Forest Hill
Forest Hill, is a mature, mid-century neighbourhood located in central Kitchener. Most of the area is covered in mid-sized suburban bungalows and side-splits often populated by a mix of families and older residents. The subdivision has been around since the early 1960s. It’s an ideal place to settle down.
Forest Hill is home to Forest Hill Centre and Highland Park Shopping Centre both of which are walking distance away from the surrounding residences. Neighbouring Sunrise Shopping Centre offers a wide range of retail outlets. You can find a Walmart, Canadian Tire, Home Depot plus clothing and boutique shops. It is a convenient location to get your errands done.
All of these retail centres also house family doctors, dentist offices and pharmacies. Forest Hill also is located alongside St. Mary’s General Hospital.
Family Life
Forest Hill has attractive features that families generally look for. Not only is the community mainly made up of other young families and retirees, but the area is designed to cater towards family life as it showcases many parks, community centres and shops that are close by.
If you enjoy the outdoors but love an urban setting, consider Forest Hill as a great place to call home. Forest Hill is home to five local parks. Lakeside Park can be viewed as the most natural park of the neighbourhood and includes a small lake, walking trails and picnic area.
All of the parks are strategically placed around Forest Hill for easy access no matter where you are in the neighbourhood. These family-friendly spaces are an ideal place for kids to play and a great place to walk the dog or go on a bike ride.
Transit
Forest Hill has many GRT bus stops, they are mainly located along the major roads throughout the area. Most of the bus stops can be found on the following streets: Greenbrook Dr, Queen’s Blvd, Highland Rd W, and Westmount Rd E. This allows for anyone in the area to get from one side of Forest Hill to the other very quickly, for the regional bus schedule click here.
There are also wide bike lanes throughout this suburban community and the traffic ranges from light to moderate. If you’re in and out of the city on a regular basis, then nearby Highway 8 is the fastest direct route.
Schools & Childcare
Forest Hill JR & SR Public School and St. Paul’s provide education for kids all ages up to grade eight. For families with students who need a high school level education, there is Forest Heights Collegiate towards the west end of Fischer-Hallman Road.
Also not far from this area are the Universities, which are a short bus ride away. Both the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University are located about 5 kilometres north of Forest Hill. The student body represented across this community consists of a broad range of ethnic and educational backgrounds.
Preschools like YWCA provide daily daycare for children 18 months and up, this is located in the same facility as St. Paul’s School & Childcare Centre.
Greenery & Parks
A major selling point of Forest Hill is that it offers many mature green spaces and a number of larger parks. The parks come with plenty of attractions and community events that are available at any time to families in the area. The best parks for walking and experiencing urban nature are Lakeside Park and Meinzinger Park; both include picnic areas, trails and playgrounds. Each elementary school has a sizeable complimentary park and field attached as well where you can find playgrounds for the kids, soccer fields, and baseball diamonds.
If you are looking for the largest park, Forest Hill Park features a baseball diamond, a playground, horseshoe pits and a lush, green open space. It is located behind Forest Hill Public School. This is an ideal space to spend some family time after picking up the kids from school.
If you’re seeking more, Waterloo Park is 5 km away and features over 100 acres of trails, sports facilities, playgrounds, a pond, and a petting zoo. It is easily accessible by both bus and car routes. Victoria Park is also nearby and considered Kitchener’s Crown Jewel park.
Fitness & Recreation
In addition to the parks available in the area, there are two GoodLife fitness gyms in the neighbourhood that are available 24 hours a day.
You should be able to easily satisfy your fitness objectives, indoor or outdoor with all the amenities available nearby. Whether jogging in many of the parks or training inside the gym, there are lots of options to pick from.
Nearby Areas
Downtown Kitchener is a short drive away via King Street. This area is considered one of the main attractions around the KW area with plenty of stores, pubs/nightclubs, and restaurants.
East of Downtown Kitchener you’ll hit the Civic Centre which happens to host the largest performing-arts theatre in the region “Centre In The Square”. Here you will also find the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery.
