West Kildonan is a residential suburb within the Old Kildonan and Mynarski city wards of

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 ...

, lying on the west side of the

Red River of the North The Red River (), also called the Red River of the North () to differentiate it from the Red River of the South, Red River in the south of the continent, is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confl ...

, and immediately north of the old City of Winnipeg in the north-central part of the city. It is bounded by the Red River on the east; the north limit of Kildonan Golf Course, Main Street, Seaforth Avenue, the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

Winnipeg Beach Subdivision, and Templeton Avenue on the north; McPhillips Street on the west; and Carruthers Avenue, McGregor Street, and the lane between McAdam and Smithfield Avenues on the south. It is notably home to

Kildonan Park Kildonan Park is a park in the West Kildonan area of northern Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Established in 1909 as a park, it features the Peguis Pavilion, Rainbow Stage, the Witch's Hut, an Olympic-sized outdoor swimming pool, duck pond, and ...

, West Kildonan Collegiate, and the former West Kildonan North Stars.

History

The Battle of Seven Oaks was fought in what is now West Kildonan in 1816. The area was part of the original Municipality of Kildonan, which was established in 1876. Kildonan was divided in eastern and western halves in 1914 and the more heavily developed areas of West Kildonan separated from areas which remained primarily rural (Old Kildonan) to assume the current boundaries in 1921. West Kildonan is one of Winnipeg's earliest residential suburbs. The areas east of the CPR Winnipeg Beach tracks and south of Hartford Avenue were substantially developed by the 1910s and 1920s. West of the tracks, the Garden City neighbourhood was developed in the 1950s and 1960s, as was the area north of Hartford Avenue east of the tracks. The Garden Park community located north of Leila Avenue and west of the CPR tracks was developed beginning in the late 1950s. The R.M.'s municipal hall was located at 1760 Main Street. In January 1961 the Rural Municipality of West Kildonan asked the Province to designate it as a City. At the time the R.M. had a total tax assessment of C$15 million with a population of 19,000 citizens. Final approval by the Manitoba Legislature was given in April 1961 for the R.M. of West Kildonan and the Town of Transcona to formally become cities via minor amendments to their respective municipal and provincial Acts. The first council meeting operating as the City of West Kildonan took place on April 25, 1961. Prior to 1972, it was the independent ''City of West Kildonan''. Today, it is a popular suburb of the City of Winnipeg.

Demographics

Early on, West Kildonan attracted many people from Winnipeg's

working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

North End who became more affluent beginning after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, but who wished to remain close to their roots. To this day, the area has a large Eastern European population. This area, along with nearby Garden City are home to large portions of Winnipeg's Jewish population. Historically, the West Kildonan and Garden City areas have been two of Canada's largest Jewish neighbourhoods.

Synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

s, Hebrew educational programming, Kosher supermarkets and Jewish cemeteries are common throughout the area. In recent years condominiums catering to the Jewish community have become increasingly popular.

References

{{WinnipegNeighbourhoods Former municipalities now in Winnipeg Jewish Canadian history Jewish communities in Canada Jews and Judaism in Winnipeg Kildonan, Winnipeg Neighbourhoods in Winnipeg Populated places established in 1914 Populated places disestablished in 1972 Seven Oaks, Winnipeg

History

Demographics

See also

References