June 27, 2024 | Pickering
Is Pickering a Good Place to Live?

What do you get when you take all of the perks of living in a thriving city like Toronto, minus the crowd, the traffic, and the outrageous prices for everything? The answer is Pickering, where you can enjoy maximum convenience, ample green space, and a lively dining and entertainment scene – all at a lower cost of living.
We are sure you will love it here, regardless of age or background. Families love Pickering’s safe and engaging environment for children to play and learn. Young professionals love the fast-growing economy where they can benefit from nearly unlimited career opportunities. Retirees and downsizers love the easy access to everything, from shopping malls and parks to healthcare and social connections.
We’re hard-pressed to think of any demographic that wouldn’t love all that Pickering life has to offer. Since this is one of our favourite topics, let’s dive in a little deeper.
How Safe Is Pickering?
According to Areavibes, Pickering is one of the safest cities in Ontario. While you’ll want to take common sense precautions no matter where you are, you and your family can rest easily that Pickering’s crime rate is well below the national average.
As a peaceful, modern, and fairly affluent community, Pickering is one of the best places to live and raise a family. Numerous parks, playgrounds, and trails provide a scenic and safe place for children to play well away from the risk of traffic. No wonder Pickering’s elevated way of life attracts families, retirees, young professionals, along with a vast array of newcomers to Canada.
Healthcare is a high priority for many people, especially those with families and retirees. Fortunately, Pickering offers several outstanding facilities such as Lakeridge Health Ajax Pickering Hospital and the Durham Community Health Centre, along with numerous medical clinics and wellness practitioners.
Pickering doesn’t just offer a safe community, but also a supportive environment where it’s easy to gather with like-minded individuals. People of any faith will find a home here as well as a welcoming place of worship, including Christians, Hindus, and Muslims.
Pickering has so many great things to offer that we can’t possibly squeeze it all into a single article! If you want to know more, check out the posts below:
- What Are the Best Parks in Pickering?
- Is Pickering Going Green?
- What Does Pickering Offer Empty-Nesters?
Is Pickering Affordable?
Pickering is one of the most affordable places in the GTA. Housing prices are far lower, for instance. An abundance of available condos also makes buying real estate in Pickering more accessible for first-time buyers and new immigrants. Since housing is the most expensive part of living, relatively lower real estate prices make Pickering both accessible and affordable.
It isn’t just lower prices attracting new residents to Pickering.
People here also love the availability of high-paying careers in several major sectors, including technology, manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality. When you combine a higher-than-average income with lower costs, you can enjoy an elevated and sustainable lifestyle in Pickering.
Pickering is also home to Seaton, which is one of the biggest developments in all of Canada. Here, you’ll find a breathtaking array of new houses, townhouses, and condos. Already, hundreds of residents have eagerly moved into this new community. When completed, the area will support approximately 70,000 households.
Best of all, the developers have devoted at least 50% of the square footage to green space. If you’ve ever wanted to live in a modern, safe, and scenic neighbourhood, this new community just might deserve your consideration.
Is Pickering Close to Toronto?
Pickering lies directly east of Toronto along Highway 401 in the Durham Region. Living here means having the best of both worlds, the peace, serenity, and convenience of a clean and beautiful city, plus Toronto is easily accessible by transit or car. The driving distance is approximately 45 km to Downtown Toronto, which can take between 30 and 45 minutes, depending on traffic.
With the new Pickering GO station easily accessible, you can reach downtown by train in about 45 minutes–often faster than driving and without the stress and traffic. This ease of transportation makes Pickering a highly convenient and desirable location, where you can readily travel back and forth into the city for work or leisure.
Does Pickering Have Good Schools?
When relocating to a new city, one of the first questions people will ask is, “What are the schools like?” As a family, it’s understandable that the quality of the schools will be at the top of everyone’s mind. However, it’s always good to live near a school district even if you don’t have young children or teenagers.
The reason is that homes near reputable schools tend to hold on to their value even during challenging economic conditions. When property values rise, houses near schools tend to gain even more value compared to those further away.
Access to superb schools is just one more thing that sets Pickering apart in the GTA. The Durham District School Board oversees all public schools, including Gandatsetiagon Public School, Altona Forest Public School, and Dunbarton High School, which are all highly rated by the Fraser Institute.
Though not the only metric to measure, a high Fraser score tends to reflect well on the entire neighbourhood. William Dunbar Public School gets a special shoutout, with an impressive 9.7 ranking at the time of this writing, making it one of the top schools in the province.
Families that prefer private education will also find themselves right at home in Pickering, with options such as Pickering College, Blaisdale Montessori School, and École Montessori. In addition, Conseil scolaire Viamonde oversees the French schools in the area, whereas the Durham Catholic District School Board handles all Catholic schools.
Is Pickering starting to sound like a great place for your next home? If so, the posts below can help:
- Pickering Vs Toronto: Where Should You Buy a Home?
- Why a Status Certificate Is Important When Buying a Pickering Condo
- How NOT To Buy a House
Is Pickering Fun?
Great schools, check. Safe, absolutely. Affordable, yes! But now let’s talk about something far more important. Is Pickering fun? With four seasons of events and festivals throughout the year, a beautiful and thrilling waterfront, and non-stop sporting and entertainment events, it’s difficult to find a more engaging – and, yes – fun place to live!
Whether you love to get out for an afternoon of outdoor adventures or you’re more of a nighthawk, you will never have a lack of exciting things to do. Between the attractions at the Pickering Casino Resort, the endless array of shops and cafes throughout the city, and beautiful green spaces, and stunning golf courses, you will find it easy to fill your calendar in Pickering.
Are you ready to begin the search for your forever home? Our Pickering real estate agents will be happy to help every step of the way. Reach out to info@teamrajpal.com or call 647-875-8000 to talk about next steps.

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