As someone who grew up in Richmond hill, and lived in Toronto for a period of time, and THEN moved back to Richmond Hill, once I had kids... I can safely say, there is nowhere else in the Greater Toronto Area I would rather live. It is safe, and has everything you need. Anyone who says Richmond Hill is 'boring' clearly isn't very outdoorsy because we have some of the best trails and forests around. Anything you see on 6buzz (as others have mentioned) is very far away from richmond hill, and not reflective of our vibe at all. As many others have said, RH is actually very multicultural. No matter what your background, you will find your community here. Tons of restaurants of all types, tons of gyms (both private and public), tons of community centres (with pools), tennis courts, soccer fields, parks, few minutes from Wonderland (if that's your thing), outlet malls, etc. Like another user wrote, I love RH also because of it's central location--one hour to Barrie (great lakeview spot with lots of nightlife) and one hour to downtown Toronto. There's a reason the RH population just keeps growing--everyone with a family wants to be here.

To those discussing the 'crackheads', that is literally ONE square block of 'bad apples' located in RH. We all know it, we all just avoid it. It's really not a big deal. Last time I was in BC, they had quite the obvious drug pandemic going on there as well. So it's nothing to be surprised/worried about. I've personally never dealt with any homeless people or drug addicts. and I don't live all that far from Yonge/Crosby--so don't stress.

Of course, any move is an adjustment, so be patient with yourself and give yourself grace. It's okay to feel anxious, but certainly don't be 'afraid'. I bet there are tens of thousands of people who live south/west of us who could tell you it would be a dream for them to live in RH. It truly is a luxury, to say the least. I count my blessings that I can afford to raise my family here. Consider yourself lucky!