Love is in the Air at Thistletown

Love is in the Air at Thistletown

Like every day at midmorning after several kilometers in the trail, Rodrigo stops, puts his bike off the road, and looks far contemplating the gooses that swim downstream or up river.

Just before reaching the dam, he takes a couple of photos, drinks a sip of water, and take his bike heading towards the pool. It is a bright blue, sunny day in Toronto.

In his mind, it is just the perfect day to be outside, not too cold, not too hot.

“The Humber River Trail is a very special place,” Rodrigo Velasquez says. “I think it is one of the best ones in Toronto because you can reach Lake Ontario, go to the north of the city, and for us, we even have the Flagstaff Swimming Pool on our way, which is really lovely.”

To Velasquez, living in a neighbourhood full of spacious green areas, many bike trails, several tennis courts, the beautifully remodeled Albion Library, and a swimming pool around the corner, is literally, living in a dream come true. 

“I love this neighborhood especially because is green, the environment is green, is a quality place to live,” Velasquez says. “Also the facilities, I have the most modern library in Toronto, The Albion Library, which is an amazing place for my job and my leisure.” 

Rodrigo Velasquez, 46, born and raised in Colombia, is a senior consultant in sustainability, social responsibility, culture, and communications. He has been living in Canada with his wife for the last couple of years. Thistletown, a neighborhood located north-west Etobicoke, is his home now. 

Originally named "Coonats Corners" after the Coonat family who settled in the early 1800's, Thistletown remained farmland primarily until the Toronto real estate boom in the 1950's.

In 1833, John Grubb, an immigrant from Scotland settled down in the area, building a house that stills stands at 23 Jason Road. He built many of the roads including the popular Albion Road, where a post office was established and renamed Thistletown in honor of Dr. William Thistle, a well-respected member of the community at that time.

“If the people are looking for a dream home, where you can find a quiet place, good commute, excellent facilities, and also a really nice green environment, Thistletown is the place,” says Velasquez.

To Velasquez, living in a neighborhood where sustainability, green economy and culture have a dominant place, was a must-have in his list to move. His research led him to Toronto and eventually to Thistletown.

According to 2018 most livable cities report by the Economist Intelligence Unit(EIU), Toronto ranked seventh (tied with Tokyo), and third place in North America, for the world’s most livable cities. 

The report rates cities around the world in five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. 

In each of the categories, cities are given a score between 1 and 100, where one is considered intolerable, and 100 is considered ideal. Once all category scores are compiled and weighted, an overall score is given between 1 and 100. 

Toronto received an overall score of 97.2 per cent.

Velasquez agrees “Toronto, and specially Thistletown is a really good study case about sustainable cities,” he says and adds, “What is a really sustainable city? Is not just a green environment, not just facilities is also affordability, so for me, is living in real life what sustainability is, good social environment, and also economic possibilities for people, for regular people, for immigrants like me.”

According to the ultimate neighbourhood rankings article by Toronto Life, Thistletown is described as an “affordable, diverse and quiet place to live,” the article describes. “It's green and idyllic, bordered by the Humber River, and West Humber Parkland and Summerlea Park.”

Finishing his day in the pool, Velasquez reflects thinking that is precisely what made him fall in love with Thistletown.

“Thistletown is like I am living in a place, where I always thought only existed in theory.”