Bursting with antique stores, a wide selection of bistros and restaurants, and plenty of green space, the neighbourhood of Leaside is full of character. Homes here sit on generous lots with private drives and the interiors include wood trim, hardwood floors and fireplaces.
Leaside’s Tudor-style houses were built in the 1930s and 1940s and today there is a healthy mix of two-storey detached homes, bungalows, and semi-detached homes. Some of the original homes have additions, others have been replaced by new, custom-design homes. In the 1990s, a handful of condominiums and townhomes began to show up on the periphery of the neighbourhood.
Leaside is a great neighbourhood for those who prefer to enjoy recreational activities not far from where they live. Indulge in nature while you jog through Serena Gundy Park. Sunnybrook Park has top-notch sports fields, an exercise trail, and horseback riding stables. If you’re a tennis player, or just love the game, you’ll be glad to be close to Trace Manes Park, the home of the Leaside Tennis Club and its 6 courts. Leaside also has many baseball diamonds, an outdoor natural ice rink, and playgrounds, making it a family-friendly neighbourhood and a haven for the active resident.
A typical Leaside house is situated on a generous sized lot with a private drive and a garage. There is a good mix of two-storey detached homes, bungalows and semi-detached houses. Many of Leaside’s original Tudor-style homes , which were built in the 1930s and 40s, contain beautiful wood trim, hardwood floors and a working fireplace. A growing number of Leaside bungalows have had second storey additions, while others have been replaced by new custom designed homes.
During the 1990s a handful of exclusive condominium and townhouse projects were built on the periphery of the neighbourhood. Leaside also contains some of Toronto’s nicest rental apartment buildings, located on the east side of Bayview Avenue and on Leacrest Road overlooking the Don Valley Ravine.
The area’s main shopping district on Bayview Avenue features a wonderful collection of shops and restaurants. Leaside residents also shop at the local stores along Eglinton Avenue and the increasing number of large retailers located on Laird Avenue on the eastern edge of the neighbourhood.
Few Toronto neighbourhoods can match Leaside when it comes to recreation. The Leaside Memorial Community Gardens at Millwood Road and Laird Drive is a multi-recreational complex that includes an indoor ice arena, an indoor swimming pool, a curling rink and an auditorium. Leaside residents can enjoy nature and fitness activities in Serena Gundy Park as well as Sunnybrook Park which features top notch sports fields, an exercise trail, horseback riding stables and a licensed snack bar operated by the Parks and Property Department.
Trace Manes Park, located in south Leaside off McRae Drive is the home of the Leaside Tennis Club which has six tennis courts. It also has a playground, a baseball diamond and an outdoor natural ice rink from late December until the end of February. The Leaside Public Library is situated adjacent to this park off McRae Drive.
Howard Talbot Park, situated in a picturesque valley at the south-east corner of Bayview and Eglinton Avenues features two baseball diamonds.
Bus service winds its way through the neighbourhood (south of Eglinton Avenue) and connects to the St. Clair subway station. Bus routes on Bayview and Eglinton Avenues connect to Davisville and the Eglinton. Motorists can be downtown in ten minutes via the Bayview extension which also links up with the Don Valley Parkway and a myriad of commuter highways.
