New immigrants - where to stay in Ontario

[Hasni]

Dear friends,
I am a new immigrant and want to select any of the following for initial settlement. Please suggest which of the following area is considered best in terms of house rents, survival jobs, schools and car insurance. Thanks

Peel region
Brampton
Mississauga

York region
Markham
Vaughan

Durham
Scarbourough
Oshawa

 

[AlRoss]

Hey Hasni,

You need to find the area that's best for you.

Markham and Vaughan are good choices if you want to be in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) - Mississauga and Scarborough as well.

It really depends on where you're working, if you need public transportation, etc...

This website has every area in the GTA mapped out and will suggest the best areas for you based on what you need

navut.com/finder/toronto

Good luck with your immigration process and enjoy Ontario!

 

[Hasni]

Thanks AIRoss, idea was just to know about some pros and cons of these areas. I know that many factors play role in selection of a suitable area, but for me I am more focused on areas with best ranking schools, modest rental rates, nearby place of religious faith, better opportunities for immediate survival jobs, and mixed community.

 

[gfairc]

Thanks AIRoss, idea was just to know about some pros and cons of these areas. I know that many factors play role in selection of a suitable area, but for me I am more focused on areas with best ranking schools, modest rental rates, nearby place of religious faith, better opportunities for immediate survival jobs, and mixed community.

this is what i would like to know as well

 

[wiz_kid]

you can never say which area is good , as area might be goo dbut there are certain pockets within that area which are not safe

overall considering your list

Mississauga, Brampton are good ...stay safe from scarb.

 

[lawrence2007]

I agree, you can never say which area is good or bad. It all depends upon your needs and circumstances. Just a few thoughts from here and there:

Community
Peel region – home to the largest South Asian population in Greater Toronto Area (GTA). South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans) comprise 18.7% of the population of Peel.
Brampton municipality – South Asians comprise 25.8% of the population. If you go into details, immigrants from India comprise 21% of the population while those from Pakistan are 2.6% and Srilanka are 1.9%. The second largest group is from West Indies 5.5%.
Mississauga municipality – South Asians are 14.8% including India 8.7% and Pakistan 4.4%.

York region – home to a large Chinese community (11.4% of the population) followed by India (3.3%) and Iran (2.4%). Chinese immigrants are concentrated in Markham and Richmond Hill municipalities. Iranian immigrants are concentrated in Richmond Hill where they comprise 7.8% of the population.
Markham – see above
Vaughan – appears to be mixed with visible minorities at 31% of the population. Immigrants from any source country are not concentrated.

Durham – lower number of immigrants have chosen Durham region. The largest immigrant groups are from West Indies (2.7%) and India (2.2%). Both groups are concentrated in Pickering and Ajax. Oshawa is the least concentrated by any immigrant group.

Schools
The best schools of GTA are located in York region (Markham, Richmond Hill etc) and can be explained by the concentration of Chinese immigrants who focus on kids academic achievement. Vaughan lags as there is hardly any elementary school there with a five year avg rating of more than 7.5.

Schools in Peel region are mixed lot with those in Mississauga being relatively better than Brampton. There is hardly any elementary school in Brampton with a five year avg rating of more than 7.5.

Schools in Durham region (Oshawa, Pickering, Ajax etc) generally of low ranking.

House rents
House rents would be a function of house prices. The price of a single-family detached house is the most expensive in York and the cheapest in Durham. Latest benchmark prices are given below:

York region
Richmond Hill $806,700
Markham $745,600
Vaughan $688,300

Peel region
Mississauga $624,500
Brampton $437,200

Durham region
Oshawa $298,500

Oshawa home prices are cheaper but bear in mind that it is a very long commute to Toronto downtown.

 

[Hasni]

Dear lawrence 2007, wonderful, quite informative. Do you have any data about the concentration of Muslim communities and mosques in these regions. Thanks

 

[lawrence2007]

If you are good at reading maps, you can find maps for areas with concentration of Pakistanis, Arabs, Urdu-speakers etc on the following link to Toronto Social Atlas:

http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=ce2e186e20ee0410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&vgnextchannel=1e68f40f9aae0410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD#3

I hope this you find areas with Muslim communities. Otherwise, try to get location of mosques etc.

 

[Hasni]

If you are good at reading maps, you can find maps for areas with concentration of Pakistanis, Arabs, Urdu-speakers etc on the following link to Toronto Social Atlas:

http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=ce2e186e20ee0410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&vgnextchannel=1e68f40f9aae0410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD#3

I hope this you find areas with Muslim communities. Otherwise, try to get location of mosques etc.

thanks lawrence,

 

[lawrence2007]

you can type 'mosque mississauga' or 'islamic centre mississauga' in google and press 'search' and after you get search results then click on 'maps' on the top left. you will see where and how many mosques/islamic centres are located in the area of your interest.

i hope this helps.

 

[Hasni]

thanks a lot, will do, cheers

 

[KRP]

Thorncliffe is the best for you with all desis.

 

[Hasni]

Dear fellows,


Paisley blvd west apartments - Mississauga !
Can someone share a quick review of these apartments in Mississauga. Any pros n cons. I have got one apt in this area and have almost all the amenities on walkable distance. Only my eldest son has to take TTC for going to school which also is available on few steps away from the apartment.
Thanks

KRP - I have got mix opinions on thorncliffe park, but guess now there are lot of issues in those buildings. They were good some ten years ago and were considered best place for new immigrants. There is no doubt that in terms of convenience, they are still matchless. But it depends what and how far you can compromise to benefit from that convenience. with due respect to TC residents, just my opinion.

 

[KRP]

Mr Hasni,
From your timeline it can be seen that you have landed in Canada in Nov 2013. So my question is where r u currently based since 7 months.
For a newcomer Brampton and Missisauga will be a nightmare as the bus frequency is not up to the mark.
Starting with Toronto is advisable. You could look for a apt in Etobicoke, Don mills or Scarborough.
Homestead apts is a good bet. Google Homestead.

 

[emamabd]

For a newcomer Brampton and Missisauga will be a nightmare as the bus frequency is not up to the mark.
Starting with Toronto is advisable. You could look for a apt in Etobicoke, Don mills or Scarborough.
Homestead apts is a good bet. Google Homestead.

i agree with you, specially in the winter - it will be very difficult to move around from brampton/mississauga relying only buses which are not so frequent.
Although i would rate Mississauga higher than brampton, mississauga is cleaner, more modern and if you are near the square 1 area you have better access to transportation to the other GTA areas...but even though, its way better to stay in Toronto - anywhere near the subway line - and ofcourse away from the famous unsafe areas.