LOCATION:
South of Queen between Yonge Street and Parliament.
EPICENTRE:
Jarvis St. and Front St. East.
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES:
Farmer’s Market, high density, condos, central, Hockey Hall of Fame, theatre.
DID YOU KNOW?:
The St.Lawrence neighbourhood has been critically acclaimed as a major success story in urban planning. It has become a model for the design and planning of new neighbourhoods across North America attempting to include everyone. That said, I believe these days the neigbhourhood could be more easily summed up in one word – condomania.
The St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood is one of the most central, high-density neighbourhoods in the city. This has been a thriving area of the city for a long time, but the recent explosion of condos has made this place even denser. So, if you like big city life and being able to walk every where from a very central locations, then this is your place. Great restaurants – check! Coffeshops on every corner – check! Well-maintained parks – check! And even boutique hotels for your visiting friends to stay at if they can’t squeeze into your condo.
And most notably, we have the St. Lawrence Farmer’s market, which has been around for over 200 years. I can’t imagine how much money those vendors must make (or how much they’re charged to use their stall) because the traffic in this place on a weekend is insane. Taking a quiet stroll to the market to buy a few vegetables and maybe lunch can be more of blood sport than a pleasurable Sunday afternoon ritual. But the popularity does say some thing about the market. It’s in demand. So, if you don’t mind the crowds, you definitely score on the quality produce and prepared goods.
Prices here vary. You are paying for your central location. As you approach Parliament to the east and Queen to the north, prices usually dip a little depending on the condo and the stretch of Queen Street in question. It gets a little scruffy around Sherbourne and Queen. There is some public housing mixed in, but it’s not concentrated in one area. So it’s much better integrated than other parts of the city.
Generally, I think St Lawrence Market is more peaceful than the King West condo strip on the other side of Yonge despite the number of people on both sides seeking a night out on the town. Maybe it’s less cool, but you can sleep at night if you’re not partaking in a night on the town yourself. The old architecture is charming and it mixes well with the new condos.