Stratford Real Estate

Stratford, Ontario Overview

Stratford is a city in Southwestern Ontario located about  an hour northeast of London. The city shares its name with Stratford-upon-Avon, an English town famous for being the birthplace and final resting place of William Shakespeare. Stratford, Ontario has a lot in common with its namesake, also being situated on the River Avon and celebrating Shakespeare’s legacy by being the home of the Stratford Festival. In addition to its commitment to the arts, Stratford was also recognized as an “Intelligent Community” between 2011 and 2013 for its technological integration. Thanks to a stellar line-up festivals and beautiful communities, Stratford is a popular town to live in and visit.

Real Estate for Sale in Stratford, Ontario

Settled in the first half of the 19th century, Stratford was incorporated as a town in 1859, then later as a city in the 1880s. Today, Stratford is located in the area of Perth County, but remains a separate municipality with a population of over 30,000 people. Stratford has highway access to the larger cities of London and Kitchener and is about an hour drive from access to Lake Huron in Grand Bend.

Stratford is included in the Huron Perth region for the collection of real estate statistics. Recently, the entire area has been buzzing with activity. The region has an affordable average price, but low supply. When a great house goes on the market, it doesn’t stay there for long and competition for the few listings can be fierce. Being a more desirable city in the county, Stratford’s average sale price exceeds the regional average of just under $400,000 in 2019. New builds and to-be-built properties in Stratford start in the $500,000s and are available in new subdivisions like Countryside Estates.

Living in Stratford, Ontario 

Stratford benefits from good highway access and accessible public transit available in the city. Buses operated by the city, Stratford Transit run on six routes on a 30 minutes schedule. This serves as a good way to connect schools, shopping, and community centres on one affordable public route.

Schools in Stratford are operated by either the Avon Maitland District School Board or the Huron Perth Catholic School Board. Between both boards there are eleven elementary schools and two choices for secondary schools. Alongside the boards, there are also a handful of private programs and academies in Stratford. As for post-secondary education, Stratford is home to both a Conestoga College and a University of Waterloo Campus as well as the famous Stratford Chefs School.

Stratford is famous for its festivals. The most iconic of them being the long-running Stratford Festival - formerly known as the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. The festival runs from May to October and features a wide selection of plays and musicals in several theatres across the city. While the theatre company still puts on classic Shakespeare plays, the name change is partially to reflect the variety of performances during the festival. Running alongside that festival is the Stratford Summer Music Festival, featuring choirs, orchestras, and musical lectures. If you have a passion for the arts, then Stratford’s yearly festivals make the perfect backdrop. 

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