King West Village is one of the most dynamic neighbourhoods in Toronto. It's a community full of townhouses, eclectic shops, fashionable restaurants and artist studios minutes by TTC from downtown Toronto. In the past few years, King West has undergone a spectacular transformation and now epitomizes urban living in the city.

It wasn't always like that. Today's King West Village was once a huge industrial area with factories such as Macgregor Socks. The memories of those times are still present in the form of street signs - many streets bear names such as Massey and Battery road after the manufacturing plants. This is, however, all gone today - now you can see new spectacular lofts and condominiums served by retail and big box stores such as Dominion, offering nearby cafes, art galleries, trendy bars and restaurants, and parks that provide places to walk, bicycle, rollerblade and entertain friends.

King West Village is bordered roughly by Spadina, Front, Adelaide and Bathurst. It's a neighborhood constantly in flux - you can see properties being constructed, demolished, renovated and renewed all the time. Developers are grabbing every available lot in the King West area, driving out long-time fixtures and pushing up values. Six recent land sales will see 1000 new condominium units constructed, with some of them being very luxurious indeed.

Another contributing factor to the appeal of the neighbourhood is its rich history: you can see old factory buildings and warehouses along King & Wellington streets, the famous Wheat Sheaf Tavern which has been a Bathurst & King fixture for more than 150 years, and Victoria Memorial Park, which is actually a cemetery for some of the dead from the war of 1812. It's currently going through a more than $1 million restoration. The majority of these historical buildings in King West Village are protected, and hopefully this fact will help to keep the neighourhood just as pedestrian-friendly as it is now.

The reason for this unique flavour of King West lies not only in its historical roots, it also offers a vast array of modern conveniences such as great shops, independent galleries, restaurants and clubs. King West has also parks, car washes, fitness centers, health food shops and yoga classes, just as you would expect from any modern, higher class neighbourhood. Have a morning coffee at a cafe and then hop on the streetcar for a five-minute ride to Bay Street or the subway station. Or drive to the Gardiner Expressway - it's less than five minutes away.

Despite all these attractive features, what really makes King West is the genuine sense of community you can experience here - residents say that they actually know their neighbours and see the same people jogging down the street, shopping and having espresso. It's this ambiance of community that pervades King West and allows the people here to be at home with urban living.

The location provides residents very easy access to Toronto's business and financial districts - minutes by car or streetcar, while the frequent Bathurst streetcar connects to the Bloor Line in minutes. Famous destinations such as the the Rogers Centre, Exhibition Place, Harbourfront, Fort York and the Toronto Islands are also all very accessible.

King Street itself offers shops, professional services and restaurants that serve the area's day-to-day needs. In terms of local recreation, Stanley Park is a favourite neighbourhood meeting place, offering baseball diamonds, tennis courts, an outdoor pool, and a soccer field. The community centre located on its grounds is used for residents' meetings, community-based programs and social functions.

With close proximity to another uber-trendy neighbourhood, Queen Street West, King West Village offers few bargains; however one advantage to those wishing to purchase in this rapidly emerging area is that properties are fairly large by downtown standards, offering big underground garages and elevations up to 20 stories.

Thanks to mainly one developer, King West Village has now become of Toronto’s most sought after neighborhoods. Mainly appealing to young professionals, this stretch of real estate has produced some of the Toronto’s most cutting-edge and modern condominium and loft options. 

Often compared to the “Soho” neighborhood in Manhattan, King West Condos have appreciated rapidly in value in the last few years due to the incomparable quality and demand of inventory stretching between Spadina on King Street West all the way to Dufferin Street. Chic restaurants, nightclubs and boutique hotels flank the area, with plenty more on the way in the near future. For most young professionals, King West condos and lofts are not an alternative, but the only real estate option. King West boasts some of Toronto's best loft conversions, Victorian-style townhomes and condominiums for those looking for a short commute into the central core.