Charleswood is a

residential community A residential community is a community, usually a small town or city, that is composed mostly of residents, as opposed to commercial businesses and/or industrial facilities, all three of which are considered to be the three main types o ...

and neighbourhood in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, Canada. Situated in the southwest of the city, it is bordered by the neighbourhoods of

Tuxedo Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and North American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal ...

to the east, Whyte Ridge to the south, and the Rural Municipality of Headingley to the west. The area's boundaries are defined by Roblin Boulevard and the

Assiniboine River The Assiniboine River ( ; ) is a long river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked ...

to the north, Shaftesbury Boulevard to the east, Wilkes Avenue to the south, and the Perimeter Highway to the west. Historically, the region was known for "The Passage," a ford across the

that served as an essential route for Indigenous and Métis traders and settlers. In 1869, the area was ceded by the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

to the

Dominion of Canada While a variety of theories have been postulated for the name of Canada, its origin is now accepted as coming from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian word , meaning 'village' or 'settlement'. In 1535, indigenous inhabitants of the present-day Quebec C ...

, becoming a focal point for European settlement. Charleswood was incorporated as a Rural Municipality in 1913 and maintained its independence until 1972, when it was merged with the City of Winnipeg during the city's amalgamation. Since the 1930s, Charleswood has been recognized as "The Suburb Beautiful." Today, Charleswood is part of the city ward of Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood; and is situated within the provincial electoral district of Roblin (formerly the Charleswood electoral district). The community is also served by the Pembina Trails School Division.

Etymology

The origin of the name "Charleswood" is unclear, as it has at least two possibilities: it may have been named for Charles Kelly, who served on the first municipal council and was the son of early settler Patrick Kelly; or it is a combination of the

Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

name "St. Charles" and the dense

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

that encompassed the area. Charleswood was briefly named Kelheau after Kelly.

History

Indigenous peoples have inhabited the region that is now Charleswood for at least 3,000 years. The area is home to a natural ford known as "the Passage". This was a part of the Assiniboine River that was shallow enough for people and animals to cross safely. The ford was used by

American bison The American bison (''Bison bison''; : ''bison''), commonly known as the American buffalo, or simply buffalo (not to be confused with Bubalina, true buffalo), is a species of bison that is endemic species, endemic (or native) to North America. ...

for thousands of years. By the 19th century, it had become the main crossing for Indigenous and Métis traders, Red River Settlers travelling to Pembina, and independent traders looking to bypass the Hudson's Bay Company at the Forks. This attracted Métis and later Red River Settlers, and was the site of Kuypers’ farm When the Hudson's Bay Company ceded

Rupert's Land Rupert's Land (), or Prince Rupert's Land (), was a territory in British North America which comprised the Hudson Bay drainage basin. The right to "sole trade and commerce" over Rupert's Land was granted to Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), based a ...

to the Dominion of Canada in 1869, the regions south of the Assiniboine River were incorporated for further European settlement as the Rural Municipality of Assiniboia. This new R.M. combined the Parishes of Headingley, St. Charles, St. James, and a portion of St. Boniface. In 1899, a highway, now Roblin Boulevard, was surveyed along the south side of the Assiniboine River Patrick H. Kelly (1847–1940) is widely regarded as the founder of what is now Charleswood. He was a farmer and municipal official who moved from

Perth County, Ontario Perth County is a county and Census divisions of Canada, census division in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario in Southwestern Ontario, west of Toronto. Its population centres are Listowel, Ontario, Listowel, Mi ...

, in 1906 and settled in the then- Rural Municipality of Assiniboia, taking over of land. He built a

general store A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...

in 1907; was key in establishing the community's first post office; and was instrumental in developing the community's school. He also convinced the Winnipeg Electric Railway Company to extend the

street railway A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

so that the community had a connection with the City of Winnipeg. Kelly eventually came to persuade residents of the community to apply for the creation of Charleswood as a separate

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

. Kelly was successful and the Rural Municipality of Charleswood was incorporated on 15 February 1913. The municipality was formed from parts of the R.M. of Assiniboia and Parishes of

Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...

and St. Charles, while excluding territories held by the Town of Tuxedo and the City of Winnipeg. The first four meetings of the new municipal council were held in a room in his store. During the 1910s, the area was marketed as "Rydal", a prospective residential locale by the developers of Tuxedo. There was little housing in Charleswood before 1920 and only limited growth between 1920 and 1946. The local economy at the time was chiefly

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

with

dairy A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...

and poultry farms,

market garden A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. The diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically from under to s ...

s, and mink ranchers. Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it became popular with European immigrants who wanted to avoid living too close to the centre of Winnipeg. Development of the area increased, and new houses were constructed in the Roblin Park, Marlton, and Varsity View neighbourhoods. A ferry service was in operation in the region as late as 1958, and a trail leading to the ford was visible until fairly recently. The area experienced particularly strong growth in the 1970s, with at least 7,500 homes built during that decade. In 1972, the Rural Municipality of Charleswood was among several municipalities that amalgamated into the City of Winnipeg. With

seceding in 1992, the former municipalities on the north and south sides of the Assiniboine River—Charleswood and St. James-Assiniboia, respectively—were reunited as the Assiniboia Community. In 1995, the Charleswood Bridge opened over the Assiniboine River, physically connecting the two communities.

Varsity View

Varsity View () is one of the original neighbourhoods of Charleswood and also a part of the Assiniboine South neighbourhood cluster. In 1946, there were fewer than a hundred houses in the neighbourhood, which was mostly forest and farm fields. The bulk of the construction took place after the city of Winnipeg amalgamated with the surrounding municipalities. From 1971 to 1980, nearly 390 homes were built, accounting for 35% of the total housing stock in community.

Roblin Park

Roblin Park () is one of the original neighbourhoods of Charleswood, and is also part of the Assiniboine South Neighbourhood Cluster It is bounded by Roblin Boulevard to the North, Hartestone Road to the East, bisects the Harte Trail to the south and Scotswood Drive to the West. The area was originally named Strathboine, and was slated for development in 1912. However the initial development failed to attract residents due to its remoteness and the collapse of development. The failed settlement was purchased by the Veterans Land Act in 1945. Roblin Park was set up as a housing development for Veterans in the mid-1940s. In 1946, Joseph and Violet Reynolds became the first to move into Roblin Park, at 105 (now 605) Pepperloaf Crescent.

Points of interest

The Assiniboine Forest is a 700-acre forest in Charleswood and hosts 18 km of walking paths, which connect to

Assiniboine Park Assiniboine Park (formerly known as City Park) is a park in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, located along the Assiniboine River. The Winnipeg Public Parks Board was formed in 1893, and purchased the initial land for the park in 1904. Although in use ...

and to the Harte Trail. The Harte Trail is a 6.5 km multi-use trail that follows an old railway, and forms a part of the

Trans Canada Trail The Trans Canada Trail is a cross-Canada system of greenways, waterways, and roadways that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, Pacific to the Arctic Ocean, Arctic oceans. The trail extends over ; it is now the longe ...

. There are two designated historical structures in Charleswood. Located in Caron Park, Caron House is one of the last remaining original farmhouses in Charleswood. Odd Fellows Home is a building originally built as a home for elderly members of the

Independent Order of Odd Fellows The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political, non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Odd Fellows, Order ...

and their spouses, as well as orphanage for children of deceased members. Charleswood's former Municipal Hall has also been converted to the Charleswood Community Museum.

Sports

Charleswood is home to the

Charleswood Hawks The Charleswood Hawks are a Canada, Canadian junior hockey, junior ice hockey team currently based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Established in 1970, the Hawks a charter member of the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League (MMJHL) Eric Coy Arena is ...

hockey team playing out of the MMJHL. It is also home to the Charleswood Curling Club, home club of 6 time provincial, 2 times national, and 1996 world curling champion

Jeff Stoughton Jeffrey R. Stoughton (born July 26, 1963) is a Canadian retired curler. He is a three-time Brier champion and two-time World champion as skip. Stoughton retired from competitive curling in 2015. He is currently the National Men's Coach and Pr ...

. Roblin Park has an outdoor

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

rink.

Amenities

Roblin Park is home to the Roblin Park Community Centre. It also covers a portion of the Harte Trail; a multi-use trail that is part of the Trans-Canada Trail.

Education

Charleswood is served by Ward 1 of the Pembina Trails School Division. It has 9 elementary schools: Pacific Junction School, Royal School, École Charleswood School, École Dieppe, Beaumont School, Beaverlodge School, Westdale School, Westgrove School and River West Park School. It has one secondary school, École secondaire Oak Park High School. Charleswood is host to the main campus of Canadian Mennonite University, which includes the former Manitoba School for the Deaf.

Transportation

Charleswood is served by the 98, 95, 79, 67, 66, 65 and 18

Winnipeg Transit Winnipeg Transit is the public transit agency, and the bus-service provider, of the City of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Established years ago, it is owned by the city government and currently employs nearly 1,600 people—including approximately 1, ...

buses.

Demographics

In 2006, the population of Varsity View was 2,600 people. The area is 92.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 4.4% Aboriginal and 3.1% is made up of visible minorities. Varsity View is a middle-class neighbourhood, with a median household income of $60,206, which is a bit higher than the cities at $49,790. There are 1,150 dwellings, 70.9% which are owned and the average dwelling is worth $185,484. 7% of these dwellings are in need of major repairs. Roblin Park is predominantly white, middle class and

anglophone The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the largest language ...

. According to the 2016 Census, the neighbourhood is 89.5% Anglophone. The neighbourhood is majority white, with the largest non-white ethnic groups being Indigenous or Metis (7.4%) and the remaining 4.2% of residents belonging to other visible minorities. The average income of the neighbourhood is $58,661, higher than the city average of $44,915.

Crime

Charleswood has very low crime rates. The table below shows the crime rates of various crimes in each of the Charleswood neighbourhoods. The crime data spans 5 years from the year 2017 to the year 2021. The rates are ''crimes per 100,000 residents per year.''

Notable people

Brian Bowman Brian Leslie Bowman (born July 22, 1946) is an American virtuoso euphonium artist and music professor who, among other things, held the principal euphonium chair and was a featured soloist with the premier concert bands of the United States Navy ...

, Mayor of Winnipeg 2014–2022 * William Ralph (Bill) Clement (June 3, 1948–May 3, 2010), Winnipeg City Council 1983–2010, Deputy Mayor of Winnipeg 1993

References

{{WinnipegNeighbourhoods Former municipalities now in Winnipeg Populated places disestablished in 1972 Neighbourhoods in Winnipeg Charleswood