Morningside, Toronto

Morningside is a suburb that is located to the northeast of downtown Toronto. It is renowned as Seven Oaks and well-connected by Highway 401, West Highland Creek, and Scarborough Golf Club Road. For decades, this neighbourhood remained untouched and conventional, especially in housing. However, over time, development in the real estate sector and neighbourhood reconstruction kicked off. It was only in 2002 that the expansion plan was initiated, which was finally given shape by 2015. Currently, there is a high demand for Morningside real estate, which comprises mostly residential properties, including modern housing and a variety of single-family, detached houses for families. Families and students seek rental spaces and purchase options in single detached, semi-detached, and apartment categories. Considering the quick development of the neighbourhood, and the continuous immigration of diverse populations, the demand for real estate only seems to increase each year.

This locality boasts rich amenities, an affordable cost of living, comfortable employment, modern Morningside houses with effective housing solutions, smooth connectivity, and the best amenities. Morningside is quite a safe place to reside in. The crime rate in the locality is 13% lower than the national average crime rate. Violent crime is 10% less, and property crime is 14% less than the national average rates. This is also one of the key reasons why so many residents from other localities prefer the Morningside neighbourhood to live in.

The average household income in Morningside is 12% lower than the national average, while the unemployment rate is 1% lower than the national average. Due to the immediate rise in demand for rented and purchased residential real estate, there are chances of much better employment opportunities for the people residing in the neighbourhood of Morningside. Currently, 10.5% of people earn $20,000 or less, 11% earn between $80,000 and $100,000, and 12% earn $300,000 or more. Morningside is a sparsely populated neighbourhood, and most of the people communicate in English. Besides English, French is the second most spoken language here. Even the schools have incorporated the French first language public secular school board, Conseil Scolaire Catholique MonAvenir, and Conseil Scolaire Viamonde.

The Morningside is primarily a residential neighbourhood that offers the best of amenities, a rich social infrastructure, and consumer-friendly facilities to its residents and guests.

Schools

Morningside has ten public schools and six Catholic schools, and the special programs offered at local schools include IB, Fine Arts, Gifted or Talented Program, and Advanced Placement. Some of the schools in the locality are as follows:

• Henry Hudson Senior Public School
• Woburn Collegiate Institute
• ÉSC Père-Philippe-Lamarche
• St. Edmund Campion Catholic School
• St. Thomas More Catholic School

Restaurants

Several restaurants and multi-cuisine food joints can satiate your hunger pangs, which are mainly located in the northeast corner of 401 and Morningside Avenue. You can also enjoy a hot cup of tea or coffee with your loved ones at some excellent cafes at Morningside. You must try the following options:

• Wing House
• Bella’s Lechon
• Caribbean Wave
• Harvey’s
• Tim Hortons
• Starbucks
• CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice
• Regino's Pizza & Wings
• Tadka Spot

Shopping Malls

The Morningside neighbourhood offers a variety of shopping options. Some of the most renowned and affordable shopping centres in the area are:

• Morningside Crossing
• Chand Morningside Plaza
• SmartCentres Scarborough East
• Kingston Square
• Maystone Plaza
• Kingston Square West
• Scarborough Town Centre
• Malvern Town Centre

Hospitals

Morningside has some of the best medical facilities for emergency and immediate consultation. Most of your health-related concerns can be handled at the following:

• Scarborough Health Network - General Hospital
• Morningside Crossing Medical Centre
• SVHC（Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities）
• Stone Health Centre
• Scarborough and Rouge Hospital- Emergency Room
• Toronto General Hospital

Morningside has plentiful green spaces, country clubs, shopping spaces, art museums, and many places of worship. You can visit the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Palace, the Guild Inn, and even the Toronto Zoo. Here are a few places you must visit.

Morningside Park

This is a municipal park that is managed by Toronto Parks, Forestry, and Recreation Division. It is interconnected along Highland Creek in Scarborough, which is an overcrowded destination offering several shopping and dining options. Mature trees surround this spot of nature and have a trail for you to walk, bike, or jog through the park. Play areas, splash pads, picnic spots, and barbecues are here. You also have the option to rent bikes and enjoy the ravine as you walk along the path. Residents of Morningside thoroughly enjoy their big family reunions here on the weekends. If you are lucky, you can see some ducks, deer, woodpeckers, and fall salmon run up Highland Creek. The Toronto Public Library is also nearby, which provides free access to a broad range of human knowledge.

Scarborough Bluffs

The Scarborough Bluffs is a culmination of the scenic Rouge River and geological features that are the result of the accumulation of sedimentary deposits over 12,000 years ago. These bluffs rise 100 meters above Lake Ontario, stretch 15 kilometres, and are also home to the Toronto Zoo. You can visit the historic castle ruins, beautiful beaches, and the fascinating Scarboro Crescent Park here.

Botany Hill Park

This park is near Ellesmere Road and Scarborough Golf Club Road and extends up to 2.5 hectares overlooking East Highland Creek. It offers the Curran Hall Community Centre, playgrounds, tennis courts, a Dogs Off-Leash Area, and a Drinking Fountain.

Morningside boasts a serene ambience with old trees bordering Rouge Park, a diverse community with great schools and outdoor amenities, and quiet streets with primarily single-family and detached homes. There are several malls, restaurants, cafes, and recreational centres to enjoy with your friends and families on weekends or vacations.

Experience Tranquillity at the Rouge National Urban Park

Morningside has eight primary parks that offer 45-50 recreational facilities. Most of these parks offer tranquillity and a glimpse of the oldest forests in Toronto. They also feature playgrounds for kids, splash pools, sports arenas, dog parks, and skating. Besides the main Morningside Park, there are other parks like the Rouge, which was previously known as the Rouge National Urban Park. Built around the Rouge River, this park extends into Whitchurch-Stouffville, Markham, and Uxbridge and is also known as the largest urban-area park in North America. Other important parks where you can just take a stroll or stretch your legs and have a warm conversation with your loved ones are Burnthan Park, Nightstar, and Hoptree Park.

Have a Fun Day at Shopping Plazas and Gaming Zones

Several locations offer some of the best recreational and entertaining places at Morningside. Undoubtedly, Morningside Park is one of the most entertaining places in the vicinity. There are various malls and shopping plazas with movie theatres, game zones, and other entertaining activities that you can enjoy with your loved ones.

Residents living in Morningside generally prefer to commute using their cars. The locality enjoys proximity to Highway 401 and Morningside Avenue, so it is quite convenient for the locals to travel in their vehicles or opt for carpool. There are also several transport services that can take you to several places from Morningside. You can use one of the 84 transit stops or railway stations like Guildwood GO to travel through the TTC route 133 Neilson to reach Scarborough Centre subway station or take the 53A Steeles East to Finch Avenue.

• You can reach the nearest mall within 5 minutes, which is a quick drive from Neilson Road.
• You can reach Toronto in an hour and 15 minutes via public transportation and 30 minutes by car.
• Toronto Pearson International Airport is 36.2 km from Morningside via Ontario 401 Express.
• 80% of commuters commute within the city. 62% of Morningside residents use their vehicle, 33% use transit, while 2% either walk or use their bikes to reach a certain place.

When living in Morningside, you don’t have to worry about looking for places to shop for daily goods, luxury items, household appliances, and necessities. Several local markets, supermarkets, and malls within its vicinity offer you the best variety and most cost-effective goods and services.

Morningside Crossing

This place has everything you need, from food basics to convenient parking spaces, grocery stores, fast food joints, and so much more. This retail node spreads across three roads, which is popularly called the Morningside Crossing, which is located towards the east of Toronto in the West Hill neighbourhood. Morningside Crossing features shopping needs like Bulk Barn, Fit 4 Less, Shoppers Drug Mart, Food Basics, Dollarama, LCBO, banks, and many more. This open-air shopping centre, which was established in 2008, is a replacement for the Morningside Mall, which was established in the 1970s but torn down in 2007.

Chand Morningside Plaza

Besides offering various opportunities for retail shopping, this plaza is also known for housing several top-notch commercial offices, multiple businesses, and supermarkets. The customer service is exceptional at the shopping plaza, and all products are well-organized and fresh. This is also a one-stop place for clothing, car essentials, and restaurants, with plenty of parking available. One of the best features of Chand Morningside Plaza is that it houses an Indian and Srilankan grocery store, and because of this, it is generally crowded.

The population density in Morningside is 30% lower than in Toronto, while the median age is 2% lower than in Toronto. 32.78% of the population living in Morningside is South Asian, 18.87% of the population is Black, and 9.44% of the population is Filipino.

Morningside is the perfect neighbourhood for families, wherein there are several recreational and entertaining activities that you can enjoy with kids. To begin with, you must visit the Morningside District Park, where you can plan picnics and BBQ parties with families and friends. Children can enjoy several rides, appreciate the beautiful landscapes, ride their bikes, visit the jungle gym, learn about various species of birds and animals by the pond, and even visit the recreational centre. Other places for children to visit in the Morningside are Murison Park or the Epic Planet Fun, which is a centre for indoor games and birthday parties. There are several amusement parks, like Splash Island, Corvette Splash Pad, and other parks, like Progress Avenue Park and Military Park. The Toronto Zoo is a major attraction, and it promises a fun time for kids. Kids can participate in various kinds of sports and activities at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre. Some of the best pet-friendly parks in Morningside Toronto are Botany Hill Dog Park, Military Park, Morningside Park, Morningside Park-Ellesmere Side, Old Kingston Rd Parkette & Dog Park, and Confederation Dog Park.

The approximate cost of living in Morningside is 12% lower than the Toronto average and 2% higher than the national average. Morningside housing is 27% lower than the national average. The average cost of Morningside real estate and housing is much lower than that of Toronto and Ontario. Other factors, such as goods and services, groceries, healthcare, transportation, and utilities, are almost equal to the Toronto average.

Several diverse populations reside in Morningside, and the residential real estate sector here has witnessed an upsurge, especially near McCowan Road alongside Morningside Park. The locality offers various kinds of affordable condos, townhouses, and luxurious spaces with well-maintained streets, accessibility to local parks, natural landmarks, and remarkable amenities. Families and students prefer detached houses, followed by semi-detached houses and townhouses in the neighbourhood. 2002 brought about a revolution in reconstructing and renovating old properties. You can purchase a condo at an average price of $674,000 in Morningside, and the approximate range varies between $468,800 - $799,500. 31% of residents live in rented spaces at Morningside. The average house costs $909,441 and is listed on the market for approximately 12 to 15 days. The estimation of house prices is that a single detached house costs $1,150,000, a semi-detached house costs $1,170,000, and a townhouse costs $960,000 in Morningside, Toronto.