First off, let me start by saying I think the 'Old Town' neighbourhood label seems to be a kind of BIA marketing thing. That being said, it seems to have been needed because where I live doesn't appear to be quite a part of any of the surrounding neighbourhoods like St. Lawrence, Moss Park, or Corktown. Old Town basically encompasses Front to Queen, Parliament to Church. The St. Lawrence BIA has created a community website that outlines the premise of Old Town as a neighbourhood and tourist destination.
If I were to take a guess at the demographics, I would see a lot of young professionals living in the condos that line King Street, Adelaide, and Richmond. But you can't forget the family housing that exists just to the south of Front Street along the Esplanade. A lot of those seem to be co-housing facilities and probably represent the highest concentration of cooperative housing, in the truest sense, in Canada. By this I mean housing that is a mix of incomes, not necessarily subsidized, where people genuinely want to have a sense of community and work with rather than alongside their neighbours. I was surprised to find that the building my husband and I moved in to has a very friendly and community-oriented attitude. What a nice change from living north of Toronto! They even have a facebook group where people communicate with each other daily.
So even though most people don't move into a 650 square foot condo downtown less than 2 months before they have their first child, that is what we did and this is the journey. I feel confident in my neighbourhood and proud to bring a new person into the world here.
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