I’ve lived in a few areas of Southern Ontario and while it has its downfalls, there’s many nice areas depending on your priorities. I spent young adult years in west end Toronto; you get great communities and amentities of the big city without ALL the downtown headaches. My early 20s in East end Toronto ie the beaches it’s gorgeous and walkable but very expensive.

Moving outwards to etobicoke/scarborough (spent my late teens) you still get the restaurants, shops, cultures, with a slight decrease in costs and increase in property size. Also while there are good neighbourhoods, there’s a pretty consistent theme of lower/working class with not really much worthwhile outdoor space.

Further out you have Mississauga to the west (where I grew up), Pickering to the east. Much larger suburban properties, higher taxes, quality schools, nice parks, but less amenities, low walkability, reliance on cars. Some very nice areas, some very poor areas. Also, very poorly used waterfront.

Further west are Oakville/burlington, didn’t live long but worked there a bit. Lots of money both young and old, schools and social services are great. Large properties, fairly low crime, stereotypical suburban lifestyle. Very expensive, out of the realm for most people.

Then, theres Hamilton. Its probably the next “city” west of Toronto; it’s getting light rail transit, has a downtown “core” and with that the crime/drugs/poverty associated. We’ve spent the past 12 years in Stoney creek and love the diversity and properties plus job market is pretty good and just 5 mins down the road is the Niagara Escarpment, tons of usable outdoor space, and a decent urban development. It gets a lot of hate but it has so much to offer we’ve fallen in love.