About The Beaches Neighbourhood
The Beaches is the waterfront, east-side neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario. Offering the local, small town vibe directly next to downtown and coined “old Toronto”. The area has green spaces, quiet parks and independent specialty businesses. The pace is slower, the residents are calmer and the 4 beaches with boardwalks are a summer hot spot. The beach is a single stretch of sand running along the waterfront.
The buildings, homes and site seeing span from large scale Victorian to modern style structures. The main road is Queen St. E. Residents and visitors are within walking distance to grocery stores, restaurants, cafes, schools and public services. The City of Toronto has a great transit infrastructure, making the bus and streetcar commonly used methods of transportation. The Beaches also has a strong network of cycling paths. Queen St is known for its shopping and cultural flavour.
The area was first settled by the Ashbridge family who came to Canada from Philadelphia, in 1793. Ashbridge’s Bay Park is named after their family. The Ashbridges and following families farmed this land for almost 100 years before the city of Toronto expanded east and began to build residential areas in the 1920’s.
The Beach looks and feels more like a lakeside resort town, then a big city neighbourhood. In the summertime, thousands of Torontonians and tourists flock to The Beach to walk on The Boardwalk, exercise along the Martin Goodman Trail, relax by the water, or shop and dine at the colourful stores and restaurants along Queen Street.
