This luxury enclave in east-central Toronto features exquisite, rambling mansions surrounded by acres of emerald lawns and stunning private gardens. Tucked away from major arteries and surrounded by parkland, the sprawling estates in this quiet neighbourhood have long attracted superstars and business magnates from all over the world. Exclusive shopping and prestigious schools make this an ideal place to call home.

Locals love the peace and privacy of The Bridle Path. Surrounded by opulent architecture, private green spaces, tennis courts and pools, life in this secluded neighbourhood offers a retreat from the constant demands of the office or the paparazzi. With private clubs and private schools nearby, families can enjoy an exclusive, luxury lifestyle.

The neighbourhood is bound by The Bridle Path on the north side, Sunnybrook Park on the south side, Bayview Avenue to the west and Wilket Creek to the east. The area is relatively new, with the oldest houses dating back to the 1930s (some parts of Toronto date back to the late 1700s). All homes in The Bridle Path are posh but no two are alike, and the architecture in the area ranges from colonial to ultra-modern. Most people live in single-family mansions, but luxury condominiums with personal elevators are also an option.

Famous locals have included the late singer Prince, Shark Tank star Robert Herjavec and former media mogul Conrad Black. Rumour has it that Toronto rapper Drake is reportedly building a 21,000-square-foot mansion in the neighbourhood, with blueprints for a basketball court and a hot tub on the roof. The community is known in Toronto as “millionaire’s row,” and the average home price hovers around $5 million, reaching as much as $12 million for the most exclusive properties.

The folks who live in the Bridle Path community enjoy all of the finest things that Toronto has to offer. The neighbourhood is surrounded by lush parkland, including Windfields Park, Edwards Gardens, Wilket Creek Park and Sunnybrook Park, which has fields for cricket and field hockey along with riding stables and trails. The Toronto Botanical Garden is within walking distance, offering four acres of stunning gardens and an organic farmer’s market open year-round.

Many locals belong to the century-old Granite Club, an invitation-only country club with an initiation fee of over $50,000 per couple, plus annual dues. The 22-acre facility includes 12 tennis courts along with squash and badminton courts, a skating rink, a curling facility, an aquatics centre with two six-lane pools (with a retractable roof), plus a winter golf dome. Athletic instructors include former Olympic athletes and Canadian champions. Members can also take advantage of childcare services, an on-site salon, car cleaning services or private music lessons in everything from drums to violin.

An average home price of roughly $5 million, rising as high as $12 million for the most luxurious properties.

Single family mansions and elite condominiums.

The Bridle Path was farmland until the 1930s, and the earliest development plans envisioned an affluent suburb of single-family homes on two-acre lots. A key feature of this neighbourhood would be a system of bridle paths for horses, which gave the area its name. The paths no longer exist, but early development plans came to fruition and the area has long been home to the wealthiest Canadians. In 2014, Canadian Business reported that the average Bridle Path household net worth was over $22 million, and the average annual household income was over $930,000 a year.

The Bridle Path covers a small geographic area, so while the community is in the catchment area for several local schools, only a few are located right in the neighbourhood. Park Lane Public School offers individual education programs for students with developmental and physical disabilities, while the private Crescent School for boys offers very small class sizes along with rigorous academic and athletic programs. A second private school, Crestwood, offers co-ed education from junior kindergarten all the way to Grade 12.

You won’t find any of the less savoury features of city life in this wealthy, gated enclave. You won’t have to rub elbows with neighbours if you don’t want to, you won’t have to listen to the din of traffic or the hollering of neighbourhood kids, and you’ll enjoy privileges few other Torontonians enjoy. An example: While rotting garbage bags piled up around the city during a garbage workers’ strike in 2009, folks from The Bridle Path just brought their trash to the Granite Club, which offered private disposal as a free membership perk.

Whether your job takes you to the stages of Air Canada Centre or to a corner office, the commute downtown takes about 25 minutes by car, and about an hour by public transit. Cycling from The Bridle Path will take about an hour, but most of the ride is on trails that run beside the Don River and the Don Valley Parkway.