Ritchie is a residential neighbourhood in south east

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

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 ...

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 tot ...

. It is named for Robert Ritchie, the original owner of the

Ritchie Mill The Ritchie Mill is the oldest surviving flour mill in the province of Alberta. History Constructed in 1892 and the oldest surviving flour mill in the province, the Ritchie Mill is significant because of its association with the early agricul ...

and former

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of the

City of Strathcona Strathcona was a city in Alberta, Canada on the south side of the North Saskatchewan River. Originally founded in 1891, it amalgamated with the City of Edmonton in 1912. History Strathcona's recorded history began in the 1870s. Its first r ...

. The population of Ritchie enjoy good access to the nightlife of nearby

Old Strathcona Old Strathcona is a historic district in south-central Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Once the commercial core of the separate city of Strathcona, the area is now home to many of Edmonton's arts and entertainment facilities, as well as a local s ...

and the

Mill Creek Ravine Mill Creek Ravine is located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and is a part of the River Valley parks and trail system. It contains the last stretch of Mill Creek, before it flows into a culvert for its end run to the North Saskatchewan River. The ra ...

. The neighbourhood is bounded on the north by

Whyte Avenue Whyte (82) Avenue is an arterial road in south-central Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It became the main street of the City of Strathcona as it formed, and now runs through Old Strathcona. It was named in 1891 after Sir William Whyte, who was s ...

, on the south by 72 Avenue, and on the east by the

. The west boundary, south of 79 Avenue runs along 100 Street. North of 79 Avenue, the west boundary runs along 101 Street and 102 Street. Whyte Avenue provides good access to the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

. 99 Street, which passes through the neighbourhood, provides good access to the

downtown core The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with many integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive build ...

. The community is represented by the Ritchie

Community League A neighborhood council (also known as a community league) is a governmental or non-governmental body, whose purpose is to promote citizen participation in local government.Martin Minogue, ''Documents on Contemporary British Government: Volume 2, L ...

, established in 1922, which maintains a

community hall Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

and outdoor rink located at 98 Street and 77 Avenue.

Demographics

In the City of Edmonton's 2012 municipal census, Ritchie had a population of living in dwellings, an 11.5% change from its 2009 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of people/km² in 2012.

Residential development

Development in the area began in 1891 with the development of the rail line that went along the

and across the Low Level bridge. According to the 2001 federal census, almost one in four (24.4%) of the residences in Ritchie were built prior to the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Another one in three (35.6%) were built between the end of the war and 1960. One in ten (10.8%) were built during the 1960s and one in ten (9.5%) were built during the 1970s. One in eight (13.0%) were built after 1990. The most common type of residence in the neighbourhood, according to the 2005 municipal census, is the single-family dwelling. These account for three out of every five (60%) of the residences in the neighbourhood. Another one in three (32%) are

rented 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 ...

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 apartment style

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 in low-rise buildings with fewer than five stories. Most of the remaining residences are

duplexes A duplex house plan has two living units attached to each other, either next to each other as townhouses, condominiums or above each other like apartments. By contrast, a building comprising two attached units on two distinct properties is ...

(4%) and

row house In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house (British English, UK) or townhouse (American English, US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings party ...

s (3%). Just over half of the residences (55%) are owner-occupied while the remaining 45% are rented.

Population mobility

The population of Ritchie is comparatively mobile. According to the 2005 municipal census, approximately one in five (19.6%) residents had moved within the previous twelve months. Another one in four (24%) had moved within the previous one to three years. Only two out of every five (42.4%) residents had lived at the same address for at least five years.

Schools

There are three schools in Ritchie: *Escuela Mill Creek School is an elementary International Spanish Academy operated by the Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB). The school was built in 1946 and became a bilingual Spanish-only school in 2007. A replacement school building was approved in 2014, with construction of the $11.5 million replacement building adjacent to the original building starting in October 2017. *École Joseph-Moreau is a French Catholic junior high school operated by the

Greater North Central Francophone Education Region No. 2 The Greater North Central Francophone Education Region No. 2, known in French as the Conseil scolaire Centre-Nord (CSCN), is one of Alberta's four French language school boards. French language education is intended for children who are eligible un ...

. École Joseph-Moreau is housed in what was formerly the EPSB's Ritchie Junior High School. The school opened in 1913, with extensions built in 1954, 1956, and 1975, The original 1913 building is only used to house the complex's boiler system. The EPSB school was closed in 2008, and the francophone school board leased the building in 2009, purchasing it in 2016. A $15-million project announced in March 2017 will replace the original building and is expected to house 500 students by 2020. This will be the first new francophone school building in Edmonton. *The Learning Store on Whyte is a small outreach program for high school students operated by the EPSB.

Ritchie Market

In spring of 2017, a collaborative community building called Ritchie Market opened on 96th Street and 76th Avenue. This unique space houses several local business including a cafe, butcher, a restaurant, and a brewing company.

References

External links

Ritchie Community LeagueFederal Census 2016: Neighbourhood Profile - Ritchie (Ward 11)
{{Edmonton neighbourhoods Neighbourhoods in Edmonton