Pleasant View is a quiet residential neighbourhood in North York, bordering on Scarborough. The neighbourhood is close to two major highways and a plethora of public transportation options allowing residents of Pleasant View to travel anywhere in the city with relative ease. Families have flocked to Pleasant View because of its strong school system and peaceful suburban atmosphere. There are also several high-rise condos near Fairview mall that are very appealing to young professionals looking to buy condos that are more affordable than the downtown core.
Where is Pleasant View?
The neighbourhood sits between Highway 404 and Victoria Park Avenue with McNicoll Avenue acting as its northern border and Sheppard Avenue as its southern border.
A Transportation in Pleasant View
One of the perks of living in Pleasant View is being in such close proximity to so many different forms of transportation. For drivers, Pleasant View is right next to two major highways allowing you to drive to anywhere in Toronto, Scarborough, and even Mississauga in under an hour.
In terms of public transportation, there are bus routes on Victoria Park Avenue, Van Horne Avenue, Brian Drive, McNicoll Avenue, and Sheppard Avenue. And for commuters, the Don Mills subway station is within walking distance of central Pleasant View. Although Pleasant View has a relaxed small-town vibe, it also gives you the ability to explore everything that the GTA has to offer.
A Brief History of Pleasant View
The residential development in Pleasant View started in the 1960s and 1970s when major facilities were constructed like North York General Hospital (1968) and Fairview Mall (1970). Prior to this development boom, the area was occupied by a series of farming hamlets dating back to the early 19th century. One of the last remaining historical structures that survive from those early years is the Alexander Muir Farmhouse, which was built in 1853 and continues to stand in the same spot at 179 Old Sheppard Avenue.
In the last 30 years, Pleasant View has been an exceedingly popular community for first-time buyers, growing families, and new immigrants moving to Canada. Other than English, the most common languages spoken at home in Pleasant View are Mandarin, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Farsi, Cantonese, Arabic and Tagalog.
Types of Homes in Pleasant View
Pleasant View’s residential community is made up of houses built in the late 1960s and 1970s. These houses are built on streets that tend to be wider than those in older neighbourhoods closer to the downtown core. These wider streets provide Pleasant View with a more spacious atmosphere, which is only accentuated by a large number of parks in the area.
Most of the houses in Pleasant View are single-family detached and semi-detached homes that have simple post-war design aesthetics. There are also a good deal of bungalows as well as a few two-storey townhouses. In recent years, many of the older houses in the area have undergone extensive renovations adding a second or third storey and adopting a more modern design style.
Over the last twenty years, there have been several high-rise condominium complexes built along Sheppard Avenue. These new buildings have great amenities, easy access to transportation, and are within walking distance of a major shopping center, which makes them very appealing to first-time buyers or renters who are looking for a more affordable alternative to downtown Toronto. With more and more professionals working from home, they have come to appreciate the importance of having enough room for a home office as well as the need for outdoor space, whether it’s a balcony or a backyard.
Making The Move to Pleasant View
Pleasant View is a popular destination for young families due to its abundance of great schools, its nicely maintained parks, and its strong selection of houses. If you are looking to move your family into your first home or considering downsizing, moving can be a rather overwhelming venture. Making use of self-storage can take some of the pressure off the moving process. Self-storage can also help people moving into condo apartments that might need a little extra storage space.
Right now, Storwell Self Storage is offering all of our clients an exclusive offer of 4 weeks of free self-storage to help with their next move. Storwell has locations in Etobicoke, Mississauga, and one location in Scarborough on Markham Road and the 401, just a short drive east of Pleasant View. If you need storage in the Scarborough area, you can call or visit a Storwell facility in-person to demo a unit.
Storwell Self Storage
Phone: 416-534-5555
Shopping In and Around Pleasant View
Pleasant View has access to some amazing shopping options, the most varied being Fairview Mall, which is minutes from Pleasant View. Fairview Mall has a wide selection of stores ranging from high-end jewelry stores to affordable streetwear, high-tech electronics, and everything in between. The mall also has a variety of restaurants including St. Louis Bar & Grill, Moxies, Michel’s Bakery Café and a variety of fast food options like Starbucks, Hero Burger, and Cinnabon.
Victoria Park Square at the corner of Victoria Park Avenue and Sheppard Avenue has a fabulous Winners, Paramount Fine Foods, and a large Food Basics with tons of parking!
A little further up Victoria Park Avenue, you’ll find Victoria Van Horne Plaza which is home to MarJo Bakery. This family-owned bakery offers fresh bread and variety of delicious cakes and pastries and excellent espresso. You’ll also find a convenience store, Shoppers Drug Mart, RBC, Value Village and June’s Flower & Gift Shoppe which has been family owned and operated since 1972.
And of course, the Scarborough Town Center is just a short drive away from Pleasant View via Highway 401.
Parks and Recreation
Pleasant View has a wonderful selection of parks that allow its residents to reconnect with the beauty of nature. In the middle of the neighbourhood on Clydesdale Drive is Clydesdale Park. The park has a baseball diamond, a children’s playground and is home to the Pleasant View Tennis Club, which has four well-maintained tennis courts.
Van Horne Park is located on the corner of Van Horne Avenue and Brian Drive. The park has a soccer field, a basketball court, a play structure, and it sits right next to Pleasant View Community Centre. The community centre has several amenities including:
Indoor rink
4 indoor bocce courts
Indoor dry pad
Several multipurpose rooms
Kitchen
Outdoor pool
ProShop
The Pleasant View Community Centre runs a day camp for the youth of the neighbourhood each summer as well as classes and events for all members of the community. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there have been changes to the availability of their facilities so please check with the community center before planning to visit. Right next to the Community Centre is the Pleasant View Branch of the Toronto Public Library.
Shawnee Park is a large park in the northern section of Pleasant View on Shawnee Circle. Shawnee Park has two soccer fields, a play structure, four public tennis courts, and a communal garden open to the whole neighbourhood.
The Best Schools in Pleasant View
Pleasant View is an incredibly attractive neighbourhood for young families. One of the main reasons why so many families look for their forever home in Pleasant View is the strong selection of both elementary and secondary schools. The Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board both operate several schools in the Pleasant View area.
Pleasant View has a large collection of highly-rated elementary schools. St. Gerard Catholic School, located on Old Sheppard Avenue and Victoria Park Avenue, received a particularly high grade on the Fraser Institute’s Annual Report Card for 2020. Other highly rated elementary schools in the Pleasant View area include:
Pleasant View Middle School
Brian Public School
Muirhead Public School
Cherokee Public School
The Best Places to Eat in Pleasant View
Pleasant View’s food options reflect the neighbourhood’s extremely diverse community. Just south of Pleasant View on Consumer Road is Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ. This restaurant serves authentic Japanese barbeque and even sells raw Gyu-Kaku meats you can buy and grill at home.
On the corner of Victoria Park and Van Horne, you will find Rosemary and Thyme, a quaint and cozy restaurant that serves breakfast and comfort food all day.
Johnny’s Hamburgers is a neighbourhood staple that has been on the corner of Victoria Park and Sheppard Avenue for over 50 years. This small hamburger counter has been serving classic charcoal-broiled patties with old-school toppings for decades.
One of Pleasant Views hidden secrets is Mercator Euro Mini Mart on Shepard Avenue and Brian Drive. This small Eastern European supermarket sells all kinds of treats and groceries along with freshly baked savoury pastries and cured meats.
Whether you’re a single professional, growing family or retiree looking to downsize, Pleasant View has all the amenities you could ask for in a neighbourhood. The pride of ownership shows throughout the neighbourhood and the strong sense of community has only grown stronger over the years.
Let's Connect!
If you are interested in learning more about the Pleasant View area, I would be happy to sit down and talk about all the benefits of living in the area.
Bernadette Dayman | Broker | ABR, ASA
E: bdayman@trebnet.com | C: 416-346-7374