Proven, Not Promised.
152 Simcoe St N, Oshawa(905) 449-4422
A city in transformation. Our home base.
Typical Range
$500K – $1.2M (wide range by neighbourhood)
Housing Style
Detached, semi, and bungalow. Strong renovation opportunity in the central core.
Commute
35 min to North York via 407 / 412. 55 min to downtown Toronto via GO.
The Vibe
A city reinventing itself. Young, honest, and finally getting credit.
175,383
Population (2021)
415,311
Greater Oshawa CMA
22,000+
Post-secondary students
60 km
Distance to Toronto
60–70 min
GO Train to Union
Oshawa is the city people stopped paying attention to, and the city Durham Region can not stop talking about. It is our home base. Our office sits at 152 Simcoe St N, directly across from the revitalized downtown core, and we have watched this city quietly transform in real time. Hinchey Homes has sold more homes in Oshawa than any other city in Durham, and we know the streets, the schools, the builders, and the neighbourhoods by name.
If you grew up picturing Oshawa as a GM town, that version is gone. The auto plant is still here, smaller, but the economy is no longer tied to it. Ontario Tech University and Durham College pull 15,000 students into the north end, driving a genuine student-rental market around Simcoe North and Conlin. The downtown core has been rebuilt block by block, with Tribute Communities Centre anchoring a real arts and food scene. The south end holds some of Durham's best waterfront park space along the McLaughlin Bay trail system. And the 407 and 412 extensions quietly made Oshawa a 35-minute commute to North York.
The neighbourhood geography matters more in Oshawa than in most Durham cities because values swing hard by pocket. Samac, Eastdale, and Windfields in the north are the catchment for the best-ranked schools and hold family buyers. The downtown core and the central neighbourhoods around Bond, King, and Simcoe have the most upside for renovation buyers, our Renos for Revenue program does more work here than anywhere else. Lakeview and the south end near the waterfront are underrated, quiet, and undervalued. And the east side along Harmony and Wilson Rd has the newer subdivision stock for buyers coming from Toronto looking for space.
What Oshawa does not get enough credit for is the quiet middle: genuinely walkable pockets, real tree-lined streets, a growing downtown food scene, and prices that still let an average family own a detached home. If you are moving from Toronto or Markham and thinking Oshawa is a compromise, drive Harmony Road on a Saturday morning and come talk to us.
Incorporated as a village in 1850 and a city in 1924, Oshawa takes its name from an Ojibwa word meaning "the crossing place." Robert McLaughlin's 1878 carriage works grew into the McLaughlin Motor Car Company and eventually General Motors of Canada, earning the city its "Canada's Motor City" nickname. After GM's 2019 closure and 2021 reopening following a $1.3B retooling, Oshawa has reinvented itself as a regional education and health-sciences hub anchored by three post-secondary institutions and Lakeridge Health.
Every community has the things you find in the brochure and the things you only find by living here. Here are the ones worth knowing about before you fall in love.
01
National Historic Site and former McLaughlin family mansion with formal gardens. Frequently used as a film location for HBO and Hollywood productions.
02
5,180-seat downtown arena, home of the OHL's Oshawa Generals and host to top-tier concerts and events year-round.
03
The largest public art gallery in Durham Region, known for its world-class Painters Eleven collection.
04
Fifty-acre lakefront park with sandy beach, boardwalk, the Oshawa Museum, and direct access to the Waterfront Trail.
05
The largest shopping mall east of Toronto with 230+ stores, anchoring a downtown that has been quietly rebuilt block by block.
06
Downtown museum chronicling Canada's automotive history, fitting for the country's original Motor City.
07
Provincially significant coastal wetland for birding right on Lake Ontario at the city's south end.
08
Working military vehicle museum with the largest operating armoured collection in Canada.
Lakeridge Health Oshawa
Full-service regional hospital just north of downtown. Home to a 24/7 ER, the R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre, and the LHEARN medical training centre. The largest hospital in Durham.
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
Provincial specialty mental health hospital on the Whitby–Oshawa border, one of only four of its kind in Ontario.
Ontario Tech University
Research university known nationally for automotive, energy, and engineering programs. Anchor of the north Oshawa education corridor.
Durham College
One of Ontario's largest polytechnics with 140+ programs across the campus shared with Ontario Tech.
Maxwell Heights & Monsignor Paul Dwyer
Among the highest-ranked public and Catholic high schools in the city per recent Fraser Institute reports, both serving north Oshawa.
Lakeview Park
The signature waterfront park, with beach, boardwalk, and the Oshawa Museum housed in three heritage homes.
Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens
Includes the Peony Garden, one of the largest public peony collections in North America.
Camp Samac
175-acre forested Scouts Canada property in north Oshawa with trails open to the public year-round.
McLaughlin Bay Wildlife Reserve
Protected wetland trail along the lake at the south end, great for birding and quiet walks.
The events that turn a town into a community. Mark these on the calendar before you even unpack.
June
Canada's largest public peony garden in full bloom at the Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens.
Summer
King Street closes downtown for one of Ontario's biggest classic car shows.
June
40-year multicultural festival run by the Oshawa Folk Arts Council, with food, music, and dance pavilions across the city.
August
Major classic car show at Lakeview Park drawing thousands every summer.
July 1
Waterfront celebration with live music, food trucks, and fireworks over Lake Ontario.
Towns are shaped by the people who grow up in them. These are some of the names Oshawa has sent into the world.
Grammy-winning R&B singer-songwriter, raised in Oshawa.
International supermodel and actress, born and raised in Oshawa.
Actress, longtime co-star of Criminal Minds.
Songwriter who wrote Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild."
Former NHL player, born in Oshawa.
Downtown Oshawa has quietly grown into a legitimate food destination. King Street alone now holds 50+ independent restaurants and cafes packed into a walkable core, anchored by spots like Isabella's Chocolate Cafe, Berry Hill Food Co., and a strong craft beer scene from Town Brewery and 5 Paddles. The dining culture leans local and multicultural, reflecting Fiesta Week's heritage, with Caribbean, Filipino, wood-fired pizza, ramen, and farm-to-table all within a few blocks. Add the Saturday farmer's market and you have one of the most underrated food scenes east of Toronto.
Oshawa GO on the Lakeshore East line runs trains to Union Station every 30 minutes off-peak and more frequently during rush, with typical travel times of 60–70 minutes. Highway 401 cuts east-west through the city, the 407 ETR and 412 link route provide a reliable toll alternative, and Durham Region Transit operates local bus and Pulse BRT service across the city. Driving to North York is typically 45–60 minutes off-peak.
The average detached home in Oshawa ranges from approximately $750K to $950K depending on neighbourhood, age, and condition. North Oshawa (Samac, Eastdale, Windfields) typically sits at the higher end. The central core holds strong opportunities in the $600K-$800K range, especially for homes with renovation upside.
Samac, Eastdale, and Windfields in North Oshawa hold the best-ranked schools and the strongest family market. Lakeview and the south waterfront are underrated. The central core (Bond, King, Simcoe) is where we do most of our Renos for Revenue work because the upside is so strong.
Oshawa has strong Fraser Institute rankings in the north end (Pierre Elliott Trudeau PS, Seneca Trail PS, Eastdale CVI). Ontario Tech University and Durham College are in North Oshawa, which is why the north-end housing market is structurally supported even when the broader Durham market softens.
By GO Train from Oshawa GO Station to Union Station, typical peak commute is 55-70 minutes. By car during rush hour to downtown Toronto, expect 90+ minutes; to North York, 45-60 minutes via 407 ETR. The 412 extension dramatically improved access for many central Oshawa homeowners.
Tell us what you’re looking for. We know the streets, the schools, and the off-market opportunities that never make it to Realtor.ca.
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