The BeachesToronto
With 21,602 residents, it is a neighbourhood in Toronto. Toronto is split into 158 neighbourhoods, and this is one.
Is The Beaches a good place to live?
Walkability is its strong suit (A+). The Beaches grades A− overall and ranks #97 of 858 in Ontario. On that grade it does better than 82% of Canadian towns. Health is another plus (A). Housing is expensive (D).
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety uses the city's Crime Severity Index, scaled by this neighbourhood's own violent and property crime rates. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
What makes The Beaches stand out
The 3 things The Beaches does most differently from other towns.
How The Beaches grades
Each subject compares The Beaches with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
Scarboro Beach Amusement Park and 49 more in and around The Beaches
What there is to see in The Beaches and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
Theme parkScarboro Beach Amusement Parkin town
CathedralSt. Michael's Cathedral4 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumDesign Exchange4.5 km outside town, to the southwest · 225K visitors a year
GardenAllan Gardens3.8 km outside town, to the west
CathedralCathedral Church of St. James3.9 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumThe Image Centre4.1 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Scarboro Beach Amusement Park: Unknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- St. Michael's Cathedral: Oleg Yunakov, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Design Exchange: nodomain.cc, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Allan Gardens: Diego Silvestre from Sao Paulo, Brazil, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cathedral Church of St. James: Canmenwalker, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Image Centre: Secondarywaltz, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in The Beaches.
Measured against local pay, The Beaches costs more to live in than 90% of Canadian towns
The rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom numbers here cover the Toronto metro area
Owners make up 63% of households, below Ontario’s towns (76%) and Canadian towns (74%) alike. 29% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, higher than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | The Beaches | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 29% | 22% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 63% | 76% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 20% | 22% | 20% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
Health in The Beaches beats 89% of Canadian towns
The survey finds half of adults in very good or excellent health, about level with Ontario’s towns (51%) and below Canadian towns (52%). Smoking is rarer than in the province: nearly one in ten adults, against 11% for Ontario. Statistics Canada puts the region’s life expectancy at 84.7, women 87.2 and men 82.0 (2022/2024). Closer to home, a hospital is just 1.7 km from the average resident of The Beaches, nearer than the usual 3.7 km. For health survey and life expectancy, the only official count covers all of the City of Toronto Health Unit, The Beaches included.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | The Beaches | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 84.7 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 9.2% | 10% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 50% | 51% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Flood mapping exists for The Beaches: 1 on record, latest by Toronto Regional Conservation Authority
Health Canada’s survey found radon above the guideline in 2.7% of homes, below Ontario’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (6.6%) alike. Shaking is about as much of a worry in The Beaches as in most places, at $0.043 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical).
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | The Beaches | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 2.7% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.043 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Earthquake risk: one figure for all of the city of Toronto
The Beaches gets a B+ for safety
The violent index for its police area came to 93, above Ontario’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86) alike. Property crime in its police area ran at 34.4 per 1,000 residents a year, above Ontario’s towns (30.5) and Canadian towns (31.2) alike.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | The Beaches | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 93 | 76 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 34.4 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Not measured by town: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 (the Toronto service area)
The Beaches’s schools belong to 4 boards that cover the same streets
Counting a 3 km margin, The Beaches has 60 elementary schools, 18 secondary schools and 2 alternative or adult schools, for 33,875 students. Riverdale Collegiate Institute is the biggest, at 1,600 students. Of its 64 tested schools, 26 sit in the top two fifths in Ontario and 22 in the bottom two. In French: 5 of the 80 schools, where in Ontario the share is 10%.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowmore Road Junior and Senior Public School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 1,030 | English public |
| Riverdale Collegiate Institute Top fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,600 | English public |
| ÉÉC Georges-Étienne-Cartier FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–6 | Elementary · Grades JK–6 | 310 | French Catholic |
| Malvern Collegiate Institute Top fifth in OntarioResults in the top fifth in OntarioSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,140 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | The Beaches | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Winters are mild in The Beaches: January nights hold at −6.7°C, above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Midsummer afternoons in The Beaches peak at about 27.0°C. Frost comes on 101 days a year, lower than both Ontario’s towns (139) and Canadian towns (159). Gardeners get 208 frost-free days, from 11 April to 6 November. For the wettest month, look to June: 82 mm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | The Beaches | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days with frost a year | 101 | 139 | 159 |
| January night low | −6.7°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 27.0°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 823 mm | 902 mm | 883 mm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Toronto (City))
Households in The Beaches have higher incomes than those in 97% of Canadian towns
The average trip to work took 30 min, above Ontario’s towns (29 min) and Canadian towns (26 min) alike.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | The Beaches | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 30 min | 29 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
The Beaches is more bilingual than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 16% speak both languages
Children are 17% of the town. Those 65 and older account for 17% of residents. 1.1% of residents have an Indigenous identity, lower than both Ontario’s towns (1.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 52.5% of The Beaches
The 2021 census counted 11,345 women and 10,250 men here, where women make up 50.9% of Canada.
| The Beaches | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 66% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 17% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 7.4% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 73% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Expect November days around 8°C in The Beaches, nights around 2°C
The month after, December, normally sees 3°C afternoons and −3°C nights. Expect around 12 cm of snow in November. A normal November brings 71 mm of rain and snow. ECCC’s forecast for Toronto is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 1°C | −5°C | 176 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 4°C | 207 mm |
| Summer | 26°C | 17°C | 230 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 8°C | 209 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Toronto (City)); the forecast is on the Weather page
The Beaches has one public library, Toronto Public Library - Beaches
The Beaches is served by Toronto Public Library, the library of all of Toronto, so the figures here are the city’s, for 3,110,984 people.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Rouge National Urban Park lies 16 km beyond The Beaches’ edge
3 mapped walking routes pass within 2 km, among them the Eastern Ravines & Beaches Discovery Walk - Beach section and Eastern Ravines & Beaches Discovery Walk - ravine section. Biggest among them: E.T. Seton Park, 130 ha, 3.7 km off. The closest provincial park is Uxbridge Urban Provincial Park, 44 km from the edge of town. Within 5 km are 44 beaches; Balmy Beach is the nearest.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | The Beaches | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 1.9% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Before 1961: 65% of the homes in The Beaches
| Heritage | The Beaches | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 65% | 22% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about The Beaches
The Beaches’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Beaches | 21,602 | — | A− | D | B+ | A |
| East End-Danforth | 22,055 | 1.4 | B | D− | B− | A |
| Woodbine Corridor | 12,283 | 1.6 | B+ | D− | B+ | A |
| Greenwood-Coxwell | 14,146 | 2.1 | B | D− | B− | A |
| Woodbine-Lumsden | 7,928 | 2.5 | B+ | D− | A− | A |
| Taylor-Massey | 15,050 | 2.6 | B | D | B+ | A |
| Danforth | 9,364 | 2.9 | B− | D− | C | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about The Beaches
Do people in The Beaches speak French?
16% of residents can hold a conversation in both English and French, against 8% for the median of Canadian towns; 0% speak French but not English.
Is The Beaches a young town or an old one?
Its median age is 43.6, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2.
About The Beaches
Neighbourhood in Toronto
Where The Beaches begins and ends inside Toronto is TownRatings’s line, traced along census dissemination areas and named after the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 21,602 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- City
- Toronto
- Census subdivision
- 3520005
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).