Dupont and Lansdowne

June 9, 2006 11:19 AM

Living in Toronto: Anyone here ever lived around Dupont and Lansdowne? During the 80s and 90s it wasn't the nicest place to live. Has that changed?

I'm thinking about moving to the area. Anyone have any personal experiences about the area that they can relate?

posted by chunking express to home & garden (13 comments total)

I haven't lived there, but if memory serves, it's the only true slum in Toronto.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 11:24 AM on June 9, 2006

Could you elaborate? Do you think it's slummier then say Jane and Bloor, Rex Dale, St. James Town, Park Dale, etc?
posted by chunking express at 11:37 AM on June 9, 2006

That area has been changing alot recently. Although still a bit run down in spots, there are tons of "loft" (or loft style) condos going up and it seems to be on a major upswing.

I would compare it to Parkdale a few years ago if you're familiar with that area.

I used to practice at a rehearsal studio in that general vicinity - so although there's some inherent sketchiness that goes along with that type of place, it also means there are cool musician types hanging around. Also, in all the late night comings and goings I never felt unsafe walking around on the street.

Finally, I would point out that the public transit access is a bit irritating there. There are buses, but if you're used to streetcar or subway access close by, it's a bit annoying. I guess it depends on where you need to go and whether you TTC, bike, or drive.
posted by aquafiend at 11:37 AM on June 9, 2006

I'd hardly call that a slum. It's definitely similar to a Parkdale, although with maybe a higher little old Portuguese population, with all that entails.
posted by Big Fat Tycoon at 11:43 AM on June 9, 2006

That's the Junction still, right? The Junction is more like Keele/Dundas in my mind, but that's right near Dupont/Landsdowne.

It kind of a dumpy area, but apparently the Junction is improving, like Parkdale did/is still doing.

And slummier than Jane and Bloor? On the Bloor end is pretty nice - I mean, that's near the Old Mill and a little way up Jane is Baby Point, which ain't slumming it in my books.

I would say that there's probably less violent crime versus St James or that area south of Cabbagetown. But I dunno for sure.
posted by GuyZero at 11:50 AM on June 9, 2006

It's not a good area. Half-vacant low-income high-rises full of addicts shooting up. Shootings. Drugs. Gang activity.

I see you're considering buying a loft in a new development there. My experience: just adding a few nice residential buildings with a few more-wealthy people living in them doesn't do diddly to change a neighborhood. Or to put it another way: the developers are building buildings there because the land is frigging cheap, NOT because the neighborhood is on an upswing. The land is cheap because the neighborhood is a shithole. It may be that eventually the neighborhood wil be better, but that has *nothing* to do with why the new developments were built, which is because, and only because, the land was cheap. Does that make sense?

Buying into such things is sort of "taking one for the team". Maybe the neighborhood will get nicer, after many years. But it's absolutely guaranteed that it will be years before it is even slightly nicer, and there's no guarantee at all that it will improve. In the meantime, you have to live there. Buy your home based on how the neighborhood is NOW, not on how you hope it will be ten years from now.
posted by jellicle at 11:50 AM on June 9, 2006

aquafiend: Exactly the sort of reply I was looking to get. I hope more people from the area will comment with their opinions.

GuyZero: Sorry. I meant Jane and Finch. (I live at Jane and Bloor now and my brain is wired such that I can't say "Jane" without saying "Bloor".)

Jellicle: Thanks. I'm aware of the one building at Dupont and Lansdowne that to be notorious for it's 1 in 4 vacancy rate. Is this a wide spread problem there? Is this still the case? And have you been effected by it while in the area?
posted by chunking express at 12:16 PM on June 9, 2006

I live at Richmond and Jarvis now, and I wouldn't have a problem living at Dupont and Lansdowne (I have a lot of friends in the area). If you're not planning to walk around at night, and you have a car (and an indoor parking spot), I'd say it's great - cheap, getting better, and a nice area for weekends due to the proximity of nicer areas and parks (including the virtue of not being downtown). I don't go for strolls at night in my neighbourhood, but I like it for its daytime activities and the cost of living. I gather Dupont-Lansdowne is rather similar.
posted by loquax at 12:28 PM on June 9, 2006

I should add that even if the area is better than Jane/Finch and Regent Park/St Jamestown, it's hardly a ringing endorsement. You probably know that.

I would say it's better than Jane/Finch, but I have never lived in either 'hood.
posted by GuyZero at 12:53 PM on June 9, 2006

When I was going to York, I would walk down to Jane & Finch every so often. It's really not that bad. Respect people and they respect you, everyone's just trying to get by. There are actually some rather nice buildings in the area.

Later on, I lived in the Annex, and ended up northeast of Dupont & Lansdowne once in a while. It's got character. The train tracks are pretty. I might not live there if I was a young female, but I'm a fairly imposing, if laid-back, guy, and I wouldn't have a problem with it -- I think a lot of people's perception of the safety of various neighbourhoods is strongly overinfluenced by media. I like the places I live to be interesting.

Although, the transit issue would probably annoy me. I pretty much need to live as close to major transit as possible.
posted by blacklite at 8:59 PM on June 9, 2006

I wouldn’t say Dupont or Lansdowne were attractive streets to live on. You haven’t received a ringing endorsement here (the closest amounts to “It’s OK as long as you cower in your loft at nighttime”) and you probably aren’t going to get one.

Toronto has few bad neighbourhoods; don’t move into one of them on the hopes that it won’t be so bad.
posted by joeclark at 5:52 AM on June 10, 2006

blacklite, i'm from Scarborough, and I know very well how the media reports on an area colour people perceptions of it. My comment was an obtuse joke on that. Shame there aren't more people who've spent time in the area here. I was there yesterday, but it's hard to get a feel for a place unless you spend a fair bit of time there.
posted by chunking express at 6:55 AM on June 10, 2006

If you're looking at buying, wait until the High Park Lofts (at Dundas & Roncesvalles) are completed. The building looks like it's going to be gorgeous, and you're just a few minutes' walk away from Dundas West TTC station, Loblaws, and the awesomeness that is Roncie south of Howard Park.

That, or there's some sort of loft conversion thing happening at Sorauren & Howard Park.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 7:23 AM on June 10, 2006