Illustrative rendering · Port Perry waterfront
Updated On: October 2026
A guide to Janetville & the Kawartha Lakes.
The area around 170 Hwy 7A is rural Kawartha Lakes at its most practical: a large-lot countryside setting in Janetville on the Hwy 7A corridor, a short drive west to Port Perry's Lake Scugog waterfront, and an easy run to Lindsay and Peterborough to the east.
Where it sits · Janetville, ON
A small community on a busy corridor.
Janetville is a small rural community in the Kawartha Lakes region, set along Hwy 7A where the route swings west toward Port Perry and east toward Lindsay and Peterborough. The property at 170 Hwy 7A sits on a large rural lot just outside the Scugog town line, which means farmland, forest, and lake country just past the front door, with town amenities a short drive away.
The village's main gathering place is the Janetville Community Centre, a community hall used for events, banquets, and local groups. For day-to-day shopping, services, and recreation, most residents head to Port Perry (west) or Lindsay (north), both under thirty minutes by car.
Getting around
Hwy 7A access is the quiet selling point.
The property fronts directly on Hwy 7A, which means wide road access in both directions toward Port Perry and Lindsay, and no subdivision streets to negotiate. For tradespeople, deliveries, material trucks, and crew vehicles, that is time and sanity every week. There is also lots of extra parking for guests and an RV.
Hwy 7A is a two-lane country route in parts, so winter weather matters, and morning and evening rush on the 401 and 407 corridor adds time for anyone commuting into the GTA. For many buyers, the commute shrinks further: Starlink internet is installed at the property, so the daily trip can be as short as the walk across the yard.
Commute math
What the drives actually look like.
Times below are approximate route-calculator drives in typical conditions, not live traffic. They are the same numbers we give every buyer, pulled from our commute post.
| Destination | Drive | Distance | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Perry | 20–30 min | ≈ 27 km | Historic Queen St. and the Lake Scugog waterfront |
| Lindsay | 20–25 min | ≈ 20 km | Full city services, hospital, high schools |
| Peterborough | 45–60 min | ≈ 60 km | University, hospital, arts and culture |
| Ajax / East GTA | ≈ 50 min | ≈ 68 km | Via Hwy 7 toward Oshawa and Whitby |
| Downtown Toronto | ≈ 2 hr | ≈ 108 km | Longer in morning and evening rush |
The towns around it
Three towns, each with its own reason.
West · 20–30 min
Port Perry
The historic downtown on Queen St. sits beside a Lake Scugog waterfront promenade with parks, a marina, and a museum village. Port Perry hosts farmers' markets and festivals through the year, and the lakeside mill at 268 Queen St., which now houses our brokerage office, has anchored the waterfront for over a century. Newer spots include the lakeside Waterfront Kitchen + Bar and the fresh-fruit shop Anyway Fruit on Water Street.
North · 20–25 min
Lindsay
Less than half an hour away, Lindsay brings full city services, a hospital, high schools, and day-to-day shopping. For groceries, errands, and services, most residents of the Janetville area find Lindsay and Port Perry both do the job.
East · 45–60 min
Peterborough
To the east, Peterborough is an easy threshold for weekend trips to the university, hospital specialists, and the city's restaurant and arts scene, and quite doable as a daily drive for the determined. The route passes through or around Lindsay depending on the road you choose.
The rural lifestyle
What life on a rural Kawartha lot is really like.
Large rural lots are the norm along this stretch of Hwy 7A, and they change the daily math: room for tools, hobbies, and recreational vehicles, extra parking for guests and an RV, and neighbours spaced far enough apart that quiet is the default setting. The property itself has a yard with mature trees, a patio, a hot tub, and a fire pit, and the community keeps its own rhythm with events at the Janetville Community Centre, while Arbour Court Park is being redeveloped through 2026 with a disc golf course, trails, and playground upgrades.
The Port Perry Fair has been part of that rhythm since 1853, running at its fairgrounds since 1886 and capping the summer on Labour Day weekend. Through the year, Lake Scugog adds boating, paddling, fishing, and swimming in season, and ice fishing and skating when the lake freezes. It is country living with town amenities a short drive away.
Schools
Public English-language education for Kawartha Lakes runs through the Trillium Lakelands District School Board, with elementary options concentrated in Lindsay, roughly twenty minutes north. The assigned home school for a specific address is set by the board, so families should confirm via the address-based school finder.
TLDSB school zonesQuick answers about the area
The questions that come up on every showing drive.
Q. 01
Where is 170 Hwy 7A located?
The property sits on a large rural lot in Janetville, an unincorporated community in the City of Kawartha Lakes, just outside the Scugog town line. It fronts directly on Hwy 7A, about 20 to 30 minutes west of Port Perry and 20 to 25 minutes south of Lindsay.
Q. 02
How far are the nearest towns from the property?
Port Perry is about 20 to 30 minutes west, roughly 27 km; Lindsay is about 20 to 25 minutes north, roughly 20 km; Peterborough is about 45 to 60 minutes east, roughly 60 km; and Ajax and the east GTA are about 50 minutes away, roughly 68 km.
Q. 03
What schools serve the Janetville area?
Public English-language education for Kawartha Lakes runs through the Trillium Lakelands District School Board, with elementary options concentrated in Lindsay. The assigned home school for a specific address is set by the board, so families should confirm with the board's address-based school finder.
Q. 04
Is working from home realistic out here?
Yes. The property has a Starlink internet system installed and Wi-Fi connected garage door openers, so the daily commute can be as short as the walk across the yard, with space for a home office on the main floor.
Q. 05
What is there to do outdoors nearby?
Janetville's Arbour Court Park is being redeveloped through 2026 with a disc golf course, trails, and playground upgrades. Lake Scugog and the Port Perry waterfront are a short drive west for boating, paddling, fishing, and swimming in season, plus ice fishing and skating in winter.
See the area up close
Come do the drive, then explore the towns.
The neighborhood page has the full picture: commute tables, schools, community facts, and real local spots in Port Perry. Keith or Lisa would be glad to guide you through it.