URBS VS BURBS

FIVE FAMILIES FIERCELY DEFEND THEIR CHOICES

- ALEX CYR AND ANDREA YU

Deciding where to live in the GTA was fraught even before sky-high prices and rock-bottom supply turned searching for real estate into a battle royale. Everyone wants a prime location, a good deal and ample space, but absent a Roy family-sized trust fund, we usually have to cave on one or two must-haves. Want that big yard and second bathroom? Better be ready to move off the subway line. Dreaming of a downtown dwelling close to work and surrounded by restaurants? Get used to the condo elevator and the sounds of bickering neighbours through the walls.

And yet, despite the compromises, everyone thinks their decision is best. We found five families a lively mix of proud suburbanites, devoted downtowners and committed renters-who are thoroughly convinced that their way is the superior way. Who's most right? That's up to you.

LEILA: I was born in Uzbekistan, and my family moved to Richmond Hill when I was five, but I always wanted to live in Toronto. In 2019, after getting a job at a downtown law firm, I moved into the city and rented a place in the Danforth.

My now-husband, Philipp, had bought a two-bed, two-bath pre-construction condo at Avenue and Davenport a few years earlier. It was completed in September of 2021, and the day we moved in, I found out I was pregnant.

When our son, Leonardo, was born, I was so excited to explore my city with him. But navigating transit with a stroller was tough, and during rush hour I'd get dirty looks for being in everyone's way. Still, I believed we could make it work in Toronto. I liked the idea of Leo going to a diverse downtown school. Once he began to crawl, we started rethinking things. Space was tight. We had to push the dining room table against the wall every time we wanted to roll out his play mat. Sure, we had two bedrooms, but one of them pulled triple duty as Leo's nursery and both of our home offices.