Lake Bonavista is a neighbourhood in Southeast

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, makin ...

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 Ter ...

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. It is bounded by Anderson Road to the north,

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to the west, Canyon Meadows Drive to the south, and Bow Bottom Trail to the east. The small community of Bonavista Downs resides in the northeast corner of the neighbourhood.

History

Lake Bonavista was developed by the Keith Construction company starting in 1967. It was the first community in Canada to be built around a man-made lake, and served as a prototype for other lake communities in Calgary. Two trailer courts were on the west side of Bonavista, north of the Avenida Shopping Centre, alongside Macleod Trail. One trailer court was relocated to Northeast Calgary in the late 1990s; the other was removed and the land was sold. The Bonavista Square shopping complex, Calgary Honda, Kramer Mazda and Hyundai Gallery, as well as two apartments, a retirement home, and an office building were built in its place, accessed by an extended Lake Fraser Drive, as well as an interchange, built at Anderson Road and Macleod Trail, in 2001. The Avenida shopping centre, opened in 1988, was built to cater to the increasing size of the neighbourhood. It includes an art gallery and assorted upmarket restaurants.

Demographics

In the City of Calgary's 2012 municipal census, Lake Bonavista had a population of living in dwellings, a 1.3% decrease from its 2011 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2012. Also in the 2012 municipal census, Bonavista Downs had a population of living in dwellings, a 2.3% decrease 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 ...

of $101,025 in 2005, and there were 4.4% low income residents living in the neighbourhood. In Bonavista Downs, the median household income was $81,761, and there were 8.4% low income residents living in the neighbourhood.

Amenities

Lake Bonavista Promenade is a small commercial development within Lake Bonavista that includes both retail space and professional offices. There is convenient access to shopping areas along Macleod Trail and in

Southcentre Mall Southcentre Mall is one of the largest (by area) shopping malls in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, , and contains approximately 190 stores and services over two floors. It is located in the city's southeast quadrant at the intersection of Macleod Tr ...

Fish Creek Park Fish Creek Park is an urban provincial park that preserves the valley of Fish Creek in the southern part of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is bordered on three sides by the city, and on the west by the territory of the Tsuu T’ina Nation (Sarcee) ...

borders the community to the south, and provides a variety of outdoor recreation opportunities. The Lake Bonavista Community Association (not to be confused with the homeowners association which maintains the lake) owns a community centre within the district. The centre includes two ice rinks, a gym, and a variety of multipurpose rooms. There is also a City of Calgary ice rink, Frank McCool Arena, within the community.

Manmade Lakes

The area was originally flat treeless prairie with no distinctive natural features. In order to make the area more attractive, Lake Bonavista, a manmade lake, was constructed in 1968, with a portion of the earth excavated from the lake used to construct a hill with a waterfall adjacent to the lake. The lake and park provide a variety of year-round recreational opportunities for residents, including fishing, swimming, boating, tennis, skating, and tobogganing. The Lake Bonavista Homeowners Association, membership of which is mandatory for homeowners in the area, provides for the upkeep of the lake and park. The neighbourhood also contains a second manmade lake, Lake Bonaventure. This lake is only accessible from houses built directly around the lake itself. Homeowners with access to Lake Bonaventure must pay their share of the upkeep on both Lake Bonavista and Lake Bonaventure. Bonavista Downs residents share many of the amenities with Lake Bonavista, but they do not have access to the lakes and do not pay for their upkeep.

Education

Lake Bonavista is home to the following schools: *Lake Bonavista, Public Elementary *Andrew Sibbald, Public Elementary *Sam Livingston, Public Elementary *Nickle, Public Junior High *St. Boniface, Catholic Elementary *St. Bonaventure, Catholic Junior High

Churches

The following churches are located in Lake Bonavista:Churches in Lake Bonavista
Bonavista Baptist ChurchBonavista Evangelical Missionary Church
/ref> *Bonavista Baptist Church *Bonavista Church (formerly Bonavista Evangelical Missionary Church) *Holy Nativity Anglican Church *St. Bonaventure Church

Transit

Lake Bonavista is served by Calgary Transit Bus Route 29 to the north, Route 35 in the middle, and Route 81 in the south. The Canyon Meadows CTrain Station serves Lake Bonavista.

Electoral districts

Lake Bonavista is part of the

Calgary Southeast Calgary Southeast was a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 2015. The district was in the southeast part of the City of Calgary. It was bounded by the city limits to ...

Federal Electoral District, the

Calgary Fish Creek Calgary-Fish Creek is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is one of 87 mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting. The district is large ...

Provincial Riding, and Calgary Municipal Ward 14.

References

:*James Martin, ''Calgary - Secrets of the City''

Arsenal Pulp Press Arsenal Pulp Press is a Canadian independent book publishing company, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company publishes a broad range of titles in both fiction and non-fiction, focusing primarily on underrepresented genres such as und ...

, 1999. :*Robert M. Stamp, ''Suburban Modern - Postwar Dreams in Calgary'' Touchwood Editions, 2004.

External links

Lake Bonavista Community AssociationBonavista Downs Community Association
{{Calgary neighbourhoods Neighbourhoods in Calgary