In This Guide
Key TakeAways
- One of Scarborough’s oldest communities: Highland Creek was officially recognized in 1852, making it one of the first settled areas in the former Township of Scarborough.
- A university anchors the west end: the University of Toronto Scarborough occupies the neighbourhood’s western portion and is in active expansion, with a new medicine and health-sciences building opening September 2026.
- Old Kingston Road is the historic main street: a small-town shopping strip with independent shops, a church, and the annual Highland Creek Heritage Day parade.
- Colonel Danforth Park anchors the outdoors: a creek-side ravine park with paved trails running from UTSC down toward Lake Ontario.
- Mostly detached homes on wide lots: Highland Creek is regarded as one of Scarborough’s more prestigious pockets, with a mature housing stock and a genuinely multicultural, family-heavy population.
Cliffcrest: At A Glance
Why You'll Love Cliffcrest
Lifestyle
Cliffcrest feels more like cottage country than a big city neighbourhood — a description locals and guides alike reach for again and again. Families with children make up close to half of all households, ownership rates are high, and turnover is slow, giving the community a settled, established character. Apartment buildings and some subsidized housing along the north side of Kingston Road add real economic and cultural diversity to what is otherwise a quiet, homeowner-heavy neighbourhood.
Location
Cliffcrest runs along the Lake Ontario shoreline in southern Scarborough, bordered by Midland Avenue to the west, the CN railway to the north, and Bellamy Road to the east. It shares Bluffer’s Park with neighbouring Cliffside, and Eglinton GO Station offers a roughly 20-minute direct train ride to Union Station.
Housing
The split here runs along Kingston Road: south of it, cosy frame cottages — some with genuine Lake Ontario views — define the neighbourhood’s character, while north of Kingston Road density picks up with townhouses, mid-rise apartments, and the occasional high-rise. Most homes throughout are single detached houses with a high ownership rate and comparatively few mid- or high-rise buildings overall.
Cliffcrest: Highs & Lows
❤️ What Residents Love
- Genuine access to Bluffer’s Park — beach, marina, yacht clubs, and waterfront dining
- A cottage-like character that’s rare this close to downtown Toronto
- R.H. King Academy, a long-established anchor secondary school
- Eglinton GO Station offers a fast, direct commute to Union Station
- A genuinely diverse, settled, and family-oriented community
- Multiple neighbourhood parks (Cudia, Halbert, Tots) beyond the Bluffs itself
🕵️ Things to Consider
- No subway access — buses to Kennedy Station or Eglinton GO are the primary transit options
- July’s market was soft, with over four months of inventory on hand
- Density and housing quality vary noticeably between north and south of Kingston Road
- Retail along Kingston Road is plaza-scale rather than a destination shopping district
- The Scarborough Bluffs are subject to ongoing erosion, requiring visitors to stay within marked boundaries
- Some streets closer to Kingston Road see more traffic and commercial activity than deeper residential pockets
Who Is Cliffcrest Best For?
| Buyer Profile | Why It's a Good Fit |
|---|---|
| First-Time Buyers | Condo apartments closed around $442,500 in July, a genuinely accessible entry point close to the lake. |
| Families | Local elementary schools, R.H. King Academy, and a stack of nearby parks make this a natural family neighbourhood. |
| Professionals | Eglinton GO Station offers a roughly 20-minute direct commute to Union Station, faster than driving at rush hour. |
| Investors | With over four months of inventory on hand in July, buyers currently have real negotiating room compared to tighter nearby markets. |
| Downsizers | The mix of condo apartments and townhouses near Kingston Road offers lower-maintenance options within the same community. |
| Retirees | Quiet, established streets and easy access to Bluffer's Park and the waterfront make for a peaceful setting. |
| Luxury Buyers | The cottage-style, lake-view homes south of Kingston Road are the neighbourhood's premium tier, though prices stay more accessible than nearby Guildwood or Birch Cliff. |
Cliffcrest Homes for Sale
Whether you’re searching for your first home, upgrading to more space, or looking for an investment property, Cliffcrest offers a wide range of housing options. Browse the latest MLS® listings below to explore available detached homes, semi-detached homes, townhouses, and condominiums currently for sale in the neighbourhood.
Cliffcrest Housing Snapshot
Cliffcrest’s housing stock is overwhelmingly detached — July 2026’s Habistat data recorded 38 active listings, 29 of them detached, with the balance split across condo apartments, condo townhouses, an attached/row townhouse, vacant land, and a handful of other listings. There’s no semi-detached activity at all in the period, consistent with the neighbourhood’s identity as a single-family, cottage-style community.
That concentration in detached homes, paired with a genuinely soft market this July (over four months of inventory), makes Cliffcrest an interesting entry point for buyers willing to be patient. Detached homes averaged $870,255 (median $970,000), while the smaller condo apartment segment closed around $442,500 — both well below comparable pricing in nearby lakefront communities like Guildwood. Terminations were notably high relative to sales (18 detached terminations against just 7 detached sales), suggesting some sellers are testing the market without finding buyers at their asking price.
Development activity is modest here — this is a built-out, established residential community rather than a redevelopment target. The most significant recent change in the area has been retail and infrastructure investment along Kingston Road and Eglinton Avenue East rather than new housing supply.
Cliffcrest Market Trends
Across the Greater Toronto Area, TRREB reported 5,995 sales in July 2026, down 0.9% year-over-year, alongside 14,484 new listings (down 17.8% YoY) and an average price of $1,003,956 (down 4.5% YoY). The City of Toronto outperformed the wider region, with sales up 2.4% YoY to 2,242.
Cliffcrest had a quiet July with a noticeably soft undertone: 9 sales against 41 new listings, for a combined $6,976,788 in dollar volume. Detached homes accounted for 7 of the 9 sales, averaging $870,255 (median $970,000) at 97% of asking price, but with a striking 18 terminations against those 7 sales — a sign that a meaningful share of sellers didn’t find a buyer at their price this month. The 2 condo apartment sales averaged $442,500 at 96% of asking. With 38 active listings against just 9 sales, Cliffcrest is running well into buyer’s-market territory, a contrast to the tighter conditions in some neighbouring E08 and E10 communities this period.
Toronto Cliffcrest Market Trends
| Type | Sales | Avg Price | New Listings | Active** | Avg LDOM* | SP/LP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | 7 | $870,255 | 31 | 29 | 26 | 97% |
| Semi-Detached | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| Townhouse | 0 | — | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| Condo Apt | 2 | $442,500 | 4 | 3 | 22 | 96% |
"Townhouse" combines Attached/Row Townhouse (1 active, no July sale) and Condo Townhouse (2 active, no July sale) per this site's standard convention. No Semi-Detached activity of any kind was recorded in Cliffcrest in July 2026. Also on record: 2 Vacant Land and 1 "Other" listing active in July (no sales) — neither fits the four standard property types, so both are excluded from the table above.
*Habistat data for this report includes LDOM (Listing Days on Market) rather than the TRREB-standard PDOM figure — shown here as Avg. LDOM and not directly comparable to PDOM-based figures elsewhere on this site. **Active listings (38 total: 29 Detached, 3 Condo Apt, 2 Condo Townhouse, 2 Vacant Land, 1 Att/Row Townhouse, 1 Other) come from a separate active-only Habistat export (Sold Price count of 0, Status limited to NEW/PC/SCE) and reflect a live snapshot at time of writing — distinct from, and not directly additive to, the dated July 1-31, 2026 closed-sales figures elsewhere on this card. Of the 38, 1 is marked Sold Conditional with Escape Clause (SCE) rather than fully active. That puts Cliffcrest's months of inventory at roughly 4.2 (38 active ÷ 9 July sales) — a clear buyer's market. Data believed reliable but not guaranteed. Source: The Habistat, Toronto E08 – Cliffcrest, July 1–31, 2026 (sales) and active-listings snapshot, July 2026.
Schools Near Cliffcrest
Use TDSB's Find My School tool to confirm the exact catchment for any specific address in Cliffcrest.
In Cliffcrest
Nearby (per HoodQ's school-finder results for Cliffcrest addresses)
St. John Henry Newman Catholic High School, St. Agatha Catholic School, and St. Theresa Shrine Catholic School are all listed by TCDSB's own school-finder as serving Cliffcrest addresses, but we couldn't independently confirm they sit physically inside the neighbourhood's boundary (Midland Ave to the CN railway to Bellamy Rd to Lake Ontario) — check TCDSB directly to confirm the right Catholic-board option for a specific address.
"In Cliffcrest" schools are confirmed by name, address, and community-guide sourcing as physically located within the neighbourhood's boundary.
Map results are pulled live from Google Places within roughly 1.5km of central Cliffcrest and may include schools outside the neighbourhood's exact boundary or catchment — use this as a visual companion to the verified list above, not a replacement for it.
Parks & Recreation In Cliffcrest
Cliffcrest's biggest recreational asset is its share of the Scarborough Bluffs, but the neighbourhood also holds several smaller parks that round out everyday green space for families.
Bluffer's Park
- Sandy beach and picnic areas
- Marina and yacht clubs
- Waterfront restaurant
- Sweeping views of the Scarborough Bluffs
Tots Park
- Children's playground
- Baseball diamond
- South-end, family-friendly location
- Close to the lakefront pocket of the neighbourhood
Halbert Park
- Wading pool for younger children
- Outdoor pool
- North-end neighbourhood location
- Near H.A. Halbert Junior Public School
Cudia Park & Cliffcrest Library
- Quieter, low-key green space
- Cliffcrest Public Library on Kingston Road
- Located within walking distance of Cliffcrest Plaza
- A relaxed alternative to the busier Bluffer's Park
Transit & Commuting in Cliffcrest
🚇 Public Transit
Bus services along Cliffcrest’s main streets connect passengers to Kennedy Station on Line 2 or to nearby GO Transit service situated off St. Clair Avenue. The combination gives residents a workable, if bus-dependent, path to both subway and regional rail without a car.
🚗 Driving
Kingston Road runs the length of the neighbourhood and connects toward downtown, while Eglinton Avenue East offers another east-west option to the north. McCowan Road and Brimley Road provide the main north-south connectors, with Brimley Road also serving as the main access point for Bluffer’s Park.
🚶 Walking & Cycling
Kingston Road is the neighbourhood’s most walkable stretch, with shops, the library, and everyday errands within reach on foot for nearby residents. Away from Kingston Road, Cliffcrest is more car-dependent, particularly in the quieter lakeside pockets south of the main corridor — though those same streets offer some of the best walking near the Bluffs themselves.
Commuting Insight
Cliffcrest has no subway of its own, but Eglinton GO Station offers commuters a fast, direct route downtown, and local buses connect to Kennedy Station for subway access.
| Destination | Drive* | Transit* |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Toronto (Union Station) | ~25 min | ~20-30 min (GO direct) |
| Kennedy Station (Line 2) | ~10 min | ~15-20 min (bus) |
| Scarborough Town Centre | ~15 min | ~25 min (bus) |
| Toronto Pearson International Airport | ~50 min | ~80 min (GO + subway + UP Express) |
*Times are approximate and vary with traffic and time of day.
Shopping & Dining in Cliffcrest
Kingston Road is Cliffcrest’s main shopping corridor, with Eglinton Avenue East adding a second, more everyday-focused retail strip to the north.🛍️ Local Shopping
Cliffcrest Plaza, anchored by a large supermarket and a discount department store, is the neighbourhood’s central retail hub — it also includes a video store, banks, a gift store, ice cream shops, restaurants, and professional and medical offices.🍴 Dining and Cafés
Kingston Road offers a mix of restaurants and small plazas with a slightly more upscale, boutique feel than stretches further east — traditional restaurants sit alongside auto service centres, motels, and a large garden centre.🛒 Nearby Shopping Destinations
The retail strip along Eglinton Avenue East contains neighbourhood plazas, a tropical food store, a fishing supplies store, home improvement stores, auto service centres, and food markets — practical, everyday shopping rather than a destination district.| Destination | What You’ll Find |
|---|---|
| Cliffcrest Plaza (Kingston Rd) | Supermarket, discount department store, banks, restaurants, medical offices |
| Kingston Road corridor | Boutique-style shops, restaurants, auto service, a Canadian Tire and garden centre |
| Eglinton Avenue East plazas | Food markets, home improvement stores, tropical food and fishing supplies stores |
| Bluffer’s Park area | Waterfront restaurant and marina-adjacent dining |
| Scarborough Town Centre (nearby) | Major shopping mall and big-box retail |
Future Growth & Development
🛈 Growth Corridor
Kingston Road remains Cliffcrest’s defining corridor, and the neighbourhood sits within reach of the same Eglinton Avenue East infrastructure push affecting nearby Scarborough Village — including planned cycling-safety improvements and the longer-term Eglinton East LRT project, both of which would improve connections out of Cliffcrest even though they’re centred a short distance to the north.
🏠 New Housing & Development Proposals
There’s no major residential redevelopment publicly proposed for Cliffcrest specifically — this is a stable, largely built-out, single-family neighbourhood, and July’s high termination count relative to sales suggests a market working through existing inventory rather than one absorbing new supply.
🏆 Infrastructure & Community Initiatives
The Scarborough Bluffs themselves remain an active area of environmental management — ongoing erosion means the City continues to monitor and manage access along the escarpment. Locally, the Cliffcrest branch of the Toronto Public Library and the Cliffcrest Plaza continue to anchor day-to-day community life, while regional transit investment (Eglinton GO, and the broader cycling and LRT projects along the Eglinton corridor) represents the most significant infrastructure change on the horizon for the wider area.
| Area of Change | What to Expect |
|---|---|
| Residential streets | Stable and largely built-out, with no major redevelopment currently proposed |
| Scarborough Bluffs | Ongoing erosion management and access monitoring by the City |
| Eglinton corridor (nearby) | Cycling-safety improvements and the longer-term Eglinton East LRT project |
| Kingston Road | Continued small-plaza retail character, no major redevelopment announced |
| Market conditions | July 2026 reading: soft, buyer-favourable, with high inventory relative to sales |
Overall, Cliffcrest’s near-term outlook is one of stability rather than transformation — a mature, single-family community whose biggest changes are likely to come indirectly, through regional transit and cycling investment along the Eglinton corridor rather than anything specific to Cliffcrest’s own streets.
My Local Perspective
Price points in Cliffcrest shift with proximity to the lake and to Kingston Road. The cottage-style pocket south of Kingston Road, closest to the Bluffs, tends to carry a premium for the views and the character, while streets north of Kingston Road, closer to the higher-density apartment buildings, trade more accessibly. July’s numbers show a market with real room to negotiate — a 97% SP/LP on detached sales sounds competitive, but the 18 terminations against just 7 detached sales tell a fuller story of sellers testing prices that buyers aren’t yet meeting.
What makes Cliffcrest worth watching right now is the gap between its genuinely soft resale numbers and its long-term fundamentals: real Bluffs and lake access, an established secondary school, and reasonably direct GO train access, all at prices that still sit below comparable lakefront communities like Guildwood. For patient buyers, that combination of soft near-term pricing and strong underlying character is exactly the setup worth watching.
The value proposition here is straightforward: you’re buying genuine cottage character and Bluffs access at a price that hasn’t fully caught up to nearby communities. With over four months of inventory on hand, sellers currently have real incentive to negotiate, and buyers willing to do their homework on individual streets — north versus south of Kingston Road especially — can find real value.
Cliffcrest may appeal to:
- Buyers who want genuine lake and Bluffs proximity without Guildwood-level pricing
- Families drawn to the neighbourhood’s established schools and parks
- Patient buyers comfortable negotiating in a currently soft market
- Downtown commuters who value a direct GO train connection over subway proximity