Brant County

Families who want a smaller-town school and a bigger yard, commuters heading to Cambridge, Kitchener-Waterloo or Hamilton, and anyone who has always wanted a few acres. It also draws downsizers who want to stay close to Brantford's hospital and shopping without living in the city.

The trade-off is distance from some services and, on rural properties, the responsibility of a well and septic system. We walk every rural buyer through those checks; our well and septic guide is a good place to start.

The Grand River is the big draw: paddling between Paris and Brantford is a local rite of summer, and the river valley is lined with trails. The SC Johnson Trail links Paris and Brantford, and the Cambridge to Paris Rail Trail follows the river north. Pinehurst Lake Conservation Area, north of Paris, has a beach and campground.

Village life fills the calendar too, from fall fairs and AppleFest to farmers' markets and church suppers. It is the kind of place where you get to know your neighbours whether you planned to or not.