Sparkling modern condominiums and an artsy, bohemian vibe draw young Torontonians to this new, master-planned community near the shores of Lake Ontario. Billed as a hub for creatives and techies, this vibrant community has everything young urbanites want and need, from old-school butchers and cheesemongers to upmarket retailers like West Elm, a cross-fit studio and high-end coffee shops.

The gritty urban aesthetic offered by converted industrial buildings and ultramodern condominium highrises.

The neighbourhood reaches north to King Street West and the CN Rail tracks, south to the Gardiner Expressway, and from Dufferin Avenue in the west to Strachan on the east. The vast majority of Liberty Village locals have yet to celebrate their 40th birthdays, making the community something of a millennial compound. Most residents are living alone or with a partner; there are very few babies and young kids in the neighbourhood, and the number of children has continued to fall for more than a decade. This is likely in part because families here overwhelmingly live in small flats tucked into massive condominium complexes. The average price hovers around $400,000.

An average condominium price of about $400,000, with larger homes costing significantly more.

Young professionals live the quintessential urban lifestyle in Liberty Village. The neighbourhood itself has a gritty feel, owing to the restored 19th century factories-turned-lofts with their hand-lettered signs and idle smokestacks. The towering glass and concrete condos add a distinctly modern flair. More than 600 area businesses cater to affluent hipster tastes, with screen printers, soap makers, custom bike builders like Liberty Street Cyclery and pastry makers like Scratch Bakery, which only turns out gluten-free treats. A local “grooming club” called Axe & Hatchet offers personal care for men, including a Groom This Beard service for $20. For active folks there are rock climbing, cross-fit and yoga studios along with mainstream gyms like GoodLife. The lakeshore trails are a short bike ride away. The village has a strong residents’ group with more than 8,000 members on its Facebook page, and a Business Improvement Area (BIA) association that works to draw new businesses to the community and hosts networking events, including the signature Give Me Liberty festival every summer.

Small, affordable condominiums and a handful of detached, semi-detached and row houses.

Locals say that if you live and work in the village, you don’t ever have to leave – everything you need is within walking distance. If you do venture off the island, the lakeshore trails are just 15 minutes away, and you can get to the downtown entertainment and business districts in less than 30 minutes. The result is an eco-friendly lifestyle and an earnest community vibe.

For nearly 100 years, the area where the village now stands was home to incorrigible, vagrant and sexually precocious women locked up at a reformatory that sought to instil more feminine virtues. The men’s maximum security Toronto Central Prison stood nearby, and both were known for their brutal treatment of inmates. When convicts from either institution were freed, the first street they walked down was known as Liberty Street. While both prisons were demolished long ago, the road still carries the name today. That’s how Liberty Village got its name. During the same period, the village lands became a bustling industrial center, with toys, bedding, paper, pool tables and bowling alleys produced by factories in the area. During the wars, the factories also produced bombs and weapons. By the mid-1980s, manufacturing was moving out of the area and heading overseas, so the buildings fell into disrepair. The residential revival started in the early 2000s.

There are no schools in Liberty Village. The closest elementary schools are Queen Victoria Junior Public and Holy Family Catholic, both a short trip west down King Street. The closest high school is Parkdale Collegiate, which is roughly two kilometres north on Jameson Avenue.

There aren’t many babies or boomers in Liberty Village, and schools are in short supply. Would-be homeowners looking for a freehold detached or semi-detached house won’t find many to choose from here, though there are a handful and they do occasionally come onto the market.

Lots of locals work right in the community where they live, but those who commute into the core can enjoy a brisk one-hour walk to Union Station, or a short 20-minute bike ride along Queen’s Quay. A car is only slightly faster than a bike, clocking in at about 15 minutes, plus you have to find and pay for parking. Public transit is also an option, with the busy 504 King streetcar passing through the village on its way to the downtown core. Residents have complained for years about overcrowding on the streetcar line, going so far as to crowdfund a bus service that took Liberty residents directly to Union Station during rush hour. The service was cancelled due to legal hurdles and the TTC added additional buses to the streetcar route at busy times, but the BIA says traffic congestion continues to be a significant challenge in the area, and is pushing the city to fund construction of a new multi-use road into the core.