Walkability: St. Lawrence Market - 97
By Lucas on Aug 19, 2013
For our latest Walkability feature, we visited the St. Lawrence Market, one of the most prized and desirable neighbourhoods in all of Toronto.
St. Lawrence Market on WalkScore.com
As we stated in earlier Walkability features, neighbourhood boundaries are debatable - they’ll be different depending on whom you ask. For the sake of this feature, St. Lawrence Market is set along Front/Wellington Streets and The Esplanade, between Yonge on the west and Jarvis/Lower Jarvis on the east.
WalkScore.com gives St. Lawrence Market a score of 97, labelling it a “Walker’s Paradise,” meaning daily errands do not require a vehicle. 97 is a pretty high score, but we honestly cannot think of a reason why it’s not 100!
The amenities of St. Lawrence Market
St. Lawrence Market offers a wide variety of amenities, including cafes, grocery stores, convenience stores, and art galleries. There are also a few shops, but the majority of the establishments are restaurants. What kind of food are you into? St. Lawrence Market has it all: Thai, Japanese, Korean, Italian, pub food, steakhouses, Euro-fusion - whatever you want.
Of course, the main draw for St. Lawrence Market is the actual farmer’s market. National Geographic ranks St. Lawrence Market as the No. 1 food market in the world. IN THE WORLD. St. Lawrence Market beats out other great food markets, such as Union Square Greenmarket in New York, Castries Market in St. Lucia, and Ver-o-Peso in Belém, Brazil. If you’re looking for the finest in fresh and local meats, fish, or produce, you know where to go.
Esthetically, St. Lawrence Market is unlike any other neighbourhood in Toronto. The older buildings, some of them dating back to the early 1800s, have been well maintained. There is plenty of parking on the street and some public parking lots to the north and south of the neighbourhood, but St. Lawrence Market is very much pedestrian-friendly. The main strip, Front/Wellington, is divided by a median with trees and other lush plant life, making for a beautiful scene no matter from which angle you approach the neighbourhood.
New developments in St. Lawrence Market
Most of the new developments in St. Lawrence Market are currently under construction, such as The L Tower and Backstage by Castlepoint, Cityzen, and Fernbrook, and 88 Scott by Concert.
A couple of exciting condos in the preconstruction phase are Sixty Colborne by Freed Developments, and 154 Front St. E, another one by Cityzen.
There are also a couple of condos that are nearly complete or sold out. Market Wharf by Context was completed this year, and The Berczy by Concert is nearing completion and sold out a while ago.
We are very excited for the future of St. Lawrence Market. It’s an established, intimate neighbourhood, and it still has so much more potential.
For more photos of St. Lawrence Market, check out our Facebook album!