Kingston, Ontario
Benchmark housing price: $559,000
Population: 132,485
In the last few years, Kingston has been on the kind of epic building spree that puts other mid-sized Canadian cities to shame: in 2023, it began construction on more than 1,400 homes, more than doubling the municipal target set by the province. There’s more to come, like the landmark nine-floor downtown Crown condo, a whack of residential towers in the city’s Williamsville area, five proposed buildings on Queen Street, and a six-storey development on the site of the former Frontenac Mall. It’s a ground-breaking disruption to the city’s low-rise, old-world aesthetic.
Plenty of Kingston’s most affordable gems are nestled in the city’s upper end. Northwest neighbourhoods like Polson Park and Hillendale are packed with ’50s- and ’60s-era bungalows priced below $600,000 with good bones and huge lots. A few minutes east in Kingscourt, prospective buyers can score completely reno’d properties well under $500,000.
The city has more than earned its blustery reputation, but the cause—its postcard-perfect wraparound views of Lake Ontario—is worth the potentially windblown hair days. Outdoorsy types can hike two nearby provincial parks or traverse the St. Lawrence and the nearby Thousand Islands by kayak or by riverboat aboard the legendary Island Queen. Cycling around the city is a not-dangerous dream. As for transit, a 20-minute commute to work is considered excessive. Employment options abound, most notably in education and innovation (at Queen’s and St. Lawrence College), health care and the military.
Kingston has everything ex-suburbanites could wish for, like mature trees, homes with ample backyards, parks and a decent mall: the Cataraqui Centre, which has an Indigo and a Sephora, thank you very much. The culture scene is positively cosmopolitan, with antiques and boutiques galore, dedicated festivals for films and buskers, and major artists and performers showing up at the Isabel Bader Centre, the Grand Theatre and—Kingston’s largest music venue—Slush Puppie Place. The city’s half-dozen breweries and old haunts have made room for hyper-urban dining options, like the newly bricks-and-mortar Patriam Coffee (which started as a mobile java bar) and Le Jardin, a resto with a rotating menu cooked over a wood-burning fire. Kingston’s even got nine beloved Cambodian restaurants, all of them delicious.
Recently Listed
797 Old Colony Road
Price tag: $590,000
The place: A three-bedroom home with a private yard and a new kitchen
234 Westdale Avenue
Price tag: $649,900
The place: A three-bedroom, two-bathroom bungalow with hardwood floors and an open-concept layout
