Riverdale is a vibrant neighbourhood just east of Toronto’s downtown core. The majority of Riverdale is made up of peaceful residential suburbs, with a wealth of different housing options. Just a short drive away from Downtown Toronto, Riverdale is unique in that it maintains its intimate community feel while also being directly adjacent to a major urban centre. Riverdale is broken up into several smaller neighbourhoods, each with their own unique characteristics and style.
Where is Riverdale?
Riverdale is located just east of the Don River and has immediate access to the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway. The neighbourhood sits between the Don Valley Parkway and Greenwood Avenue, with the CN/GO train tracks following the southern boundary of the neighbourhood all the way down to Lakeshore Boulevard and Danforth Avenue serving as Riverdale’s northern boundary.
The many neighbourhoods of Riverdale
Riverdale is one of the largest neighbourhoods in Toronto, and over the years, distinct mini neighbourhoods have developed within Riverdale, each with their own unique personalities.
Blake-Jones: This is the area between Pape Avenue and Greenwood Avenue in the northeast section of Riverdale. Blake-Jones also encompasses The Pocket, the area surrounding the TTC’s Greenwood Yard, which gives the area a more industrial feel. Blake-Jones is a tight knit, highly diverse community that attracts many families because of its proximity to transit and great schools.
Greektown: This is the name given to the stretch of Danforth Avenue between Broadview and Jones Avenue. The name comes from the large Greek community in the area. This part of The Danforth is the central hub of food and entertainment for all of Riverdale with many local restaurants, shops, and pubs. There are over 70 different stores in this short 1km long stretch of road.
East Chinatown: Located on Gerrard Street between Broadview and Carlaw, this is one of two Chinatowns in the city. As the name suggests, this area is home to a large Chinese community with some of the best Chinese restaurants in the city.
Riverside: The largest of Riverdale’s subsections, Riverside is located between the Don River and Logan Avenue, with Gerrard Street to the north and Eastern Avenue to the south. It is a mixed income, multicultural neighbourhood attracting an eclectic selection of people. With an abundance of housing options from upscale detached houses to low rise apartments, and plenty of shopping, this neighbourhood is incredibly attractive for home buyers.
Studio District: The southernmost section of Riverdale, the Studio District runs along Lake Shore Boulevard and is known for its loft style condos. This area is home to many creative industries, such as art galleries, animation houses, and music studios. Young professionals have been flocking to the Studio district in droves in the past few years.
The types of homes in Riverdale
Riverdale has a tremendous selection of housing options. In the southern Studio District, you can find high rise condos with large open concept lofts. As you move north into the heart of Riverdale, you will find some low-rise apartment buildings and townhouses, but most houses will be two and three storied Edwardian and Victorian style detached homes built primarily from 1880-1924.
Riverdale is often divided into Upper Riverdale, which is anything north of Riverdale Avenue, and Lower Riverdale, which is anything south of Riverdale Avenue. Lower Riverdale contains more original and classic designs from the late 19th century, whereas Upper Riverdale is more likely to have houses that have adopted a more modern design aesthetic.
Making the Move to Riverdale
Riverdale has been one of the most popular neighbourhoods in Toronto in the last two decades, with many young professionals and families looking to move to the area. With the demand for property in Riverdale rising, if you have property in the area and are looking to relocate, this would be the ideal time to sell and make the most of an extremely competitive market.
Side note: If you are trying to sell your home in Riverdale, it is likely that you will need to go through the process of home staging to make the house more appealing to the buyer (which Team Mangos can help you take care of!). Whether you are setting up your home for staging, moving into a new house or just needing to declutter your space, self-storage is a great solution.
Right now, we’ve partnered with Storwell Self Storage to give our clients an exclusive offer of 4 weeks of free self storage. Storwell has locations in Mississauga, Etobicoke, and Scarborough. With its proximity to the highway, Riverdale is just a short drive away from Storwell’s Scarborough location at Markham Road and the 401. If you need storage for home staging or your next move, you can call or visit and demo a unit in person:
Storwell Self Storage
85 Executive Ct, Scarborough, ON M1S 5W9
Phone: 416-534-5555
A brief history of Riverdale
Riverdale was a small village community until the mid 1850s when construction of the railway was completed. In the following years, housing was developed for the influx of workers moving to the area to work with the railway. In 1875, the House of Refuge was built; it was the first major health care institution in the area and would later be known as Riverdale Hospital. Riverdale was annexed by the city of Toronto in 1884; after annexation, development started north of Queen Street, which had largely been untouched before then.
In the following years, some of the most identifiable Riverdale landmarks were built, including the Broadview Hotel, which was built between 1891 and 1893 at the corner of Queen Street East and Broadview Avenue. 1918 saw a major step forward in Riverdale’s development with the building of the Prince Edward Viaduct, which was the largest bridge in Toronto at the time. The Viaduct connected Riverdale to the downtown core, making it a much more appealing place to live.
Humanitarian Efforts in Riverdale
Riverdale has always been a neighbourhood with strong community ties. The people who live in Riverdale take pride in taking care of their neighbourhood and their neighbours, which is why Riverdale is home to so many community outreach programs and humanitarian efforts. Team Mangos is a proud supporter of one such organization that has its roots in Riverdale: The Red Door Family Shelter. The Red Door was started in 1982 in the basement of the Wood Green United Church on Queen Street East by a group of volunteers who saw that there was a need for more shelters in Toronto. The volunteers aimed to create a safe space for homeless families, families experiencing a housing crisis, women and children affected by domestic abuse, and refugees. The Red Door provides people with food, shelter, medical care, and counselling, not only to help them in the moment, but also to try and break the cycle of homelessness and abuse that so many families in crisis face. To find out how you can help donate to the Red Door Family Shelter, you can visit their website.
Things to do in Riverdale
Riverdale has access to two major highways and several subway stations that can take you anywhere in Toronto in under a half an hour. However, there is no shortage of exciting places to visit and things to do right in Riverdale itself. Danforth Avenue is the center of entertainment for Riverdale. You can spend hours walking up and down the street, exploring interesting little shops and boutiques and experiencing the cultural diversity of the area. Every August, over 200,000 people flock to this area to enjoy the Taste of Danforth, a three day long festival celebrating Toronto’s Greek community with dancing, music and food.
Riverdale is also known for its active arts community. There are art galleries scattered throughout all of southern Riverdale. A notable gallery is The Gerrard Art Space on Gerrard and Coxwell Avenue, which highlights local artists and provides classes and workshops to the community. Riverdale is also home to the historic Opera House on Lewis Street. The venue fits 900 people, is over a hundred years old, and has seen some of the most influential bands of all time grace its stage. The Opera House is a fixture of Riverdale and one of the most important venues for music and performing arts in the entire city. Riverdale is also home to many public art projects; take a walk around and you’ll notice the many murals, paintings, and sculptures Riverdale is known for.
Parks and Recreation in Riverdale
Although there are portions of Riverdale, like The Pocket and the Studio District, that embrace a more industrial feel, there are still plenty of places you can visit to reconnect with nature.
Phin Park is located right in the heart of The Pocket just minutes away from Toronto Fire Station 323. It has a large playground structure, and outdoor ping pong tables.
Withrow Park is a large park in central Riverdale that has a soccer field, baseball diamond, outdoor rink, tennis courts, and water pad. It also has an off leash dog park for your furry friends to enjoy.
Riverdale Park East is located on the west side of Riverdale, and it has a running track, baseball diamond, outdoor pool and seven well maintained tennis courts. This park also features a playground with specialized bodyweight exercise equipment, making it a perfect place to get an outdoor workout in the summer months.
Jimmie Simpson Park is located on the south side of Riverdale on Booth Avenue. This park has two tennis courts, an outdoor rink, a baseball diamond, and is home to the Jimmie Simpson Recreation Center.
The Best Schools in Riverdale
Riverdale’s strong school selection is one of the main things that attracts so many families to the area. The Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, and Conseil Scolaire Catholique MonAvenir all operate schools in the Riverdale area. There are several good options for secondary schools in Riverdale including:
Greenwood Secondary School
Danforth Collegiate and Technical Institute
Riverdale Colligate Institute
A special mention to St. Patrick’s Catholic Secondary School located on Falstead Avenue, just west of The Pocket. St. Patrick’s received particularly high grades on the Fraser Institutes Annual Report Card for 2020 and ended up being ranked in the top 200 high schools in all of Ontario out of nearly 800 different schools.
There is also a wide selection of highly ranked elementary schools in the area. Frankland Community School located at the corner of Danforth and Logan Avenue, received the highest grades by the Fraser Institute in 2020. Other amazing elementary schools in Riverdale include:
Pape Avenue Junior Public School
Wilkinson Junior Public School
Holy Name Catholic School
Morse Street Junior Public School
The best places to eat in Riverdale
Riverdale has some of the best restaurants in Toronto, serving up dishes from all over the world. You cannot visit Greektown without stopping by Alexandros on Logan Avenue to try their world-famous gyros. Danforth Avenue has so many great restaurants and food options that it can be overwhelming at times.
Simone’s Caribbean Restaurant on Gough Avenue provides a relaxing vibe with its patio seating and specializes in authentic Jamaican cuisine. Lalibela Cuisine on Greenwood Avenue is a long running family-owned business that serves traditional Ethiopian food with a wide array of vegetarian options.
The residents of Riverdale are very health-conscious and environmentally minded and that is reflected in the food options in the area. Bare Market is Toronto’s first package-free grocery store that offers affordable and locally sourced body and home care products in bulk. Bare Market’s mission is to make sustainable and ethical living easy and accessible for everyone, a sentiment that resonates greatly with the people of Riverdale who have fully supported this effort.
Riverdale is one of the most distinctive and exciting neighbourhoods in all of Toronto. Its excellent access to transportation, wonderful choice of schools, and wide selection of housing options makes it a popular destination for young professionals and families alike. Although Riverdale is just minutes away from Downtown Toronto, the area’s incredibly diverse and multicultural community has created an atmosphere that is wholly unique. Experience this neighbourhood for yourself and make the move to Riverdale today.