Cabbagetown Homes & Real Estate Toronto

Few Toronto neighbourhoods have undergone such radical change in identity as Cabbagetown — the area bordered by Jarvis Street in the west and the Don River in the east, and reaching from Gerrard Street up to one block north of Wellesley. In the 1960s, the name stood for a tired, run-down, low-or-no-income neighbourhood...

...yet, by the end of the 80s, “the largest enclave of restored Victorian homes in North America” had become one of the most sought-after addresses in the city (and the most gentrified). The original settlers would be astonished.

They came in the 1840s from famine-stricken Ireland, and to survive grew cabbages where we put lawns. Twenty years later, their sons were working in a building boom that would continue until 1895, building the classic Victorian brick Cabbagetown homes.

Always a blue-collar neighbourhood, Cabbagetown was hit hard by the Great Depression and didn’t recover. For years, this was considered deservedly the poor and rough side of town — until, in the 1970s, the first enterprising home buyers saw the potential, and rejuvenation of the neighbourhood began.

On Cabbagetown’s narrow streets, tall slender row houses in Victorian Gothic, Queen Anne, Italianate and other styles rub shoulders with arts and crafts bungalows, gingerbread cottages, and a few larger detached homes. Most Cabbagetown homes have been lovingly restored under the watchful eye of the Cabbagetown Preservation Association — their original beauty reborn with whimsical architectural detailing, elegant iron fencing and manicured front gardens.

As of 2004, Cabbagetown has become a Heritage Conservation District, protected by municipal bylaw.

Residents of Cabbagetown homes come from widely diverse backgrounds, yet unite in a strong sense of community and a pride in their neighbourhood, evident during such events as the Cabbagetown Fall Festival that runs for an entire week in September.

Cabbagetown's recreational centre is Riverdale Park, at the corner of Winchester and Sumach — home of Riverdale Farm, on the site of Toronto's first zoo... an actual working farm in the heart of the city, used to expose city children to agricultural concepts and experiences. The Farm has pathways through wooded areas, ponds, and butterfly-herb-vegetable-flower gardens. Cows, horses, donkey, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, rabbits, and cats may be seen along the way in barns and outdoor paddocks. In addition to daily demonstrations of animal feeding, egg collection, cow and goat milking and horse grooming, there are many annual events, day camps, and programs for toddlers & children. Riverdale Park also contains sports fields, and is an access point to the Lower Don Recreation Trail.

The Cabbagetown Community Arts Center has drama, music and dance programs for children, and the Cabbagetown Youth Center offers arts, crafts and sports programs.

Parliament Street’s “Old Cabbagetown” shopping district has many one-of-a-kind shops and a wide selection of restaurants. The Carlton Street shopping district is similar, but on a smaller scale. Cabbagetown also has retail pockets on Gerrard Street, Sherbourne Street, and Wellesley Street East, and Yorkville is within walking distance.

Cabbagetown is less than 10 minutes from Toronto’s downtown and mid-town shopping, entertainment and business districts. The Sherbourne bus and Parliament streetcar connect to stations on the Bloor-Danforth subway line. The Wellesley bus and Carlton streetcar connect to the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line. For motorists, the Don Valley Parkway is about five minutes away.

For current information on available listings for Cabbagetown homes and real estate, please see the column at the right of this page. Listings are updated daily, so we recommend that you bookmark this page and check back frequently.