Live in Clearview Township

What Life Looks Like in Clearview Township

Clearview Township stretches across 557 square kilometres of Simcoe County, from the Niagara Escarpment in the west to the rolling farmland east of Highway 26. About 15,000 people live here, spread across a handful of villages and a lot of open countryside. Stayner, with a population around 4,500, is the largest community and the one with the most services. But the character of Clearview comes from the full picture: the smaller villages, the farms between them, and the pace of life that ties it all together.

If you are considering a move, the practical appeal is straightforward. Housing costs are significantly lower than in Barrie, Collingwood, or anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area. You can buy a family home in Stayner for a price that would get you a small condo closer to the city. Rural properties with acreage are available at prices that seem almost fictional to anyone coming from southern Ontario's hot housing markets. The trade-off is that you will need a car for everything, and certain amenities require a 15-to-35 minute drive to a larger centre.

The commute question comes up constantly. Stayner to Barrie is about 30 minutes on a good day via Highway 26 and the 400. Some residents commute daily; others work remotely or have found employment locally. The highway can be slow during winter storms, and the stretch of the 400 near Barrie backs up during rush hours. People make it work, but it is an honest factor to weigh. Toronto is roughly 90 minutes in light traffic, which puts it within reach for occasional trips but makes daily commuting impractical for most.

Families move to Clearview for a combination of affordability, space, and the quality of life that comes with a smaller community. The schools are operated by the Simcoe County District School Board and the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board. Stayner Collegiate Institute is the local high school, and several elementary schools serve the township. Class sizes tend to be smaller than in urban schools, and the community connection between families and schools is stronger. Sports, clubs, and volunteer activities provide the structure for kids' lives outside of school hours.

Family life in Clearview revolves around the same things it does anywhere: school schedules, sports leagues, weekend errands, and time outdoors. The difference is how much easier it is to access outdoor space. Kids ride bikes on quiet roads. Families walk to the park without navigating traffic. Winter means skating on outdoor rinks, cross-country skiing on local trails, and easy access to the ski hills near Collingwood and the Blue Mountains. Summer brings swimming, hiking along the Bruce Trail, and the kind of unstructured outdoor time that is harder to come by in denser areas.

The communities within Clearview each have distinct identities. Creemore is the artsy one, with its brewery, galleries, and heritage architecture. New Lowell is the quiet one, centred around its community hall and a few local businesses. Nottawa sits at the base of the escarpment with dramatic views. Duntroon, Avening, and Singhampton are smaller still, each with their own loyal residents and local traditions. Understanding these communities helps you choose where in the township feels right.

The Township of Clearview provides municipal services including roads, water (in serviced areas), fire protection, recreation facilities, and planning services. Stayner Memorial Arena hosts hockey leagues, public skating, and community events throughout the year. Clearview Public Library runs programs for all ages from branches in Stayner, Creemore, and New Lowell. Stayner Collegiate Institute serves as the local high school. For weekly groceries, Foodland Stayner is the go-to stop for most families in the township. Property taxes fund these services, and Clearview's tax rates are competitive with neighbouring municipalities.

Clearview is not for everyone. If you need walkable urban amenities, diverse restaurant options within a five-minute radius, or robust public transit, this is not the place. But if you value space, affordability, a genuine small-town community, and the freedom to build the kind of life that bigger places make expensive or complicated, Clearview delivers on that promise consistently. The people who thrive here are the ones who embrace the trade-offs rather than fighting them.