Affluent families and outdoorsy types looking for houses for sale in Toronto near the waterfront.

The Beach or The Beaches is one of Toronto’s most iconic neighbourhoods yet it more closely resembles a small, cottage country town or lakeside village than a busy metropolitan community.

Despite its relative proximity to the Toronto core, The Beach really feels like an enclosed community with the quaint shops along Queen East and the beautiful Kew Gardens at its heart along, of course, with the beach itself. Or more accurately, multiple beaches along a joined stretch of sand and water including Balmy Beach, Kew Beach, Woodbine Beach and Scarboro Beach.

The Beach community is really connected and active. There are a ton of festivals and events throughout the year, the most well-known being the Beaches Jazz Festival. Whether its the local BIA putting on family-friendly events along Queen East or residents banding together in the Beaches Facebook Group (over 10,000 members at time of publishing) to discuss local issues and bring about positive change, this is a community where people care about the neighbourhood and their neighbours.

On top of being a great, family-centric place to call home, Beaches homes are some of the nicest properties in the city. There are some great condo options here too for those on smaller budgets.

The Beach neighbourhood at the south eastern edge of Toronto offers some of the most stunning detached and semi-detached houses in the city. It's known for its large Victorian and Edwardian character homes along picturesque side streets as well as its funky, waterfront townhomes. But there are more and more new builds coming to the area sparking controversy around preserving the community's aesthetic and heritage. Regardless of the vintage, expect to pay well into the seven figures for most houses for sale in the Beaches.

Buyers interested in homes for sale in The Beach are often looking for one of the older, character houses down private, tree-lined side streets. Some of the more affluent areas include the picturesque streets surrounding Glen Stewart Park and Ravine and, naturally, anything south of Queen (i.e. as close to the water as possible) tends to demand a premium.

There are newer developments that do respect the heritage and character of the neighbourhood such as the iconic "painted" freehold semi-detached and townhomes along Lakeshore with their beautiful, modern interiors and funky, multi-coloured, "beachy" exteriors and the stunning newer build, luxury homes along Northern Dancer Boulevard (opposite Woodbine Park) that offer some of the best views of the city we've ever seen from the balcony of a low-rise home.

There are also plenty of condo options in The Beach - around 25 developments in fact - some starting at surprisingly affordable prices for a prime neighbourhood. A condo or loft can offer a great way to break into this exclusive enclave.

Developments include The Beach Condominiums on Queen East that include five buildings / phases in one community, The Boardwalk condos that get you as close to the water as possible (situated just north of the Lakeshore) and some great lofts along Queen like the Academy Lane Lofts, the Waterwork Lofts and the Green House Lofts.

New developments are also springing up along Kingston Road just slightly north of the area known as The Beaches Triangle (literally, the trianglular pocket between Queen, Kingston and Woodbine) including the Beach Club Lofts and the Cornerstone Terrace Boutique Lofts.

If you're set on a freehold house but find yourself priced out of The Beach, take a look at the burgeoning Upper Beaches community which is in the midst of transformation with a large number of new condos in development (which are bound to attract additional investment and new businesses to the area). Upper Beaches homes offer more bang for your buck than properties in The Beach and there are some pockets, particularly around Bowmore Road, Normandy Boulevard and Kingsmount Park Road, that are just as lovely as their neighbours to the south, albeit with a different vibe.

It’s really all about a love of the water for local residents and tourists. There are a number of access points to the lake within this active community including where the beach meets Woodbine and Kew Gardens right over to Balmy Beach on its eastern edge.

For those who like to stay active, Ashbridge’s Bay has some of the city’s best beach volleyball and the Balmy Beach Club offers amateur sporting clubs for canoeing, rugby, volleyball, paddling and more. The Boardwalk offers a great trail for biking, jogging, walking or blading.

Whether it’s the colourful, pastel townhomes by the waterfront or the independent, artistic shops along Queen, everything in this cozy neighbourhood makes you feel like you’re in an independent oasis within the city.

Properties in The Beach also offer some of greatest variety in architectural styles of anywhere in the city which makes each street feel very unique.

There are a large number of schools for parents to choose from within The Beach catchment area, many receiving strong marks for overall performance from the Fraser Institute. There are also plenty of family activities to keep kids active and engaged with including sports and picnics by the beach, baseball, skating and a playground at Kew Beach, and tons of family programming at the Public Library including family films on PA days and weekly baby and toddler times.

There are also a number of events throughout the year in The Beach like the annual tree lighting festivities in Kew Gardens.