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.
Lifestyle
Highland Creek has one of the most genuinely multicultural populations in Scarborough — residents trace their roots to 117 different ethnic origins, and families with kids make up more than half of all households. The University of Toronto Scarborough gives the neighbourhood a youthful, academic energy alongside its family-suburb feel, and the annual Highland Creek Heritage Day parade along Old Kingston Road keeps the community's small-town roots visible.
Location
Tucked along the southern reach of the Highland Creek valley in eastern Scarborough, the neighbourhood borders Port Union and West Rouge to the east, West Hill and Woburn to the west, and Centennial Scarborough to the south. Highway 401 is close by via Morningside Avenue, and Rouge Hill GO Station sits at the eastern end of the TTC bus route that runs straight through the community.
Housing
Highland Creek is known for wide-lot detached homes, considered one of Scarborough's more prestigious pockets by local standards. The housing stock mixes older homes from the neighbourhood's mid-century development with newer builds, giving buyers a range of vintage and price point without leaving the same streets.
Highland Creek: Highs & Lows
❤️ What Residents Love
- Wide-lot detached homes, uncommon at this price point elsewhere in Toronto
- Colonel Danforth Park and the Highland Creek ravine trail system right on the doorstep
- A genuinely multicultural, family-oriented community
- University of Toronto Scarborough nearby for education, events, and campus amenities
- Small-town character along Old Kingston Road, including the annual Heritage Day parade
- Reasonably direct bus access to both Kennedy Station and Rouge Hill GO
🕵️ Things to Consider
- No subway or GO station within the neighbourhood itself — a bus connection is required either way
- No secondary school in the neighbourhood for either TDSB or TCDSB — teens commute to nearby areas
- Detached-dominant housing stock means limited condo or townhouse entry points for smaller budgets
- Ongoing UTSC construction (SAMIH, Indigenous House) brings some nearby traffic and noise through 2026
- Old Kingston Road’s shopping strip is modest — bigger retail requires a drive to Kingston Rd or Scarborough Town Centre
- Ravine-adjacent streets can mean flood-plain considerations near Highland Creek itself
Who Is Highland Creek Best For?
| Buyer Profile | Why It's a Good Fit |
|---|---|
| First-Time Buyers | A tougher entry point given the detached-dominant stock, but the neighbourhood's competitive July SP/LP (96%) shows real demand at the lower end of its price range. |
| Families | Wide lots, multiple TDSB/TCDSB elementary options, Colonel Danforth Park, and a strong multicultural community make this a natural family pick. |
| Professionals | Workable for UTSC-affiliated staff and faculty, or commuters willing to bus into Kennedy Station or Rouge Hill GO. |
| Investors | UTSC's active expansion (new buildings, growing residence capacity) points to sustained rental demand nearby. |
| Downsizers | Fewer low-maintenance options here than in condo-heavy neighbourhoods — better suited to downsizing within detached housing than out of it. |
| Retirees | Quiet, established streets and ravine parkland offer a peaceful setting, though car access matters more here than in transit-dense areas. |
| Luxury Buyers | Wide lots and detached-home character give Highland Creek some of the higher price points in Scarborough East — a reasonable fit for move-up buyers. |
Highland Creek Homes for Sale
Whether you’re searching for your first home, upgrading to more space, or looking for an investment property, Highland Creek 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.
Highland Creek Housing Snapshot
Highland Creek’s housing stock is dominated by detached homes on wide lots — July 2026’s Habistat data recorded eleven active listings and nine closed sales, all of them detached, with no semi-detached, townhouse, or condo apartment activity at all in the period. That’s consistent with the neighbourhood’s reputation as one of Scarborough’s more prestigious, low-density pockets, developed primarily as a residential community from the 1950s onward.
That concentration in detached housing makes Highland Creek a strong fit for growing families and move-up buyers looking for lot size and privacy, but it’s a tougher entry point for first-time buyers or downsizers seeking a lower-maintenance option — those buyers will generally need to look toward neighbouring, more condo-heavy communities. Investors have taken note of the University of Toronto Scarborough’s steady expansion next door, which supports rental demand from staff, faculty, and graduate students even though the campus itself sits just outside the neighbourhood’s residential streets.
Development activity in Highland Creek proper is limited — this is a built-out, mature residential area rather than an intensification target. The growth story here is really UTSC’s: new academic buildings and expanded student housing are steadily adding population and activity to the neighbourhood’s western edge, without changing the character of its residential streets.
Highland Creek 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.
Highland Creek had a solid July by the standards of a single Scarborough community: 9 sales against 15 new listings, for a combined $10,340,000 in dollar volume. Every recorded sale was a detached home, closing at an average $1,148,889 (median $1,120,000) and 96% of asking price after roughly a month on market — a tighter, more competitive result than Oakridge saw the same month. No semi-detached, townhouse, or condo apartment sales or new listings were recorded in Highland Creek in July, consistent with the community’s detached-dominant housing stock.
Toronto Highland Creek Market Trends
| Type | Sales | Avg Price | New Listings | Active** | Avg LDOM* | SP/LP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | 9 | $1,148,889 | 15 | 11 | 28 | 96% |
| Semi-Detached | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| Townhouse | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| Condo Apt | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — |
No Semi-Detached, Townhouse, or Condo Apartment activity of any kind (sales, new listings, or active inventory) was recorded in Highland Creek in July 2026 — the community's for-sale market was entirely detached homes this period.
*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 (11 total, all Detached) come from a separate active-only Habistat export (Sold Price count of 0, Status limited to NEW/PC/SC) 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 11, 1 is marked Sold Conditional (SC) rather than fully active. That puts Highland Creek's months of inventory at roughly 1.2 (11 active ÷ 9 July sales) — a tight market. Data believed reliable but not guaranteed. Source: The Habistat, Toronto E10 – Highland Creek, July 1–31, 2026 (sales) and active-listings snapshot, July 2026.
Schools Near Highland Creek
Use TDSB's Find My School tool to confirm the exact catchment for any specific address in Highland Creek.
In Highland Creek
Neither TDSB nor TCDSB operates a secondary school inside Highland Creek — students residing here attend high schools in adjacent neighbourhoods. Conseil scolaire Viamonde (public French) and Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (Catholic French) also serve eligible families in this area but don't operate schools within the neighbourhood itself; check those boards directly for current French-language options. This list reflects Highland Creek's confirmed physical boundary, per Wikipedia's own board-sourced breakdown of schools operating in the neighbourhood.
Map results are pulled live from Google Places within roughly 1.5km of central Highland Creek and may include schools outside the neighbourhood's exact boundary or catchment (Highland Creek has no secondary school of its own, so secondary results here will fall in neighbouring communities) — use this as a visual companion to the verified list above, not a replacement for it.
Parks & Recreation In Highland Creek
Highland Creek's outdoor life centres on the ravine that gives it its name — a continuous green corridor of trails, forest, and creek that runs right through the neighbourhood's southern and western edges.
Colonel Danforth Park
- Paved multi-use trail along Highland Creek
- Picnic areas and barbecue spots
- Connects to Lower Highland Creek Park and Lake Ontario
- Regular sightings of deer, foxes, and migrating salmon in fall
Morningside Park
- Picnic areas, washrooms, and parking
- Footpaths connecting to the Waterfront Trail
- Splash pad and playground
- Community-built winter skating rink
UTSC Trail Network
- Routes from short walks to a 10km return trek to the lake
- Paved and unimproved trail options
- Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in winter
- Direct access from the UTSC campus core
Highland Creek Public Library
- Children's storytime and reading clubs
- Situated near the neighbourhood's parkland
- Toronto Public Library card required
- Bus-accessible via the Ellesmere Road route
Transit & Commuting in Highland Creek
West Hill trades subway access for a well-connected bus network: the Kingston Road, Lawrence Ave East, and Morningside corridors all carry frequent TTC routes, feeding into Guildwood GO Station and the Bloor-Danforth subway at Victoria Park and Kennedy. Drivers get quick access to Highway 401 via Morningside Avenue, making West Hill workable for both transit and car commuters.
🚇 Public Transit
The TTC 38 Highland Creek bus is the neighbourhood’s transit backbone, running between Kennedy Station on Line 2 and Rouge Hill GO Station on the Lakeshore East line, via Scarborough Centre Station, Ellesmere Road, Military Trail and the UTSC campus, and Old Kingston Road. During rush hour, the 938 Highland Creek Express offers a faster run between Kennedy Station and UTSC. Morningside Avenue and Meadowvale Road buses also connect toward Kennedy station, while the Ellesmere Road bus reaches Scarborough Town Centre for Line 3 and GO Transit connections.
🚗 Driving
Highway 401 is easily reached via Morningside Avenue, making Highland Creek workable for car commuters heading toward central Scarborough, North York, or beyond. Old Kingston Road and Kingston Road itself provide the main east-west routes through the neighbourhood, with Military Trail and Morningside Avenue as key north-south connectors.
🚶 Walking & Cycling
The Highland Creek ravine trail system is the neighbourhood’s biggest walking and cycling asset — paved paths run from the UTSC campus through Colonel Danforth Park and Lower Highland Creek Park all the way to Lake Ontario and the Waterfront Trail. Away from the ravine, Highland Creek is more car-oriented, with Old Kingston Road offering the most walkable pocket of everyday shops and services.
Commuting Insight
| Destination | Drive* | Transit* |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Toronto (Union Station) | ~35 min | ~55 min (bus + subway) |
| Scarborough Town Centre | ~15 min | ~25 min (bus) |
| Markham (Unionville) | ~25 min | ~50 min (bus/GO/bus) |
| Toronto Pearson International Airport | ~50 min | ~90 min (bus + subway + UP Express) |
*Times are approximate and vary with traffic and time of day.
Shopping & Dining in West Hill
Highland Creek keeps its shopping low-key and local — a small historic strip along Old Kingston Road covers everyday needs, with bigger retail a short drive away.🛍️ Local Shopping
Old Kingston Road is the neighbourhood’s historic main street, home to a modest run of independently owned shops that has served the community since Highland Creek’s earliest days as a village along the old Kingston Road route.🍴 Dining and Cafés
Expect a small-town mix rather than a dining destination — an independent coffee shop and a classic diner sit along Old Kingston Road, giving the strip a lived-in, neighbourhood feel rather than a trendy food scene.🛒 Nearby Shopping Destinations
For bigger-box retail and a wider dining selection, residents typically head toward Scarborough Town Centre or the retail along Kingston Road and Morningside Avenue, both a short drive from the neighbourhood.| Destination | What You’ll Find |
|---|---|
| Old Kingston Road | Historic small-town shopping strip, independent shops, coffee shop, classic diner |
| University of Toronto Scarborough | Campus dining, bookstore, and student-oriented services |
| Scarborough Town Centre (nearby) | Major shopping mall, big-box retail, subway/GO connections |
| Kingston Road corridor (nearby) | Broader retail and restaurant strip a short drive away |
| Morningside Ave & Ellesmere Rd (nearby) | Grocery and everyday convenience retail |
Future Growth & Development
🛈 Growth Corridor
The growth story in Highland Creek is really the University of Toronto Scarborough’s. The campus’s ongoing Master Plan continues to add new academic and residential buildings along Military Trail and Ellesmere Road, steadily increasing the population and activity along the neighbourhood’s western edge without changing the character of its residential streets.🏠 New Housing & Development Proposals
UTSC’s Harmony Commons student residence on Ellesmere Road opened in 2023 with 746 beds, built to Passive House standard — one of the largest recent additions to the area’s housing supply, even though it serves students rather than the broader neighbourhood market. Highland Creek’s own residential streets remain largely built-out, with little large-scale redevelopment activity outside the campus itself.🏆 Infrastructure & Community Initiatives
UTSC currently has three capital projects under construction as part of its Master Plan: the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH), a five-storey building at Military Trail and Morningside Avenue projected to open in September 2026; the Indigenous House, on the northeast corner of Morningside Avenue; and continued buildout following the recently opened Sam Ibrahim Building, a roughly 200,000-square-foot, $145-million facility. The university’s long-term plan is to transform the campus into a more walkable, transit-accessible place, with sustainability features like geothermal heating built into new construction.| Area of Change | What to Expect |
|---|---|
| UTSC Master Plan | Continued new academic and residential buildings along Military Trail and Ellesmere Road |
| Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health | Five-storey health-sciences building projected to open September 2026 |
| Indigenous House | New facility under construction at Morningside Ave |
| Student housing | Harmony Commons (746 beds, opened 2023) adds density near campus |
| Residential streets | Largely built-out and stable, with little large-scale redevelopment expected |
My Local Perspective
Price points in Highland Creek shift with lot size and proximity to the ravine more than anything else. The streets closest to Colonel Danforth Park and the Highland Creek valley tend to carry a premium for the outlook and privacy, while homes further from the ravine and closer to Old Kingston Road or Morningside Avenue trade a bit more accessibly. July’s numbers back that up — a $1,148,889 average sale price with a tight 96% SP/LP shows buyers are competing hard for what’s on the market here.
What makes Highland Creek versatile is the pairing of established family housing with a genuinely growing institutional anchor next door. Families get wide lots, mature streets, and real ravine access; UTSC brings steady rental demand from staff, faculty, and students without turning the neighbourhood itself into a student-housing zone, since the university’s own residence buildings absorb most of that demand on campus.
The value proposition here is really about buying into one of Scarborough’s more stable, low-density pockets next to an institution that keeps investing in itself. With SAMIH opening in September 2026 and the Indigenous House still under construction, UTSC’s Master Plan isn’t close to finished — and that kind of sustained anchor investment tends to support values in the surrounding community over time, even without direct residential redevelopment.
Highland Creek may appeal to:
- Growing families who want a wide lot and real green space close by
- Move-up buyers looking for one of Scarborough’s more prestigious detached pockets
- Investors drawn to UTSC’s steady institutional expansion and staff/faculty rental demand
- Buyers who value ravine access and a quieter, more established feel over subway proximity