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Eug said:
In 2007 I moved to Scarborough, so still in the City of Toronto, not the true (905) 'burbs, but in a much quieter neighbourhood than anywhere downtown. Lots of space too, both for the house, and the lot. The first thing I told my real estate agent upon visiting the home before purchase was that for the first time in over a decade, I could actually hear birds singing outside. Yes, the difference was that dramatic. I was sold.
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You make it sound like there aren't any birds downtown, which isn't true at all. I live downtown and especially in the spring there are plenty of birds near my house. So much that they often wake me up.

If you live on one of the main streets (King, Queen, Yonge etc...) then obviously you're not going to hear too many birds. But once you walk down one of the side streets with a decent tree canopy the birds are all over the place. And there's no shortage of these side streets downtown.
 
TheTigerMaster said:
You make it sound like there aren't any birds downtown, which isn't true at all. I live downtown and especially in the spring there are plenty of birds near my house. So much that they often wake me up.

If you live on one of the main streets (King, Queen, Yonge etc...) then obviously you're not going to hear too many birds. But once you walk down one of the side streets with a decent tree canopy the birds are all over the place. And there's no shortage of these side streets downtown.
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Also ravines full of wildlife, trees & birds are close to many neighbourhoods that are near downtown, ex. Rosedale or High Park
 
TheTigerMaster said:
You make it sound like there aren't any birds downtown, which isn't true at all. I live downtown and especially in the spring there are plenty of birds near my house. So much that they often wake me up.

If you live on one of the main streets (King, Queen, Yonge etc...) then obviously you're not going to hear too many birds. But once you walk down one of the side streets with a decent tree canopy the birds are all over the place. And there's no shortage of these side streets downtown.
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On main streets, the traffic signals play bird sounds, so at least there's that :D.
 
ehlow said:
In terms of finding a place that's quieter, near nature/parks and also being able to travel or drive downtown, why choose Scarborough over places that are closer but still pretty quiet like: East York/Danforth, St Clair West, Bloor West/High Park, Leaside, etc? Just curious. 7 years ago many of those places were probably much cheaper than they are today.
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While it's fine, I was not particularly interested in East York / Danforth. Bloor West / High Park was a bit inconveniently located for us. Leaside would have worked and I looked there. However the price premium there was quite high even back then. I also looked in other areas of central Toronto but some were even more expensive.

My favourite neighbourhood in Toronto is Fallingbrook which is also in Scarborough immediately to the east of The Beach, but the price premium there was/is also high. Eventually I found a very nice place a few km east in the Scarborough Bluffs for cheaper. Big house on a big yard in a quiet and pretty neighbourhood. Fallingbrook would have cost several hundred thousand $ more for a similar property.

EDIT:

BTW, a few years after I moved here, I came across this article about this area:

The Grid: Toronto's most underrated neighbourhoods: #4

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If you’re priced out of Moore Park, take a look at…CLIFFSIDE

What residents of tony Moore Park get for their multi-millions is access to a placid natural setting, large houses and proximity to Rosedale. The streets south of Kingston Road in Cliffside can boast two of those three amenities. (So long, Rosedale.)
The Scarborough Bluffs on the southern border of Cliffside offer, by a landslide, the city’s most stunning view of the lake. Architect-designed mansions along the bluffs, some featuring private tennis courts and pools, are priced like townhouses at Yonge and Eglinton, and the more modest houses that make up much of the neighbourhood are even downright affordable. The winding streets of the surrounding area offer a variety of housing styles on landscaped lots, all within quick walking distance of the park system on the Bluffs.

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The above quote is just a snippet, but overall the stuff in the article is reasonably accurate. Affordable area but very nice. Beautiful walking trails and parks right near our home, amongst the best in the city. The views are spectacular. In fact, a friend from The Beach drives here with her baby and her dogs to go for walks with us on the walking trails at the edge of the Bluffs. We're also a 5 minute drive to a Blue Flag beach at Bluffer's Park.

Drawback is shopping/restaurant options aren't great and transit options in many spots suck. In fact, we are 1 km away from the nearest bus stop. No, not subway stop, but bus stop. In our case though transit wasn't an issue, because we are car dependent anyway due to our workplace. Even when I lived downtown I had to drive to work since my main workplace was not downtown. Actually, nowadays I do work downtown a few times a month but luckily the drive from here is reasonable. Well, not "luckily", but intentionally, since like I said before we had a proximity-to-downtown and proximity-to-work 30-minute requirement when we bought the place.

For our neighbourhood, FWIW the public elementary school and public high school are both rated in the top 15% for the province, although to be honest I didn't know that at the time we bought (since we didn't have kids back then).

I superficially considered the idea of a cottage at one point, but in the end decided they are money (and time) pits. We're not really cottage people to begin with, and weekend driving to most cottage country areas is a total PITA. If I really wanted to do the cottage thing, I'd just rent. I think a rather telling story is a colleague who bought a small cottage, spruced up the place, spent the weekends there for a couple of years, and then sold the place. He actually loved being there, but the driving time and the maintenance just weren't worth it. In contrast, another colleague has actually moved into her cottage, and her Toronto home is now effectively their secondary home. The difference there though is she's retired.
 
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re: Eug.

Nice, the Bluffs are amazing, I can understand why living near them would be very appealing.
 
BTW, one of my colleagues will be moving there from the Yonge/Sheppard area, partially because of "city fatigue". They just find the area too crowded and busy these days, and they are already in a detached home.

Mind you, I probably wouldn't feel the same way. That area is busy, but it's not that busy. Not quite like living in a townhouse downtown.
 
NorthYorkEd said:
My wife and I are fairly recent arrivals to the city, by way of suburban Halifax. While we enjoy the vibrancy and pace, there are times when you just need to pull back and enjoy some peace. This is easy enough to do, but as we are only mind-40's, I often wonder if there will come a day when the city is just too much for us physically or mentally. We don't "suffer" the city just for a job or other life circumstance, but because we truly enjoy being here.

Maybe it is a suburban mindset that the city is only to be enjoyed in doses, that the novelty of major sporting events and entertainment will wear off, and that one day you will just want to stay home and avoid the streets and the constant flow of people. Perhaps even move back to the outer burbs, a more rural area, or to a smaller town. But we see many seniors and older folks still living in and enjoying the city even when things are hectic, crowded, and chaotic. This gives me hope that a long-term commitment is possible, and that just because you are old doesn't mean you have to pack up your tent and move elsewhere.

For us, right now, there is no end in sight to the benefits and enjoyment we get from living here. But is "city fatigue" a real concern? Does the novelty wear off? Or do non-urban people know very quickly that they aren't going to be able to adapt?
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i moved from ontario to NS, i know exactly what you feel like. and yes , you will get the city fatigue, but then after a few years you will get used to it. i got used to hali when i was there. Great place,
both places have its up and downs. best to adapt and enjoy what TO has to offer.
 
Speaking of things to relieve city fatigue, HTO Park near the waterfront is a great place to relax by the water and watch airplanes land on a nice day.
 
One of the best things about Toronto is how it is possible to escape to a quiet side street with little traffic, or even people for that matter, a five minute walk from almost anywhere.

One thing that makes people moving from elsewhere feel claustrophobic, I think, is keeping up the habit of driving everywhere. In most parts of the city, eastern Scarborough is probably an exception, driving is very unpleasant, and you are constantly reminded that you are a 30 minute drive from the edge of the city in good traffic. And traffic is never good. If you're living in the old city of Toronto, I recommend using your car as little as possible, try walking or biking instead.
 
A lot of people seem to be interpreting my original post as a cry for help in a city gone wild... :)

Actually, my experience in moving here has been nothing but positive. So positive that I am wondering if it is just a prolonged honeymoon phase, that eventually the excitement and novelty will wear off. After two years, I am still impressed by the city, still love strolling around downtown, still in awe when seeing it lit up at night, still feeding off the energy and the pulse, still thankful and appreciative that we were able to come here and enjoy a lifestyle that we could never have in Halifax. My question was more about if others who moved here experienced the same type of thing but have now hit the proverbial wall.

As someone who grew up in and spent most of their life in suburbia, I worry if this is just a temporary phase or if I actually am in the process of "morphing", if you will, into someone who genuinely prefers the urban landscape.

That being said, we spent yesterday afternoon strolling through the Corktown Common, had a coffee at Balzac's in the Distillery District, then took a stroll along the Esplanade back to Yonge. Very pleasant afternoon, I must say. :)
 
Not everything in Midtown is super-expensive. The houses average at over a million now sure, but the condos range fairly cheaper.

I think Midtown is the ideal fit for your situation, it is the best blend of urbanity and suburban vibe without any of the negatives of either you can find in the city. :)
 
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