Willowdale East
The board files this area as North York Centre.
A downtown of its own on the Yonge subway, with quiet detached streets a block behind the towers.
Homes for sale in Willowdale East
326 on the market now — each with its school boundaries, sale history and what comparable homes actually sold for.
What it is like
Willowdale East is two neighbourhoods sharing a name. Along Yonge Street it is a dense spine of condominium towers and offices around North York Centre. One block east or west it becomes detached houses on generous lots, many of them postwar bungalows replaced over the last two decades by much larger custom homes — which is why the age and style of a house here matters more to its price than in most areas.
Getting around
Line 1 Yonge runs beneath the neighbourhood with North York Centre and Finch stations inside it and Sheppard–Yonge at the southern edge, where Line 4 branches east. Finch is also the regional bus terminal for GO and York Region Transit, and Highway 401 is minutes south.
Things to see and do
Mel Lastman Square is the civic centre, with a skating rink in winter and markets in summer. The Toronto Centre for the Arts and the North York Central Library sit beside it. Earl Bales Park to the west has skiing and a large ravine trail system; Edithvale and Willowdale parks serve the residential streets.
Shops, restaurants and work
Yonge Street north of Sheppard is continuous retail and restaurants, with a notably international mix — Korean, Persian and Chinese businesses are concentrated here. Offices at North York Centre make it one of the few places outside downtown with a genuine weekday lunch crowd.
Schools nearby
Within about 2.5km of the middle of the neighbourhood, with the Ministry of Education’s EQAO results where the school reported them. A rating is one measure of one thing, and school boundaries are set by the board rather than by distance — check any individual listing for the boundaries that actually apply to it.
| School | Level | EQAO |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Watson School for the Arts | Elementary | 9.6 / 10 |
| Hollywood Public School | Elementary | 9.6 / 10 |
| Avondale Alternative Elementary School | Elementary | 9.4 / 10 |
| Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts | Secondary | 9.2 / 10 |
| St Cyril Catholic School | Elementary | 9.1 / 10 |
| Earl Haig Secondary School | Secondary | 9.0 / 10 |
Sale figures are aggregates from the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board’s MLS® System over the last twelve months. School information: Ontario Ministry of Education and EQAO. Population, income and age: Statistics Canada 2021 Census, averaged across the dissemination areas this neighbourhood covers.