London
Apartments for rent in London Ontario offer a unique opportunity to rent a home in an amazing city. It’s a great mix of ‘smalltown’ and ‘big city’ living, truly offering the best of both worlds.
Apartments for rent in London Ontario have become even more popular with a new demographic – a group that is selling and relocating. With the astonishing and seemingly unstoppable surge in house prices across Canada, it’s becoming a common trend for those living in urban centres to cash out on their homes and use the profits to make life more comfortable for themselves. Having bought a modest property with a small mortgage five or more years ago, the recent pricing increases have brought inaccessible wealth to many homeowners. Selling and renting is a great way to access that wealth.
Leaving Toronto, Mississauga, Oakville and other southern Ontario cities, a London Ontario apartment has become an ideal destination. It offers the opportunity to get a footing in a new city, see what London Ontario has to offer and figure out which amenities and neighbourhoods may be the right fit for putting down roots. This big-city transplant is becoming more common, as the lifestyle, pace and opportunity in London Ontario is becoming a very desirable alternative to a hectic city buzz, where the cost of living is starting to outpace income levels.
Renting an apartment in London Ontario adds the distinct benefit of enjoying a home without having to worry about the upkeep. Apartment living is maintenance free and worry free. It’s a nice change from home ownership, where costly repairs can be budget busters. A new roof? A leaky basement? Bad wiring? A clogged drain? None of this is a concern when renting – with a well-maintained apartment and a superintendent or property management always on call, the worries are gone and the expenses simply don’t exist.
Transplanting to London offers opportunity for all types of renters. Singles and those starting out their career will find lots of opportunity. Young and growing families will find an apartment for rent in London Ontario is a great arrangement for developing a sense of community. Downsizers, empty nesters and active adults will find that renting an apartment in London Ontario offers the ability to enjoy life in a community full of interesting activities, from outdoor living to arts and culture. It’s the perfect time to move.
The city of London is much more than the hub of southwestern Ontario. True, the city of 360,000 residents (470,000 including surrounding villages and towns) is known as The Forest City for its abundance of urban forests. Yet London offers a cornucopia of sights and sounds that truly make it a beloved destination, and concurrently the perfect place to call “home.”
London A city of growth and opportunity
The city of London is much more than the hub of southwestern Ontario.
True, the city of 360,000 residents (470,000 including surrounding villages and towns) is known as The Forest City for its abundance of urban forests. Yet London offers a cornucopia of sights and sounds that truly make it a beloved destination, and concurrently the perfect place to call “home”.
The history of London dates back to 1793, when Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe selected the Forks of the Thames as his choice for the future site of the province’s capital. Indeed, the Thames River winds its way through much of the sprawling city. The present site of London’s Old Court House was Colonel Thomas Talbot’s choice to house provincial government buildings, but this decision did not come to fruition, as Toronto was chosen over London.
In 1838, soldiers moved into London’s Victoria Park, today a centrally located gorgeous greenspace and host to a number of summer music and art festivals. Covent Garden Market, still a magnet for downtown London, was established in 1845. This era also saw commercial and industrial growth, thanks to John Labatt and Thomas Carling. Labatt Breweries remains an important part of London’s business sector and city identity.
London’s population in 1848 stood at 4,584. The town was incorporated as a city on Jan. 1, 1855. New institutions including St. Joseph’s Hospital, now a part of London Health Sciences Centre, were established in the 1870s. In 1874, the London Life Insurance Co. was founded; it remains a city staple. In 1914, on the eve of First World War, London’s population stood at 55,000.
London’s population was boosted by 60,000 people with a 1961 annexation, and by 1976 there were 250,000 residents. Another annexation in 1991 changed the city forever.
Famous Londoners, too, have put the city on the map in a big way. Big band leader Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians hailed from London. So do actors Hume Cronyn, Victor Garber and Rachel McAdams, Country singer Tommy Hunter, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s George “Mooney” Gibson and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame’s Sandy Sommerville. More recent local heroes include 2010 Winter Olympic Ice Dancing Gold Medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. The list goes on. Banting House Museum and its Flame of Hope recognizes Sir Frederick Banting and is a National Historic Site remembering the former Londoner’s research en route to his co-discovery of insulin.
Today, London’s demographics showcase a diverse, multicultural mosaic, with English, Scottish, Irish, German, Italian and Latin ethnic origins all heavily represented. Not to be tightly defined, London’s commercial identity demonstrates a diverse flavour. Manufacturing, health care and social assistance, retail, education and accommodation/food services top London’s industrial chart. A combined effort from the city, the London Economic Development Corp. (LEDC), London Chamber of Commerce and Tourism London ensures the city remains vibrant in its efforts to attract business and cater to its residents who love the small-town feel within a large city.
London’s economic diversity comes from such large companies as Labatt Breweries and London Life, and it’s home to the Canadian headquarters or major production centre for 3M Canada, EllisDon, Kellogg Canada, Diamond Aircraft and Trojan Technologies. And thanks to a growing advanced communications infrastructure and well-qualified workforce, London is also the location of choice for many customer call centres.
An increasingly diverse economy has allowed London to endure cyclical downturns in certain sectors and it provides a strong base from which to expand. Manufacturing is still the largest sector, employing more than 38,000 people or about 16 per cent of the overall workforce.
The LEDC continues to aggressively pursue the sectors that have been the foundation of London’s economy in the past, including the automotive parts and food processing industries, and is also dedicated to the expanding in information technology and life sciences.
London also boasts a wealth of local attractions, such as the Western Fair Raceway, Fanshawe Pioneer Village, Boler Mountain, the Royal Canadian Regiment Museum, Museum London, Theatre London, London Regional Children’s Museum and Storybook Gardens.
The south end of London lies at a junction of Hwys. 401 and 402, an important landmark symbolic for commerce, industry and trade, situating the town conveniently just two hours east of Detroit and two hours west of Toronto. Healthcare and education are important to the London area. London Health Sciences Centre, including Victoria and University hospitals, provides a growing population with health services and research. London is also home to Fanshawe College of Applied Arts & Technology, and the University of Western Ontario.
London is a big sports town, too. The University of Western Ontario Mustangs have captured numerous national titles in everything from football to squash. The London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League have a new home at the John Labatt Centre. The London Majors of the Intercounty Baseball League play at Labatt Park the oldest baseball venue in North America. London is also known as the Golf Capital of Canada, with more than 100 public courses within an hour’s drive of the city’s core.
London at a glance
Population
360,000
Major employers
Advanced manufacturing, education, life sciences, financial services
Distance from Toronto
160 kilometres
Source Canadian Real Estate Association, City of London, other sources;
photos courtesy of Tourism London
