Oakridge, London Ontario: Homes for Sale and What to Know

Oakridge is a mainly residential neighbourhood in west London and one of the City of London’s planning districts. People looking at Oakridge, London Ontario homes for sale are usually drawn by something specific: mid-century houses on generous lots, in an area the City built out decades ago rather than last year.

Two halves, two eras

The City’s neighbourhood guide splits Oakridge at Oxford Street:

• South of Oxford Street: many single-family homes from the 1950s and 1960s, built on wide lots
• North of Oxford Street: developed more recently, with homes from the 1970s and 1980s

It adds that townhomes and apartment buildings are found throughout, and that the main commercial area is at Oxford Street and Hyde Park Road. The City lists Hazelden, Hunt Club and Riverbend as nearby neighbourhoods.

For a buyer, the split is a useful shortcut. A 1950s house and a 1980s house raise different questions about wiring, insulation, windows, layout and how much renovation has already been done.

Oakridge Optimist Park

The City calls this the largest and most central park in the neighbourhood. Its parks list puts it at 825 Valetta Street with:

• Oakridge Arena, a single ice pad that the City’s guide describes as recently renovated
• An outdoor pool and a spray pad
• Two minor baseball diamonds and a batting cage
• Two tennis courts
• Play structures, a paved path and washrooms

Sifton Bog

The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority describes the Sifton Bog Environmentally Significant Area as lying on the south side of Oxford Street, west of Hyde Park Road, with parking at the main entrance on Oxford. The public site covers 41.6 hectares. Its main feature is a floating acid peat bog with boreal plants, ringed by swamp and upland forest. As in all City ESAs, dogs stay on a leash of two metres or less and bicycles stay out.

Homes that back onto a natural area like this can be lovely to live in. They can also come with limits on what you may build or cut near the lot line, so ask before you plan a pool or a shed.

Thames Valley Golf Course

At the southern end of Oakridge is the Thames Valley Golf Course. The City says it is London’s oldest publicly owned course, established in 1924, with an 18-hole course and a 9-hole course along the banks of the Thames River.

Schools

The City’s guide lists Riverside, Clara Brenton and West Oaks French Immersion public schools, St. Paul and Notre Dame Catholic schools, and Oakridge Secondary School, and says St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School is also in the area. Each is on the Thames Valley District School Board or London District Catholic School Board list. French immersion and Catholic programs have their own boundaries, so check the boards’ locators for your address. We do not rank schools.

Price context

LSTAR publishes benchmark prices for London North, South and East only, and we could not confirm from LSTAR which area Oakridge falls in, so no figure appears here. Because lot width and renovation level vary so much in mid-century neighbourhoods, two similar-looking houses can be far apart in value. Our London real estate page covers the city-wide picture.

Similar neighbourhoods

Byron adds a village main street and a ski hill. Westmount offers 1960s homes too, with more townhouses and apartments in the mix. If you would rather have something built in the last 30 years, look at Hyde Park.

What to ask your REALTOR® about Oakridge

• Was this house built in the 1950s and 1960s part of Oakridge or the 1970s and 1980s part, and what has been updated since?
• What are the lot dimensions, and is there room, and permission, for an addition or a garage?
• Has the electrical panel, plumbing and insulation been upgraded? Our home inspection guide lists what to check.
• Does the property border the Sifton Bog, the golf course or the river, and is any of it regulated land?
• Which original features, such as hardwood or a finished basement, add value here, and which do buyers expect to redo?
• What have renovated and unrenovated homes on similar lots sold for recently?

Thinking of buying or selling in Oakridge?

See our buyer guide for how a purchase unfolds. If you own in Oakridge, a free home valuation will account for your lot and your updates, which is where most of the value differences in this neighbourhood come from.