Neighbourhood Spotlight: Willowridge-Martingrove-Richview

Etobicoke Lifestyle & Community Dave Dubbin August 1, 2026

Ask most Torontonians about Willowridge-Martingrove-Richview and you'll get a blank look. Ask anyone who lives there and you'll get a different story: quiet streets, real lots, solid postwar houses, and everything you need within a ten minute drive. This is one of central Etobicoke's most underrated pockets, and with subway construction now underway along its southern edge, we don't expect it to stay under the radar forever.

Curious how this corner compares to the rest of the west end? Explore our neighbourhood guides or search what's for sale right now.

Where it is

The neighbourhood sits in central Etobicoke, roughly between Highway 401 to the north and Eglinton Avenue West to the south, running from Royal York Road over to Martin Grove Road and the 427. The Westway is the main street through the middle of it, and the three names in the title are really three pockets, Willowridge near the 427 end, Martin Grove up the west side, and Richview around Islington and Eglinton. Pearson is close, which longtime residents will tell you is either a perk or a soundtrack depending on the wind.

The housing

This is classic 1950s and 60s Etobicoke: brick bungalows, split-levels, and two storey houses on wide lots, most with private drives and garages. Plenty have been renovated or rebuilt, plenty more are original and waiting for someone with a vision. There are townhouses scattered through the area and a cluster of apartment and condo rentals along The Westway and Widdicombe Hill, which keeps the mix more varied than people expect. For buyers priced out of The Kingsway or Sunnylea but set on a detached house in Etobicoke, this is one of the first places we point them.

What's new: four subway stations are coming

Here's the story that changes this neighbourhood's next decade. The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension runs right along its southern boundary, and excavation is now underway on four underground stations at Martin Grove Road, Kipling Avenue, Islington Avenue and Royal York Road. When Line 5 service reaches this stretch, a neighbourhood that has always been car first gets rapid transit within walking distance of its southern half. We've watched what transit announcements have done for values along other corridors in this city. Buying near a future station before it opens has historically been a patient person's play, and this is one of the few places left in Toronto where you can still do it with a detached house.

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Parks and recreation

Richview Park and Willowridge Park anchor the green space, with sports fields, diamonds, tennis courts and outdoor rinks spread throughout the area. The Richview Library on Islington Avenue is a genuine neighbourhood hub, the kind of branch where the parking lot is always half full. Centennial Park, one of Etobicoke's biggest recreation complexes, is a short drive southwest when you need a ski hill, a pool or a track.

Schools

Families here are served by a mix of public and Catholic elementary schools, with secondary options in and around the neighbourhood including Martingrove Collegiate Institute, Kipling Collegiate Institute and Central Etobicoke High School. As always, catchments shift, so confirm boundaries directly with the TDSB or TCDSB for any specific address.

Getting around

Today it's buses along The Westway and Eglinton connecting to the subway, with quick access to the 401, 427 and the Gardiner for drivers, and Pearson ten minutes away. The four future Crosstown West stations will change that math for the southern half of the neighbourhood entirely. For anyone who commutes west to the airport employment zone or downtown, the location is quietly one of the most practical in Etobicoke.

Who it suits

Buyers who want a detached house and a real backyard without The Kingsway price tag. Renovators and builders looking for wide lots. Down sizers who want a bungalow and their same postal code. And anyone playing the long game on transit. If that sounds like you, we'd be glad to show you around.