JENNIFER ROBERTS
Never heard of Lake Shore Village? Perhaps you knew it as the gritty, industrial town of New Toronto. In recent years the neighbourhood has marched toward respectability and now many see it as a more peaceful and affordable alternative to its cross-town rival, the Beach.
The "village" is the stretch of Lake Shore Boulevard West between 22nd Street and Dwight Avenue.
With its single-storey brick buildings and cheerful wooden lighthouse, the strip could easily stand in for a seaside town in the 1950s. That must be why film production trailers so often line the boulevard.
High Points
Furthering your education: The 19th century Mimico Lunatic Asylum eventually became Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital and now it's a Humber College campus. (At Halloween they invite the neighbourhood for tours of the tunnels and haunted Victorian-era buildings.)
Transportation: The TTC 501 Streetcar trundles the length of Queen Street, through the Humber Loop and then along Lake Shore Boulevard West all the way to Brown's Line. The GO Train whisks you between Mimico Station and Union Station in about 15 minutes. Drivers can cruise Lake Shore Boulevard to downtown in 20 minutes or so.
Parks: The Western Beaches line the shore nearby. Further west you'll find Colonel Samuel Smith Park, which boasts rocky beaches, quiet marshes and the first Wetlands-Wildlife Restoration Trail on the Great Lakes. In between, little slivers of green parkland at the foot of many streets give residents a route down to the water.
Room for Improvement
Crime: Residential burglaries are fairly uncommon but there have been a couple of robberies on Lake Shore. Some tough characters roll out of the bars late at night.
Culture: Transplanted downtowners may suffer symptoms of withdrawal when they can't find the galleries, independent book shops and repertory film theatres they're used to. And you can't imagine the Eastern Beaches containing anything as rough as some of the drinking establishments here.
Harbingers of Change
The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company plant employed the masses for decades and filled the air with a distinct tang. A few years ago it was razed and replaced with government-assisted housing. Now lots of decommissioned factories are giving way to condos and townhouses.
Shopper's Drug Mart is here but mostly the area is devoid of chain stores and marquee coffee shops, which may be a curse or a blessing.
Big Guy's Little Coffee Shop recently hosted an open-mike night of poetry readings, stories and music.
Many local faves, such as Sweet Olenka's chocolate shop, have spiffed up their premises.
Market Values
The industrial area spreading north from Lake Shore Boulevard squeezes the traditional residential real estate into a tight little pocket to the south. This scarcity of properties could push up values in years to come, says Realosophy president John Pasalis.
Currently there's a three-bedroom house right on the lake (yes, right on the lake!) listed for $1.1-million. It needs work, but imagine sliding open the patio door and strolling under willow boughs to your private stretch of Lake Ontario shoreline. The waterfront here has no boardwalk to attract day trippers.
The new townhouses on Lake Shore Boulevard change hands for about $299,000. On the side streets running north from the water, you can still buy a detached house for less than $600,000. Try getting that in the Beaches.
Carolyn Ireland