“In Durham Region you can go from Lake Ontario through vibrant downtowns to farmland in 10 to 15 minutes,” explains Roger Bouma, 2017 President of the Durham Region Association of REALTORS®. “You can’t get that anywhere else in the GTA.”
With a combined population of nearly 700,000, Durham Region consists of the Cities of Oshawa and Pickering, the Towns of Ajax and Whitby, the Municipality of Clarington and the Townships of Brock, Scugog and Uxbridge.
Characterised by a variety of landscapes, the area is well known for innovative education, state of-the-art health services, agri-business, tourism, and advanced manufacturing. “We have a proud manufacturing history that will continue to play an important role,” added Bouma, “but the image of Durham is changing and we are undergoing rapid diversification.”
Durham Region is home to technology-rich teaching and learning environments through University of Ontario Institute and Technology (UOIT), Durham College, Trent University Durham, and Queen’s University Family Medicine Residency Program.
The community has some of Ontario’s largest health and social service offerings such as Lakeridge Health, with over 16 sites including four hospitals and emergency rooms, and one specialty hospital, and Hearth Place Cancer Support Centre, supporting patients and their families dealing with Cancer.
Entertainment lovers catch live shows and the Oshawa Generals at the Tribute Communities Centre, while adventure enthusiasts hike, ski, and more. Whatever your shopping needs, Durham hits them all within a few kilometres, whether you cruise the newly renovated Oshawa Centre, local shops of the quaint downtowns, or mega super centres.
Ongoing expansion of transportation infrastructure including the Highway 407 East and GO Train services, make our community accessible to the rest of the GTA, and a desirable place to live.
Durham Region is one of the fastest growing areas in the GTA for home sales with the average selling price reaching $665,005 in February 2017, a 37% increase from the same time last year.
Census Canada has projected over half the population of Ontario will live in the GTA by 2025, with a significant portion of that moving to the suburbs. “Durham has long been the best kept secret in the GTA, but it no longer is,” says Bouma. “Buyers may come for better home values, but stay because they fall in love with our great communities,” adding “who can blame them?”
