The Beach

Also known as “The Beaches,” this relaxed neighbourhood with a small-town vibe is a top summer destination, drawing families and tourists to its sandy beaches and quaint boardwalk. The Beach has drawn Torontonians east since the 1800’s when it boasted an amusement park and cottages. Fast forward to 2015 and the Queen Street East Strip and the Boardwalk pair up to provide the best of both worlds – great shopping and dining alongside one of Toronto’s most beautiful nature walks. Queen Street East features colourful indie shops, intimate bistros and hip bars, along with homey bakeries and ice cream parlours. Kew Gardens park offers skating and tennis, and hosts The Beaches International Jazz Festival.

The side streets are mostly lined with semi-detached and large-scale Victorian, Edwardian and new-style houses. There are also low-rise apartment buildings and a few row-houses. Controversy has risen in recent years over new development in the neighbourhood that is changing the traditional aesthetic, with denser housing causing some residents to protect the traditional cottage-like appearance of the homes with heritage designations for some streets. There is an extensive park system along the Waterfront (with Kew Gardens being the only one that extends up to Queen Street) as well as a parks that follow a ravine (partially buried) that bisects the neighbourhood from North to South at Glen Manor Road. When it comes to beach community charm this neighbourhood does not disappoint.

SCHOOLS

Toronto District School Board

Primary
- Glen Ames Senior Public School
- Adam Beck Junior Public School
- Balmy Beach Community School
- Beaches Alternative School
- Kew Beach Junior Public School
- Kimberley Junior Public School
- Norway Junior Public School
- Williamson Road Junior Public School

Secondary
- Malvern Collegiate Institute

Catholic

Primary
- St. Denis CS
- St. John's CS

Secondary
- Notre Dame High School
- Neil McNeil Catholic Secondary School

TRANSPORTATION

Streetcars heading to and from downtown Toronto run east-west along Queen Street East (route 501) as well as along Kingston Road (routes 502 and 503) and Gerrard Street East (route 506),

A bus line runs north-south along Woodbine Avenue to Woodbine subway station (route 92). Another north-south bus line snakes its way along several side streets before making its way to the Main Street subway station (route 64). A third bus line runs north-south down Coxwell Avenue from Coxwell subway station and then turns east travelling the entire length of Kingston Road as far as Victoria Park Avenue (only from 7PM-5AM on weekday evenings, and 24hrs on weekends) (route 22A).

Walk Score 88 - Very Walkable
Transit Score - Excellent Transit
Bike Score 91 - Bikers Paradise