouts). Stepping even further away from these beautifully charming districts will open up a different kind of real estate options. Townhomes, executive homes, bungalows and larger detached & semi-detached houses for sale are the crème de la crème for home buyers that want a lot more space with the exterior and interior of their potential dream home.Institutes for education in Toronto are highly prioritized and numerous. Out of the 558 public schools in Toronto, 451 are elementary and 102 are secondary schools. There are numerous Catholic schools, Roman Catholic/French schools and private schools. Colleges in Toronto: George Brown College, Seneca College, Centennial College, College Boreal and Humber College. Universities in Toronto: The University of Toronto, York University, Ryerson University, University of Guelph-Humber and OCAD University. The Royal Conservatory of Music, the Glenn Gould School, the Canadian Film Centre and the Tyndale University College & Seminary are all alternate institutions for education in particular disciplines.Armed with over 20 public hospitals and numerous specialized care institutions & organizations (some of which have walk-in medical clinics), Toronto has residents covered with all healthcare needs. Transportation methods used throughout Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area and southern Ontario are an extensive, connecting system that utilizes underground subways and above ground trains, buses, streetcars. Public transit service is provided by the TTC, LRT, GO Transit, MiWay, York Region Transit, Viva Transit and Durham Region Transit. Alternate forms of transportation for the city are provincial highways, expressways and bicycle lanes. From west to the east, highway 401 is ideal and for other expressways, the Gardiner Expressway, Allen Road and the Don Valley Parkway are great for getting around.Toronto is rich in its offerings of parks, parkettes, beaches (over 1,600 of them) and some of the lands used for park-like space is dedicated to the golf courses that are within and around Toronto (Rosedale Golf Club, St. George’s Golf and Country Club, Remington Parkview Golf and Country Club, Tam O’Shanter Golf Club, Oakdale Golf & Country Club, Riverstone Golf and Country Club, Dentonia Park Golf Course, Weston Golf & Country Club, Thornhill Golf & Country Club, Scarlett Woods Golf Course, Markland Wood Golf Club, Lakeview Golf Course, Humber Valley Golf Course, Toronto Golf Club and Don Valley Golf Course). The fun never ends when residents take the time to explore their options around Toronto. With access to zoos, outdoor concerts, aquariums, theatres, landmarks (besides the CN Tower), shopping venues, galleries, unique districts full of authentic open-air markets, museums, sporting events/games, amusement parks, trade shows, beaches (found at the waterfront parks), visit the Toronto Islands, Riverdale Farm, the Toronto Music Garden, street festivals and celebrations, architectural sites (Distillery District), Ontario Place, Molson Amphitheatre, Canada’s Walk of Fame, and the international carnivals.