What you'll love about... Oakville
There are so many great places to live in Ontario & the Greater Toronto Area, it can be hard to choose where you want to end up!
If you're a nature-lover who enjoys walking, hiking, biking & camping, Oakville might be a fantastic option for you.
On top of the great outdoor activities, you have a wide selection of shopping including smaller local shops, higher-end boutiques as well as several malls + access to numerous restaurants & cafes.
Bordered by Lake Ontario to the South & Highway 407 to the North, Oakville is Ontario's largest town with approximately 200,000 residents which has a median household income of $118,671 & an average home sale price as of January 2021 is $1,397,462.
Nature/Outdoor activities
With over 200km of recreational trails, you won't run out of beautiful places to explore while living in Oakville!
The heritage trail system spans roughly 60km from the east side to the west side of Oakville and this features various information stations that highlight the history of the land & its people dating back to 9000 B.C.
Located on the west side of Oakville, you will find Bronte Creek Provincial Park which has everything you'd need to a fantastic outdoors trip.
The park has a camping section where you can stay overnight in a tent/trailer/RV in addition to several gravel bike trails, a disc golf course, hiking trails (that you can cross-country ski on in the winter) & a 1.8 acre pool, one of the largest in Canada.
Shopping
While you might not have the same level of selection in Oakville as you do in Toronto for shopping, there are still a lot of great places for you to choose from!
Bronte Village has a collection of local shops to choose from along Lakeshore Blvd W, Downtown Oakville features more upscale shopping & Kerr Village is known more for its funky-vibe/thrift shops.
Oakville Place is the only major indoor mall in the town which is located at the QEW & Trafalgar Rd, however there are several SmartCentre's with big-box retailers in the North & West sides of Oakville.
Transportation
Oakville is definitely more of a car-centric place to live, however there is over 190km of on & off-road cycling trails should you prefer to get around by bike.
With access to both the QEW & the 407, you can easily travel West to Burlington, Hamilton & Niagara region or go East back into Toronto/Mississauga.
Oakville Transit has buses that cover the entire expanse of the town & the nice part about this is that it utilizes the Presto Pass for payment which makes things simpler, especially if you are also using the GO Train/Bus as well.
Homes
There are so many beautiful areas in Oakville, it's hard to choose where you want to live!
The 13 neighbourhoods that comprise the town each have their own unique attributes which allows you to select the best location for yourself based on your budget & desired lifestyle.
South Oakville tends to have some larger lots with bigger homes such as this one at 384 Salisbury Dr.
Some of the most expensive homes in Oakville are situated close to Lake Ontario like 238 Lakewood Dr which is listed for $10,900,000 for a 4-bed, 7-bath, 5000+ Sq. Ft home.
Condos
A lot of the mid-to-high rise condo developments in Oakville are situated close to Lake Ontario/Lakeshore Blvd, however there are some nice condo-townhouse options further North closer to the 407.
300 Randall St is one of Oakville's most luxurious residences which is located right Downtown close to all of the great shopping & restaurants.
#210 is currently for sale in the building & they are asking $3,450,000 for a massive 2800 Sq. Ft 2-bed, 3-bath unit
Over in Bronte, there are some newer construction condos like 11 Bronte Rd #609 which is nestled right along Lake Ontario, close to all of the cute little shops the area has to offer.
Summary
If you're someone who loves the outdoors & wants a bit more living space while still having easy access to Toronto, it's hard to beat Oakville.
Add on the fact you have tons of fantastic boutique places to shop, numerous great restaurants & cafes to choose from as well as plenty of beautiful homes/condos to live in, it's easy to see why so many people choose to call this place home!
What's your favourite part of Oakville?
Let me know in the comments below!
Rylie C.