Hillcrest Park

The Origins and Development of Hillcrest

The history of Hillcrest goes way back to the 1840’s. This is when Robert John Turner (a reformer from England) first settled in the Hillcrest area. He built his family house, which is named the “Bracondale”. His family home stood where the local Hillcrest Park is today.

Throughout the years of 1840 to 1884, a small village formed around the “Bracondale”. The residence of the area consisted mainly of farmers and a few variety stores, the small area became known as Bracondale Village.

In 1909, Bracondale Village joined the City of Toronto, and soon after annexation the heirs subdivided the Bracondale estate. This area became known as Bracondale Hill Park, and was a very exclusive subdivision. The family remained as owners of the land, until it was sold to the City of Toronto in the year 1937. This is when Hillcrest Park was born!

Today, the Hillcrest neighbourhood is a well established Toronto neighbourhood. It’s tree-lined streets compliment the beautiful real estate if has to offer. One thing that really attracts individuals and families to the Hillcrest neighbourhood, is it’s unique location. Hillcrest is on the ridge of the Davenport escarpment, and this great topography has resulted in one of the best atmospheres in Toronto!

Real estate in Hillcrest ranges in value from just over $300 000 to $700 000 dollars Canadian. However, there’s also a few exclusive homes worth over a million that are marketed towards affluent families. A few houses are still standing from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, but most of the real estate in Hillcrest was built between 1910 and 1930.

Aside from the great Toronto real estate, Hillcrest offers many benefits as well. Convenient shopping district nearby, plenty of recreational activities to keep active, local schools for all education levels, and quick public transportation throughout Toronto are a few of many conveniences for Hillcrest residence! Read the bullets below for more information:

●       Shopping – the nearby St. Clair Avenue West shopping district will be sure to take care of all your day to day needs. It offers mainly small independent shops that have all been serving the Hillcrest community for quite some time.

●       Recreational activities – Hillcrest offers both indoor and outdoor activities to its residence. Check out the Hillcrest Community Centre to use its indoor pool or gymnasium. For outdoor activities Hillcrest Park offers not only a fantastic view of Toronto’s skyline and Lake Ontario, but also features: four tennis courts, a wading pool, and a children’s playground.

●       Local schools – with six schools nearby the Hillcrest community, there’s plenty to choose from for your family. There’s three local public elementary schools, two catholic schools, and one public secondary school.

●       Public transportation – Hillcrest is served with two ways of transportation around Toronto. You can choose from either the bus service, or the local streetcar. The bus service runs regularly along Oakwood Avenue and Bathurst Street. From Hillcrest it takes approximately 12 minutes to get to Downtown Toronto, and 15 minutes to get to the expressways.

Toronto’s Hillcrest neighbourhood is a matured and respected area. It offers affordable real estate in a great location.