20 researched places across 5 pockets — restaurants, shops, schools and parks.
West Hill's celebrated Caribbean food scene along Lawrence — roti, jerk, doubles and bakeries in the plazas around Morningside and Kingston, some of the best in the east end.
The pubs, cafes and casual restaurants of the historic Highland Creek village core on Old Kingston Rd — a walkable strip serving the students and the surrounding streets.
The casual, family-friendly restaurants and takeout serving Centennial and Port Union — pizza, pubs, cafes and homestyle spots near the Waterfront Trail and GO station.
The casual restaurants and takeout along Morningside — Sri Lankan, South Asian, Caribbean and halal spots plus chains serving the campuses and the surrounding plazas.
Malvern's renowned food scene — some of the GTA's best Sri Lankan and Tamil kitchens alongside Caribbean, South Indian and halal spots in the plazas around Markham and Neilson.
The plazas around Lawrence and Morningside serving West Hill — grocers, Caribbean bakeries, pharmacies, takeout and the everyday shops of a diverse community.
The village shops along Old Kingston Rd in Highland Creek — a grocery, bakery, pharmacy, salons and local services in one of Scarborough's oldest settlements.
The Port Union and Centennial village plazas around Port Union and Lawrence — a grocery, pharmacy, cafes, takeout and everyday services for the lakeside community.
The big-box plazas and supermarkets around Morningside and Sheppard near the 401 — groceries, home stores, pharmacies, banks and the everyday shopping of the northeast.
The community mall serving Malvern at Tapscott and Sheppard — a grocery, fashion, services, a Service Canada office and a food court for one of the city's most diverse communities.
Local pick: The grocery, food court and everyday shops
The schools serving West Hill, including Sir Oliver Mowat CI and the local public elementary schools — community schools near Lawrence and Morningside.
The University of Toronto's Scarborough campus — a 300-acre university beside the Highland Creek valley, with a striking modern campus, the Pan Am pool and a growing student community.
Local pick: The valley campus and Highland Creek trails
The schools serving Centennial and Port Union, including the local public and Catholic elementary schools — community schools among the newer lakeside streets.
Centennial College's Morningside Campus near the 401, shared with UTSC's health-sciences partnership — science, nursing and health programs in a modern, sustainable building.
Local pick: The science and health programs
The schools serving Malvern, including Lester B. Pearson CI and the local public and Catholic elementary schools — community schools across the northeast.
The neighbourhood parks and the Heron Park rec centre serving West Hill — a pool, arena and playing fields plus green space along the Highland Creek ravine.
A world-class aquatic and sports centre built for the 2015 Pan Am Games on the UTSC campus — competition and leisure pools, gyms, courts and a fitness centre open to the public.
Local pick: The Olympic-size competition pools
Where the Rouge River meets Lake Ontario — a sandy beach, a birding marsh and the gateway to Rouge National Urban Park, Canada's first national urban park, at the city's far east.
Local pick: The sandy beach and the Rouge marsh
One of Toronto's largest parks — a deep, wooded Highland Creek ravine with picnic areas, river crossings and miles of trails, a beloved gateway into the valley system.
The community parks and the Malvern rec centre across the neighbourhood — pools, arenas, cricket pitches, playgrounds and Rouge-side green space serving Malvern's families.