Dear reader,
I first realized the majesty of the Humber River at a house party when I was around 25. My friend lived a short bus ride north of Old Mill station, his family home perched on a ridge overlooking the waterway. Maybe it was Dr. McGillicuddy talking, but the valley, taken in from above, looked like a fairy-tale forest, carved in half by a river that seemed to have emerged from a yet-to-be-discovered ocean somewhere north of Eglinton.
In truth, the Humber’s main branch begins in the Niagara Escarpment, stretching 100 kilometres southeast through the GTA before spilling into Lake Ontario at Humber Bay Shores. First peoples discovered the river 12,000 years ago. During the city’s infancy, it became an aquatic highway and the foundation of the burgeoning milling industry. Many people believe that the valley, stunning and exploding with life, inspired Toronto’s namesake, Tkaronto, a Mohawk word meaning “where there are trees standing in the water.”
To this day, the Humber remains an anchor in Etobicoke—and people are dying to live nearby. Take Curb Appeal’s top post this week: a recently renovated two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo steps from the river and its many trails. Density is new to this part of town, but skyrocketing demand is fast transforming its suburban main streets into tower-lined throughways.
Also in today’s newsletter: a Burlington bunker that increased its selling price sixfold in eight years. Plus, an Orangeville Victorian close to the Upper Credit Conservation Area. Visit torontolife.com for all our real estate coverage.
