Located in York Region just north of Toronto, the City of Vaughan is a wonderful city in which to both work and live. It was one of Canada’s fastest growing communities from the mid 90s through to the early 2000s and, as Vaughan’s population continues to grow, there’s massive investment happening in the city centre to support residents into the future.

The downtown core is being completely redeveloped and called the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC for short). It's located on 442-acres of space surrounding the junction of Highway 7 and Jane and will include 750,000 square feet of retail space, 1.5 million square feet of commercial office space and, at its heart, Smart Centres Place, a 100-acre, master-planned community including swanky condominiums and various mixed-used developments.

There’s also a new hospital planned that promises state-of-the-art facilities and an emergency room, a new transit hub including a subway stop (the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre stop), a massive new YMCA, a performing arts centre and a library. You can read more about the city centre development in this Toronto Star article where one buyer describes the soon-to-be-new Vaughan as “Manhattan North”.

While there are a wide variety of property types, sizes and price points here, Vaughan is generally considered an upscale place to buy with all the conveniences of city-living–restaurants, shops, entertainment facilities, community centres, green space, great schools with easy access around the GTA. It’s a particularly popular choice among Italian and Jewish buyers and the influence of both of these cultures is evidenced by the shops, restaurants and places of worship in Vaughan.

Bottom line? This is a great place to move to or within. Vaughan is primed to become the gem of the GTA over the next decade.

Affluent executives and their families looking for newer build houses for sale in Vaughan that are statelier and on larger lots than the same budget would afford you in Toronto or North York.

While there are plenty of six-figure options including newer condos and townhomes, Vaughan is largely made up of $1M+ large, detached homes and the homes here tend to be newer than those on offer in Toronto. Most are solid, stone or brick homes in planned communities but there are plenty of high-end, custom homes as well, rivaling anything Rosedale has to offer. Make no mistake, luxury Vaughan Real Estate is alive and well.

Vaughan is made up of six neighbourhoods, each with their own characteristics and considerations as far as choosing the best place to live. Downtown Vaughan is a popular choice among first-time buyers and young professionals. There are a number of condos for sale in Vaughan city centre, including a new, 55-storey development as part of the Smart Centres Place masterplan. Concord is another good option for buyers on moderate budgets.

Woodbridge and Maple are both great options for families looking for well-priced homes with large lots, near good schools. These two ‘hoods certainly have their fair share of $1M+ mini-mansions but there’s also a solid stock of newer, family-sized homes for six figures. Maple also has a decent number of starter to mid-range condos.

Thornhill has a wonderful stock of executive-style homes for those with larger budgets and is considered one of the GTA’s best communities to raise a family. It’s not all luxury, however, as there are a number of condominiums and starter homes in Thornhill, also, so if you're just starting your property journey, don't assume you'll be priced out; talk to one of Vaughan REALTORS® about your best options.

The nicest homes in Vaughan can be found in Rural Vaughan and in Kleinburg. If you have the budget for a sprawling estate on a country lot (i.e. $2M+), there are some seriously jaw-dropping properties in both of these communities.

If you’re going to live in Vaughan, you better learn the lingo. Common abbreviations: “Mills” for Vaughan Mills and “Sus” for The Colossus cinema.

Vaughan is the first municipality in Ontario to have a Youth City Councillor, appointed as a non-voting member of City Council every six months to represent the youth of Vaughan.

Vaughan is home to an iconic, Canadian attraction: the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinberg. It’s the only publicly-funded art gallery in Canada that focuses on Canadian art. Here you’ll find a mix of both contemporary and historic Canadian art along with a wonderful Indigenous art collection with works by First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists. The highlight of the permanent collection is the over 6,400 works by Canada’s Group of Seven artists and their contemporaries.

What’s extra-special about the McMichael is that beyond the gallery’s walls lies 100-acres of forest land, heritage wetlands and a “wilderness garden”. These green spaces were planted by the McMichaels to echo the northern forest beloved by the Group of Seven.

Vaughan is also home to another major, Canadian attraction: Canada’s Wonderland. This 330-acre theme park is Canada’s largest with 16 rollercoasters and a plethora of other rides, games, Splash Works water park, White Water Canyon ride and the Action Park with international expositions (made to resemble an old world’s fair) to name just a few of the park’s attractions. It’s most popular annual even is the Halloween Haunt that promises good scares for adults and kids alike.

Vaughan Mills is one of the best shopping malls in the country, with over 200 anchor stores, visited by close to 14 million people every year. There’s also the Promenade Shopping Centre in Thornhill, Woodbridge’s Market Lane Shopping Centre and, for those who want a quaint, main street shopping experience, there’s boutique shops along Kleinburg’s Islington Avenue.

The Village of Kleinberg is perhaps the best thing about Vaughan. It’s the perfect mix of quaint and vibrant, described by the local business association as “the art of charming by day and romantic by night”.

Kleinberg makes for a great day or weekend excursion; it’s a trove of boutique shops, charming restaurants, relaxing day spas and lovely streetscapes with a distinct, almost European feel that beckons you for Sunday strolls. As a place to live, it’s old-world-meets-new, in all the best ways possible.