Forest Hill, located a mere six kilometres from downtown Toronto, is rightly considered to be one of Toronto’s most upscale neighbourhoods. It started off as an incorporated village in 1923 and was named after John Wickson’s summer house, which sat on Old Forest Hill Road. In 1967 Forest Hill became the last of the independent villages that Toronto annexed, but it has retained its description as a local neighbourhood.

Forest Hill offers a wide array of house styles, with many dating back to the 1920s and 1930s. The building codes in Forest Hill are quite stringent, and require that all houses must be designed by an architect and include at least one tree on the front lawn. The Upper Village has homes built in the Tudor and Georgian architectural styles, and there are also homes built in French Colonial, English Manor, and more quaint and beautiful styles to choose from. They range in size from modest homes to mansions, and there are also lots of luxury condominium apartments when you get to Lonsdale and Heath Street.

There are some very prestigious schools in Forest Hill, including two of Canada’s most honoured and famous private schools: Upper Canada College for boys, and Bishop Strachan School for girls. Going along with the prestige is the incredible cost of attending these schools, and here you will find some of Toronto’s oldest money.

At first, Forest Hill was mostly inhabited by wealthy Anglo-Saxon Protestants, but by the 1930s well to do Jewish residents began to move into the area. Now, there is healthy demographic mix (although wealth is the common factor), and when it comes to family makeup, nearly 90 percent of Forest Hill residents are married and over half have kids.

Befitting it’s status, Forest Hill has lots of great amenities for residents. It has boutiques and shops, as well as fine, five star restaurants to cater to the wealthy locals. On the other end of the spectrum you can also find a world class bagel to get your Sunday morning started. Additionally, the Eglinton West Village shopping area is very popular with tons of different stores and restaurants – you certainly won’t have a problem finding a place to spend your money here.