A Neighbourhood Guide for Moving to The Preserve in North Oakville
Located on the north end of Oakville, the Preserve is a newly constructed master-planned residential community that has become an extremely desirable location for homeowners because of its beautifully designed houses, scenic parks, and wonderful selection of schools. The Preserve is just a few minutes away from Highway 407 and the Queen Elizabeth Way, giving residents easy access into Mississauga and Toronto to the east. The neighbourhood also has a solid public transportation system with Oakville Transit bus routes running along Neyagawa Boulevard, Sixth Line, Dundas Street West, and Sixteen Mile Drive.
Where is the Preserve?
The Preserve sits just north of Oakville’s Uptown Core and the popular River Oaks neighbourhood. The neighbourhood is between Neyagawa Boulevard and Sixth Line. You’ll find Dundas Street West at the southern boundary and Neyagawa Woods and Preserve Woods to the north. One of the neighbourhood’s most notable features is the ponds that run along the southern part of the Preserve on Dundas Street West. Parsonage Pond, Kaitting Pond, Preserve Pond, George Savage Pond, and Gladeside Pond are urban stormwater management ponds used primarily for water quality and quantity control. The ponds also complement the parks and open spaces in the area creating picturesque views for the residents of the Preserve.
A brief history of the Preserve
Daniel Munn was the first settler to arrive in the northern Oakville region. Munn and his wife, Millicent, built a house on the land, and by 1809 several other families had joined the Munns in the fledgling community. The influx of new families with young children leads to a new school in the area. Daniel Munn donated part of his land to be used for a local schoolhouse, church, and a cemetery; this is where he was laid to rest in 1822. Many landmarks and buildings in Oakville were named in honour of Daniel Munn; this includes Munn’s Creek, which runs through the center of the Preserve.
Throughout the 1800s and 1900s, the area around Dundas Street was a simple farming community, but in the late 1980s, there was a drastic change from farmland to residential subdivisions. The River Oaks neighbourhood just south of Dundas Street was developed throughout the 1990s. In the early 2000s, there were plans to construct a new modern residential community just north of River Oaks. Most of the houses in the Preserve were fully detached homes built on 34, 38, and 45 foot lots constructed by The Remington Group. The sale of the initial housing stock started in 2013, and families began moving into the Preserve shortly afterwards. The community is constantly evolving and expanding, with new developments and additions happening all the time.
The types of homes in the Preserve
The residential space in the Preserve includes many single-family fully detached, two to three-storey houses. The houses in the Preserve tend to be larger than most other neighbourhoods in Oakville and incorporate a modern design aesthetic with beautiful stucco, clay brick, and stone accents. Â Several clusters of townhouse and low-rise condominium complexes in the community add diversity to the housing options in the Preserve. The community was designed as a low to medium-density neighbourhood, so the layout of the streetscapes is much more spacious than other older neighbourhoods.
Moving to the Preserve
In the last few years, demand for houses in the Preserve has grown tremendously. The neighbourhood is popular for young families due to its safe, peaceful, tight-knit community feel and great schools. The Preserve offers a much more quiet and relaxing living experience than the larger cities to the east. Moving all your earthly possessions can be a daunting task, especially if you’re a first-time homebuyer. Self-storage can be a great tool to alleviate some of the pressure on move-in day. Also, it can continue to help keep your new house organized after you’ve completed your move.
To help, we’ve partnered with Storwell Self Storage to offer our clients 4 weeks of free self-storage. Storwell has locations in Scarborough, Etobicoke, and Mississauga on the corner of Royal Windsor Drive and Winston Churchill Boulevard. The Mississauga location is a short drive east of the Preserve. If you need self-storage to help with your move, can call a Storwell representative or visit a facility in person.
Storwell Self Storage
2525 Royal Windsor Dr, Mississauga, ON L5J 1K9
Phone: 905-823-5555
Parks and recreation in the Preserve
The Preserve community has been designed with environmental sustainability in mind. The natural beauty of northern Oakville is integrated seamlessly with the residential and commercial features of the neighbourhood. Neyagawa Woods and Preserve Woods are two heavily wooded areas that sit just north of the Preserve. Unlike many suburban communities, these nature preserves give the community a more scenic and inviting environment. Isaac Park is located on the east side of the Preserve. It has a large children’s playground, a splash pad, and two full-sized soccer fields. George Savage Park is on the west side of the Preserve community. There you’ll find a baseball diamond, playground, basketball court, tennis courts, and a skate park for various skill levels.
The Sixteen Mile Sports Complex is located just west of the Preserve on Neyagawa Boulevard. It has one Olympic-sized rink and three NHL-sized rinks. Also, they host several recreation and cultural programs for the people of the Preserve community.
The best schools in the Preserve
In recent years, families have flocked to the Preserve community because of its excellent selection of schools. The Halton District School Board and Halton Catholic District School Board operate several schools in the Preserve area. The Catholic high school in the area is Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School, located just south of the Preserve on Sixth Line. Iroquois Ridge High School public school is located on Eighth Line and Glenashton Drive, about a ten-minute and thirty-minute bus ride east of the Preserve. The longer commute is well worth it. Iroquois Ridge is one of the best schools in the province, being rated as the 10th best secondary school in Ontario out of nearly 800 other schools in the Fraser Institute’s Annual Report Card for 2020.
The Preserve also has a tremendous selection of elementary schools. Some of the highest-rated elementary schools in the Preserve community are:
- Gregory the Great Catholic Elementary School
- Oodenawi Public School
- Our Lady of Peace Catholic School
- David R. Williams Public School
For parents who want to explore alternatives to the traditional education system, there are several private schools near the Preserve, like Rotherglen School on Neyagawa Boulevard and Trafalgar Ridge Montessori School. Both schools use the Montessori method of learning, which emphasizes student independence and practical skills.
The best places to eat in the Preserve
The Preserve has an eclectic blend of dining options that has a little bit of something for everyone. IN A BOWL is in the Uptown Core on Trafalgar Road and is serving up delicious and healthy poké bowls, ramen bowls, rice bowls, and appetizers. Just across the street, you will find Pür & Simple, a breakfast and lunch spot serving classic diner food using locally sourced ingredients. Head over to Neyagawa Boulevard and Dundas Street West to visit Cynthia’s Chinese Restaurant for traditional Chinese food. Right next door to Cynthia’s is CheeZaatar, which is serving wood-oven cooked Manakish. For dessert, you can head over to Sixth Line and River Glen Boulevard and visit Aveiro Bakery to try some of their delectable and freshly baked pastries and cakes.
Â