The neighbourhood of Eau Claire in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

is located immediately north of

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...

, and south of the

Bow River The Bow River is a river in Alberta, Canada. It begins within the Canadian Rocky Mountains and winds through the Alberta foothills onto the prairies, where it meets the Oldman River, the two then forming the South Saskatchewan River. These w ...

and north of 4th Avenue. A mix of riverside condominiums, shopping, restaurants, hotels, a large public plaza and urban parkland make Eau Claire one of Calgary's most popular areas. Contained within Eau Claire is the city's Festival District. The area, which was developed from reclaimed industrial land, fronts the

and sits immediately north of 3rd Avenue South. North of Eau Claire is Prince's Island Park, a large urban park on an island in the Bow River and the site of many summer festivals, including the Calgary Folk Music Festival, Carifest,

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

in the Park and various

busking Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

happening A happening is a performance, event, or situation art, usually as performance art. The term was first used by Allan Kaprow during the 1950s to describe a range of art-related events. History Origins Allan Kaprow first coined the term "happen ...

s. Within Eau Claire is Eau Claire Market and a variety of pubs and restaurants. It is also located on the city's large network of pedestrian pathways and trails, along the Bow River pathway.

History

The name Eau Claire derives from one of Calgary's original industries - a sawmill transplanted from

Eau Claire, Wisconsin Eau Claire (; ) (French for "clear water") is a city mostly located in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat, and with a small portion in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. It had a population of 69,421 in 2020, making it the stat ...

and staffed by mostly Norwegian mill workers. The area on the banks of the Bow River was selected in 1886 for its easy access to fallen timber. The community was subsequently named for the Eau Claire Lumber Company. Eau Claire Plaza, at the core of the Festival District is currently undergoing a major modernization and redevelopment to better integrate it with the city, Prince's Island, Eau Claire Market, Barclay Mall and the other surrounding hotels, restaurants and businesses. The community has an area redevelopment plan in place.

Demographics

In the City of Calgary's 2012 municipal census, Eau Claire had a population of living in dwellings, an 8.2% increase from its 2011 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2012. Residents in this community had a

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways ...

of $80,210 in 2000, and there were 21.8% low income residents living in the neighbourhood. As of 2000, 32.7% of the residents were

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, ...

s. A proportion of 98% of the buildings were

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...

s or

apartment An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...

s, and 38.7% of the housing was used for

renting Renting, also known as hiring or letting, is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another. A gross lease is when the tenant pays a flat rental amount and the landlord pays for a ...

. It is represented in the

Calgary City Council The Calgary City Council is the legislative governing body that represents the citizens of Calgary. The council consists of 15 members: the chief elected official, titled the mayor, and 14 councillors. Jyoti Gondek was elected mayor in October 202 ...

by the Ward 7 councillor.

Eau Claire Market

Eau Claire Market is the focal point of the neighbourhood. It sits immediately south of the Bow River and was built on former industrial land. The mall is home to several unique and "one of a kind" shops and galleries, a six screen

Cineplex Odeon Cineplex Inc. (formerly Cineplex Galaxy) is a Canadian movie theatre and family entertainment centre chain headquartered in Toronto. The company was formed in 2003 via the acquisition of Loews Cineplex's Canadian operations (which included ...

multiplex, a food court and several restaurants. To coincide with the reconfiguration of Eau Claire Plaza, plans are currently in development to demolish and completely rebuild the market which has declined in popularity in recent years. The new market will likely cater to a larger and more diverse demographic to better serve the residential community at large. The redeveloped market will enclose the entrance to the future underground 2 Street SW Station, part of the Calgary Green Line. Taking design inspiration from the Central Library, the north end of the market will feature a tunnel portal integrated in the building, leading the CTrain to north-central Calgary via a new bridge over the

. Construction of the station is expected to begin in 2024.

References

External links

Eau Claire Community Association
{{Calgary neighbourhoods Neighbourhoods in Calgary Eau Claire, Calgary Redeveloped ports and waterfronts in Canada