Only a decade or two ago, Riverdale was dull, and snobs from the Annex spoke of it with distain as a more or less blank spot on the map, "out the Danforth." But today, this community of 28,300, just east of the Don River, has achieved life, vibrancy and a warm place in the hearts of real estate people: last year houses here sold for an average of $263,000. If they're priced according to market value, homes tend to sell within two weeks and often with multiple offers, which tent to up the sale price in the end. The streets running east of Broadview are tree-rich, with many a magnificent old maple. This is a family neighbourhood, and for excellent reasons-many of the sturdy old homes from the 1920s have long back-yards much larger than those across the river in Cabbagetown. The area attracts residents of all flavours: on one short strip of Riverdale Avenue, you can encounter a gay-activist chiropractor, a stockbroker, a married couple. Just to the north is the Danforth commercial strip which pulse with energy all year long but comes to life in the summer.