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So why is North York so Expensive? And Scarborough so cheap?

Lumping all of North York together and all of Scarborough together is a methodology which will yield unbelievably broad (not to mention, inaccurate) statistics. North York includes areas ranging from the Bridle Path, Jane & Finch, Willowdale, Don Mills & Eglinton, Downsview, Bayview Village, Victoria Park Village, Hogg's Hollow, etc. while Scarborough includes areas ranging from Markham & Eglinton, Cliffcrest, Malvern, Scarborough Village, Agincourt, Guildwood, L'Amoreaux, etc. Each neighborhood is quite different from each other and there really isn't one statistic that could define or represent the entire area.
 
What does that even mean? Anyways if your referring to crime, statistics usually point to Scarborough with a lower rate than the rest of the city, but some people will always let the media skew their views or be scared of their own shadows.
 
malvern2 said:
What does that even mean? Anyways if your referring to crime, statistics usually point to Scarborough with a lower rate than the rest of the city, but some people will always let the media skew their views or be scared of their own shadows.
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The lie detector test, determined that was a lie.
 
Not all Scarborough is bad. I grew up at Fallingbrook and Kingston Rd. and that area is quite nice. My parents live south of Kingston Rd. east of McCowan and their area is nice, lots of trees ,etc.
 
Excellent point. The original question should be more specific, but in terms of why the eastern parts of the city are apparently less expensive than the central parts (Northern) of the city, common sense speaks to the points on proximity to the downtown core, and perceived social status as mentioned below. I think a more interesting question is, how appealing is Scarborough as a potential location for your home currently? Numerous comments below point out that it is a dangerous area. Others see beauty in it.
 
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The pricier areas of north york fall along the subway line. Scarborough doesn't have much subway covrrage so the pricier areas fall along the go train corridor. Other pricey pockets include neighbourhoods near chinatown and the zoo. Less mass transit in scarborough is a factor
 
I'm not sure that the subway is really playing such a major part in house prices. If you consider that on the Downsview side of the TTC line runs from Allen/Sheppard through Marlee/Eglinton, I wouldn't classify those areas to be expensive neighborhoods. The prime neighborhoods in central Toronto like Summerhill, Chaplin Estates, up through Lawrence Park and Willowdale do happen to be in proximity to the Yonge subway line but I don't believe the subway line itself is what's stimulating the price of homes in those areas.
 
RZ12 said:
Scarborough is a scary place. Enough said. I'd never let my clients buy there.
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Great. I'll handle these clients. North York is lovely no question. But dont forget, Scarborough also has some great neighborhoods, lakefront, less traffic, colleges, jobs, and there is still value to be found here.
 
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2 bedroom condos in Allen/Sheppard and Allen/Eglinton are being listed for $400k. Homes in both areas are being listed for over $500k. I don't think it can be classified as expensive neighbourhoods but there is obviously a premium to live walking distance to the subway. The crappy apartement/condo conversion across from Fairview mall at Don Mills and Sheppard doubled in price when the subway was completed. Even with the increase in real estate prices there's no way these buildings would have doubled without the subway. Houses in Oakwood and Vaughan now command a higher price than Keele and Eglinton because of their proximity to the subway.

I believe it has something to do with the fact that jobs have become increasingly concetrated in the downtown core vs spread out over the city over the last 20 years.
 
The Fallingbrook area of Scarborough is one of my favourite places in all of Toronto. It has walking access to the Beach amenities, but without all the annoyances of the Beach (crowding, infestation by non-residents' cars in the summer, lack of decent sized driveways in many areas, lack of street parking during the summer infestation). However, you pay for what you get. Fallingbrook is very pricey.

I live a few km east of there, in the Scarborough Bluffs. It's great. Very nice neighbourhood and tons of park access, as well as access to walking paths on the waterfront. I'm about a 20 min drive to downtown on the weekend, or 30-40 min during rush hour. The drawback is the lack of good public transit (which suits me fine since I don't work near a subway line). Fallingbrook is 5-10 min closer to downtown driving though. The Bluffs are cheaper than Fallingbrook, but the nicest parts of the Bluffs are still pricey too. The waterfront old bungalow teardowns are well over $800000 these days. It gets cheaper as you head north towards Kingston Road.

When I was looking for a home, most of North York was completely off my radar. Traffic going south towards downtown in morning rush hour or north in afternoon rush hour is a complete disaster. If you've ever driven on Mount Pleasant or Bayview during rush hour, you'll know what I mean. It really is horrible. It's common for example for the drive just from Eglinton to Sheppard to take 20 mins along Bayview during afternoon rush hour. To put it another way, from downtown to Bayview and the 401, a 1 hour drive is not unusual in rush hour. Add even more time if you want to get to Steeles. Northbound on the Don Valley Parkway is also a complete disaster during that afternoon rush. If you work downtown and live on the Yonge subway line, then public transit is a great option. However, that of course significantly limits your home buying options, at least if you want to buy a detached home.
 
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malvern2 said:
What does that even mean? Anyways if your referring to crime, statistics usually point to Scarborough with a lower rate than the rest of the city, but some people will always let the media skew their views or be scared of their own shadows.
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Indeed, the violent crime rate of Scarborough from 1997 to 2006, even including the worst areas of Scarborough, was lower than the Toronto average.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarborough,_Ontario#Crime

However, obviously I would not want live in the worst areas of Scarborough, or of North York either.
 
There are many new projects in scarbs - like many people have said its the stigma - north york condos do have a different vibe, almost the same builders have projects in scarb as well - essentially places like brampton, malton, finch/jane, rexdale, scarborough have a bad reputation because of the crime, lower income and lack of new development.
 
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