A Brief Guide To Living In King West

Once a gritty industrial zone, King West is a neighbourhood in Toronto that has given itself a branding makeover in the last decade. It is now the chic cousin of the dynamic and trendy West Queen West and often compared to Soho in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The area is particularly popular with young professionals and stylish urbanites due to its proximity to Toronto’s Fashion, Entertainment and Financial Districts while its fantastic mix of restaurants, bars and nightlife hotspots offer the very best in cosmopolitan living.

Indeed, bordered on the north by King Street West, on the east by Strachan Avenue, on the south by the Gardiner Expressway and on the west by Atlantic Avenue, King West is a Toronto neighbourhood that boasts an enviable location few others can rival. Notable attractions include West Queen West immediately north of King West, Liberty Village, and Fort York while the Fashion District, the Entertainment District, and Chinatown lie in the immediate vicinity.

Alongside easy access to the Toronto landmarks above, King West also boasts some of the city’s best restaurants, lounges, bars and nightlife hotspots. In truth, King West is not a place for peace and quiet. The neighbourhood offers a true and authentic downtown Toronto experience and there is always something to do. Other amenities of the area include independent shops, home furnishing and grocery stores and excellent fitness and recreational facilities for a lifestyle that incorporates, fun, activity, and relaxation.

King West is also highly walkable and lies a short distance away from Trinity Bellwoods Park. Public transport is well provided for and the neighbourhood is minutes away from the downtown core via the King streetcar. Additionally, other streetcar lines operating on a number of different routes provide straightforward commuting to either the Yonge-University Line or the Bloor-Danforth Line. On the other hand, motorists have easy access to the Gardiner Expressway and Lakeshore Boulevard linking to all the major highways.

In terms of residential accommodation, King West boasts one of the best selections of condominium buildings in the city by notable condo developers like Lamb Development Corp. and Freed Developments. For example, DNA is a three-phase condo development in the heart of King West. The condominium community is a great example of what condo living at its best can be with stylish layouts, beautiful finishes, coveted building amenities and stunning building exteriors.

At the same time, although King West is in the middle of the city’s concrete jungle, it is not without tree-lined streets and green spaces dotted around. The neighbourhood also retains a unique charm with a number of historic factory buildings, many of which have now been converted into stylish residential and commercial spaces.