Homes for Sale in Cabbagetown, Toronto, ON

Considering its history of residents having to fill their yards with cabbage plants in order to feed themselves, Cabbagetown has certainly come a long way. The name comes from the phenomenon of poor Irish immigrants growing cabbage on the land in front of their homes — although this trend mainly occurred south of Gerrard Street.

Unfortunately, a large portion of this original cabbage-filled area no longer exists: the houses went unmaintained after WWI and eventually they were demolished. Afterwards Toronto Community Housing used the land to build Regent Park, and today only the area to the north retained the name Cabbagetown.

Fast forward to the 1970s, and the gentrification of Cabbagetown was well underway. The process was lead by locals who fixed up the existing homes and fought for the neighbourhood’s revitalization. It’s also still queer friendly thanks to the efforts of Darrell Kent — a gay real estate agent who restored a number of houses in Cabbagetown more than 40 years ago. Today Cabbagetown is inhabited by a heterogenous group of residents, some living in public housing and others in pricey single-family homes.

The businesses in Cabbagetown are predominantly concentrated along Parliament and Carlton, and in this neighbourhood local businesses happen to outnumber chains. These shops are overseen by the Cabbagetown Business Improvement Area (BIA), a volunteer-run organization that also hosts annual events such as the Cabbagetown Festival each September. In keeping with the neighbourhood’s long history, Cabbagetown’s BIA is also one of the oldest in the world.

Cabbagetown is decidedly family-friendly, thanks to its abundance of public spaces and amenities. With the Don River acting as its eastern boundary, the neighbourhood includes Riverdale Park West and the farm located beside it. Riverdale Farm is spread out over 7.5 acres, and houses goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, turkeys, and ducks. The farm also happens to host the Cabbagetown Farmer’s Market, which runs from June through October.

Single-family homes might be the draw for most new residents, but Toronto condos for sale in Cabbagetown are an excellent alternative for buyers who can’t quite afford the price tags that come with houses in the neighbourhood.

It’s not shocking that Cabbagetown is a Heritage Conservation District, but what is surprising is that it took the city until 2004 to designate it as such. The neighbourhood’s semi-detached Victorian houses are brightly coloured and delightful, and the neighbourhood also happens to be home to North America’s largest collection of this style of home. Some are painted in jovial hues such as lime green or bubble-gum pink, while those built in the years leading up to World War I tend to be clad in traditional red brick.

Pedestrians strolling through Cabbagetown’s residential streets will notice the large proportion of bay-and-gable houses — this style of home is characterized by a bay window below and a gable roof above. The massive windows and high ceilings allotted to the homes were important when building on such narrow plots of land, and they’re still extremely desirable features for prospective buyers interested in the neighbourhood.

A heritage designation hasn’t stopped developers from attempting to cash in on the popularity of the neighbourhood in recent years, and adding contemporary Cabbagetown condos into the mix. The glass-clad Dundas Square Gardens Condos and DuEast Condominiums hardly feel like they fit in amongst Victorian-era homes, but thankfully these are located just outside the official confines of the neighbourhood.

Buyers in search of authentic hard lofts ought to begin their searches with Cabbagetown condos; a number of formerly industrial structures have been carefully transformed into residential masterpieces such as the Evening Telegram Lofts at 264 Seaton, the 289 Sumach Lofts, and the Carlton Lofts at 185 Carlton.

The most appealing piece of infrastructure for drivers living in Cabbagetown condos has to be the Don Valley Parkway. This fast-paced roadway follows the Don River’s waters as it carries cars south to the Port Lands and the Gardiner Expressway, and north to the 401.

For those without cars of their own, a streetcar runs along Gerrard East and Carlton, while another traverses Dundas East. Both of these carry passengers to the Yonge subway line, making stops at College and Dundas stations, respectively.

The Locals: Multifarious in both background and income level.

Code of Conduct: Shop and eat out all you want — you’ll automatically be supporting the neighbourhood and its residents.

What You’ll Find: The highest concentration of charming, antique architecture in the city.

What You Won’t Find: A profusion of high-rise glass towers.

The Homes: Largely Victorian semi-detached houses, with a couple of hard lofts thrown into the mix.

Sealing the Deal: Living amidst a small but important slice of Toronto’s history.