August 17, 2012

What are Your Top Neigbourhoods?

The Parkdale Market in Ottawa

Neighbourhoods – one of the best parts of travelling. There’s nothing like going to a new city and learning about all of its neighbourhood and their quirks and feeling a bit more like you get the local scene. In a recent trip to San Francisco, I had a great tour guide (my cousin) who took us around and pointed out famous areas but also spoke about the different “districts”/neighbourhoods the city was made up of, like Richmond for families, Marina for posh folk – and the Mission for tacos! It got me thinking about my favourite Toronto neighbourhoods – like my old hood, the “North” Annex, which I thought was the perfect place to live as it was within walking (or subway) distance to other areas I frequented like Koreatown, St. Clair West, Little Italy, Yorkville – not to mention I could get to work in about 15 minutes.

Now that I’m in Ottawa, I’m also learning more about its neighbourhoods, especially as I’m starting my own home search/buying process. There aren’t that many walking neighbourhoods I’m told, which is what I’m really looking for. Right now I’m living in Centre Town near the Rideau Canal, which is awesome because the Parliament Buildings, Byward Market and even Chinatown and Little Italy are all within walking distance (well to me a “long” walk is an hour). But much like trying to buy a house in downtown Toronto, the Golden Triangle/ Centre Town areas of downtown Ottawa are likely outside of my budget – unless I want a condo. So, now I’m looking at some “up and coming” more affordable (read: slightly sketchy), developing areas that are close to the downtown core – like Hintonberg; walk-friendly, with a so-called “trendy, hipster vibe”. Or at least its touted as having a burgeoning foodie scene according to the Ottawa Citizen, which I admit, is important to me, as is proximity to good daycare, schools and yoga studios!

Let’s see what Zoocasa says about Hintonberg’s Demographics:

I like how Zoocasa lists nearby neighbourhoods because you need to give yourself options. If you have an area in mind that has certain features you are looking for, you can talk to your agent about other similar areas that you can consider. In any case, in starting this home search, I realize that just as you need to decide on how many square feet, bedrooms and bathrooms you want, you also have to learn which neighbourhoods will fit your budget and lifestyle!

What neighbourhood do you live in? What do you love about it?