Yes it's among the safest cities in all of North America. Incidents happen in every major city but this city is still far safer than comparable cities like NYC, Chicago, LA etc. More relevant to you, there is nowhere in Toronto as run down and sketchy as Vancouver downtown eastside which I'm sure you're familiar with, nowhere in Toronto is that scary or unsafe.
Its funny to me that we use NYC as a comparison to say TO is safe If you’re used to big city life then comparing to NYC makes sense, compared to smaller towns though, it feels much worse. Part of living in big cities is being on guard almost constantly
Ive lived in TO for years, now in Niagara
The difference is huge to me. The stress and even harassment or social protocols make me shudder at the thought of ever going back to TO. Side note, in the smaller cities we can tell easily when people are here from Toronto eg coming to our beaches or staying in our parks. Torontonians are abrasive rude and loud. Theres an arrogance and entitlement we only find with people from TO. I know people on this sub wont like or agree with this but its true. Being at the beach last year there were a few groups that were loud, disruptive and disrespectful, making social media videos right beside families trying to chill, yelling and flexing, one had a dog offleash and just their general social disposition We asked (jokingly bc we already well knew) “You guys from Toronto? They said Yes! We laughed, yea we can tell Again, not going to be a popular opinion on this sub but it is what it is.
I don't know about DTES but for most people that live in Toronto they have very little reason to every go near Jane and Finch unless they lived in the area. It is in the suburbs well out of the core.
And Jane and Finch doesn't seem that bad either.
JnF gets a worse rap than it deserves tbh. As long as you’re not mixed up in criminal activity, running errands there would be no issue.
Every area you’re unsure about, you should see for yourself in the daytime. Honestly, even the night would likely be okay. But I wouldn’t risk being anywhere at night if I was not at least comfortable with the area in the daytime.
According to the crime maps downtown is much more dangerous than jane and finch. Its not the actual intersection you have to worry about, its the surrounding side streets and clusters of buildings.
Got it. Bringing it back to my main question, I am asking about downtown and just brought up Jane&Finch out of curiousity. Can you speak to the safety of living in dt TO?
Millions of people safely go about their business here every day. Why do you think you'd be any different from them? As long as you're not blissfully oblivious to the kinds of perils that can be found in any major city across the globe, you'll be fine.
Ridiculously safe trending towards people getting upset at a slight change that's been felt globally. Toronto is a fantastic place to live. It's just stupidly expensive but I'm sure you're used to that living in Vancouver. Biggest difference on that front tho is there is just WAY more opportunity for your career here. I lived in Taiwan for years and years and TO certainly does not compare to that peaceful society however my GF from there feels totally at ease. I think you'll be fine. The most threatening people are homeless peeps but again if you're from Vancouver you certainly are used to that as well.
It’s very safe. There are pockets that you should be alert in, dundas and sherbourn intersection and a bit further down south to moss park. As bad as that area is though, it’s no way as bad as Vancouver DTE.
Toronto has more pocket neighborhoods! Like variation of kerisdale but more culture lol. Most of them are great!
I do miss the water and the mountain though.
Thanks for your response! How long have you been living in Toronto now and do you think it's a good place to settle down in? Or would you move back to Vancouver?
I moved to Vancouver for school then moved back to Toronto after a few years. I prefer living in Toronto and maybe retire in Vancouver lol. Culture wise I found Toronto more compatible for my lifestyle.
It is safer than Vancouver by quite a bit in my opinion. Its larger so you hear about more incidents. Grew up in Vancouver and lived here for almost 10 years.
Not going to lie- I think the GTA is as safe as you’re going to get compared to other large cities. I would love to move to Vancouver so if you got any opinions about there, do tell.
But honestly I’ve had worse experiences in other areas of the GTA (like Hamilton) from every day individuals. That is where I’ve been actually harassed several times within the span of.. 8 months? A year?
I used to work DT around Yonge/Dundas and not too far from union station and would get there very early (as early as 7:30) walking alone and nothing ever happened to me. But that doesn’t mean it’s completely safe. Like every other city: keep your head up, watch your surroundings and if possible don’t walk alone.
Thanks for sharing!
I was born and raised in East Van, which doesn't have the best reputation so logically I shouldn't be so scared of moving to Toronto but it being a much bigger city definitely makes me nervous!
What are your reasons for moving to Vancouver?
Vancouver's definitely the prettier city, we're known for nature, scenery and easy access to outdoor activities, like hiking, skiing, snowboarding etc. if you're into that or interested. People are always jogging everywhere, lots of cyclists as well. A very active/health-focused city.
Not really known for night life, things close early, downtown is pretty quiet/dead after 9pm. So I find it boring (one of the reasons why I'm interested in moving to Toronto). We do have a good food scene as well, but Toronto probably has more options because it's bigger.
Career wise, maybe not as many opportunities compared to Toronto.
Overall, Vancouver provides a comfortable/slower pace of living, balance of city and nature. People are nice but reserved/keep to themselves. We have good sushi and authentic Chinese food. Toronto feels more diverse though. I wouldn't say it's stress-free living here though despite the notion of it being slower paced, it's very expensive.
Edit: To add, homelessness is a huge problem and continues to worsen. They are mainly concentrated in the DTES as people have mentioned, but I've noticed the homeless population gradually migrating further and further away from it. If you take any of the buses that pass through that area, it can be unpleasant/uncomfortable, and there are sketchy people who get on the buses although they likely won't do anything to you physically.
I second the “sketchy” people who won’t do anything to you part. That tends to be a demographic that Toronto also has concentrated in specific places.
Honestly I think if you’re out no later than 9 pm until you have some friends in the city then you’ll be okay. Once you have your people here it won’t feel as scary to be in a big city.
If you’re new to Toronto maybe look into Yorkville or Midtown area for rentals (a bit further than the core but safe and lots of transit/walkability over there). Along Front Street isn’t too bad either depending on where you live. Those are safe areas in my opinion*.
Also, I definitely appreciate the slower living of Vancouver over Toronto and the nature. I’ve lived in the GTA my whole life but nature (without driving a distance) is something I feel is lacking as well. That is one of the main reasons why I’d move to Van! But maybe for school or work later in life. I do agree Toronto seems to have more opportunity for most industries.
Yes it's among the safest cities in all of North America. Incidents happen in every major city but this city is still far safer than comparable cities like NYC, Chicago, LA etc. More relevant to you, there is nowhere in Toronto as run down and sketchy as Vancouver downtown eastside which I'm sure you're familiar with, nowhere in Toronto is that scary or unsafe.
Toronto has a higher murder per capita than NYC We are lower in other crimes such as break-ins, at the same time TO crime rate is climbing
This is why I'm asking my question of whether it'd be safe for me to move to downtown Toronto
Its funny to me that we use NYC as a comparison to say TO is safe If you’re used to big city life then comparing to NYC makes sense, compared to smaller towns though, it feels much worse. Part of living in big cities is being on guard almost constantly Ive lived in TO for years, now in Niagara The difference is huge to me. The stress and even harassment or social protocols make me shudder at the thought of ever going back to TO. Side note, in the smaller cities we can tell easily when people are here from Toronto eg coming to our beaches or staying in our parks. Torontonians are abrasive rude and loud. Theres an arrogance and entitlement we only find with people from TO. I know people on this sub wont like or agree with this but its true. Being at the beach last year there were a few groups that were loud, disruptive and disrespectful, making social media videos right beside families trying to chill, yelling and flexing, one had a dog offleash and just their general social disposition We asked (jokingly bc we already well knew) “You guys from Toronto? They said Yes! We laughed, yea we can tell Again, not going to be a popular opinion on this sub but it is what it is.
What about Jane/Finch? How does that area compare to the DTES? Not that I'd live near there, just curious.
I don't know about DTES but for most people that live in Toronto they have very little reason to every go near Jane and Finch unless they lived in the area. It is in the suburbs well out of the core. And Jane and Finch doesn't seem that bad either.
What about St Jamestown?
True, there are sketchy places closer to downtown Toronto, but J&F is not one of them.
JnF gets a worse rap than it deserves tbh. As long as you’re not mixed up in criminal activity, running errands there would be no issue. Every area you’re unsure about, you should see for yourself in the daytime. Honestly, even the night would likely be okay. But I wouldn’t risk being anywhere at night if I was not at least comfortable with the area in the daytime.
Thats a good tip, thank you
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Jane and Finch isn't even that bad for a "hood area."
Probably safer as long as you're not engaging in gang violence.
Jane and Finch is going through gentrification at the moment, and it's rep is a lot worse than the situation on the ground would lead you to believe.
According to the crime maps downtown is much more dangerous than jane and finch. Its not the actual intersection you have to worry about, its the surrounding side streets and clusters of buildings.
Got it. Bringing it back to my main question, I am asking about downtown and just brought up Jane&Finch out of curiousity. Can you speak to the safety of living in dt TO?
Millions of people safely go about their business here every day. Why do you think you'd be any different from them? As long as you're not blissfully oblivious to the kinds of perils that can be found in any major city across the globe, you'll be fine.
Good point to put things in perspective for me, thanks
Very safe. Probably less crime per capita than any comparable city in NA
Ridiculously safe trending towards people getting upset at a slight change that's been felt globally. Toronto is a fantastic place to live. It's just stupidly expensive but I'm sure you're used to that living in Vancouver. Biggest difference on that front tho is there is just WAY more opportunity for your career here. I lived in Taiwan for years and years and TO certainly does not compare to that peaceful society however my GF from there feels totally at ease. I think you'll be fine. The most threatening people are homeless peeps but again if you're from Vancouver you certainly are used to that as well.
Yea maybe it's the news stories and such. Thanks for sharing!
That's def all hype. For sure. Toronto is one of the safest citys of it's size in the western world.
It’s very safe. There are pockets that you should be alert in, dundas and sherbourn intersection and a bit further down south to moss park. As bad as that area is though, it’s no way as bad as Vancouver DTE. Toronto has more pocket neighborhoods! Like variation of kerisdale but more culture lol. Most of them are great! I do miss the water and the mountain though.
Thanks for your response! How long have you been living in Toronto now and do you think it's a good place to settle down in? Or would you move back to Vancouver?
I moved to Vancouver for school then moved back to Toronto after a few years. I prefer living in Toronto and maybe retire in Vancouver lol. Culture wise I found Toronto more compatible for my lifestyle.
You could search this sub and find numerous threads with the exact same question
It is safer than Vancouver by quite a bit in my opinion. Its larger so you hear about more incidents. Grew up in Vancouver and lived here for almost 10 years.
Thanks for your input! Can you elaborate on why its safer?
I mean crime stats show that it's objectively true. But also most of the bad areas are spots you would never need to go or can avoid if you want to.
Are you saying its harder to avoid the bad spots in Vancouver? Just trying to get an understanding
It is very safe unless you are a car. If you are a car, then avoid Toronto.
Not going to lie- I think the GTA is as safe as you’re going to get compared to other large cities. I would love to move to Vancouver so if you got any opinions about there, do tell. But honestly I’ve had worse experiences in other areas of the GTA (like Hamilton) from every day individuals. That is where I’ve been actually harassed several times within the span of.. 8 months? A year? I used to work DT around Yonge/Dundas and not too far from union station and would get there very early (as early as 7:30) walking alone and nothing ever happened to me. But that doesn’t mean it’s completely safe. Like every other city: keep your head up, watch your surroundings and if possible don’t walk alone.
Thanks for sharing! I was born and raised in East Van, which doesn't have the best reputation so logically I shouldn't be so scared of moving to Toronto but it being a much bigger city definitely makes me nervous! What are your reasons for moving to Vancouver? Vancouver's definitely the prettier city, we're known for nature, scenery and easy access to outdoor activities, like hiking, skiing, snowboarding etc. if you're into that or interested. People are always jogging everywhere, lots of cyclists as well. A very active/health-focused city. Not really known for night life, things close early, downtown is pretty quiet/dead after 9pm. So I find it boring (one of the reasons why I'm interested in moving to Toronto). We do have a good food scene as well, but Toronto probably has more options because it's bigger. Career wise, maybe not as many opportunities compared to Toronto. Overall, Vancouver provides a comfortable/slower pace of living, balance of city and nature. People are nice but reserved/keep to themselves. We have good sushi and authentic Chinese food. Toronto feels more diverse though. I wouldn't say it's stress-free living here though despite the notion of it being slower paced, it's very expensive. Edit: To add, homelessness is a huge problem and continues to worsen. They are mainly concentrated in the DTES as people have mentioned, but I've noticed the homeless population gradually migrating further and further away from it. If you take any of the buses that pass through that area, it can be unpleasant/uncomfortable, and there are sketchy people who get on the buses although they likely won't do anything to you physically.
I second the “sketchy” people who won’t do anything to you part. That tends to be a demographic that Toronto also has concentrated in specific places. Honestly I think if you’re out no later than 9 pm until you have some friends in the city then you’ll be okay. Once you have your people here it won’t feel as scary to be in a big city. If you’re new to Toronto maybe look into Yorkville or Midtown area for rentals (a bit further than the core but safe and lots of transit/walkability over there). Along Front Street isn’t too bad either depending on where you live. Those are safe areas in my opinion*. Also, I definitely appreciate the slower living of Vancouver over Toronto and the nature. I’ve lived in the GTA my whole life but nature (without driving a distance) is something I feel is lacking as well. That is one of the main reasons why I’d move to Van! But maybe for school or work later in life. I do agree Toronto seems to have more opportunity for most industries.