Westmount is an established central-west residential neighbourhood in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It is geographically close 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 two integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive buil ...

. The neighbourhood is bounded by 111 Avenue to the north, Groat Road to the west, the Groat Ravine to the southwest, and the

North Saskatchewan River The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows event ...

valley to the south. Its eastern boundary comprises 124 Street south of Stony Plain Road, and 121 Street north of Stony Plain Road. The southern portion of the neighbourhood is also known as Groat Estates. The community is represented by the Westmount

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 1951, which maintains a

community hall A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...

and outdoor rink located at 127 Street and 109 Avenue.

History

The neighbourhood was developed originally in the 1910s as a professional neighbourhood catering to young people. Prior to the end of

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 ...

, one in four (25.6%) of the current residences were constructed. Another quarter of the current residences (23.6%) were constructed between the end of World War II and

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

. One in three residences (35.8%) were constructed between

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

and

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

. A small portion were constructed after 1980. Many houses in the neighbourhood have been renovated, and some are being replaced with newer and larger houses.

Demographics

In the City of Edmonton's 2012 municipal census, Westmount had a population of living in dwellings, a -0.8% change from its 2009 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of people/km² in 2012.

Residential development

The large majority of the Westmount area is occupied by single family detached houses. This includes a large number of historic homes, often in the Craftsman or

Four Square Four square (also called handball, champ, four squares or box ball) is a global sport played on a square court divided by two perpendicular lines into four identical boxes creating four squares labelled 1–4 or A–D. Four square is a popula ...

styles, in the Westmount Architectural Heritage Area (WAHA) and the Groat Estates area. The WAHA is bound by 107 Ave in the south, 127 St in the west, 124 St in the east, and 111 Ave in the north. The Groat Estates are a peninsular shaped area in the southwest portion of Westmount, bound by 107 St in the north, 124 St in the east, the meandering Groat Road Ravine in the west and southwest and the

Valley in the south. 124 Street, a major shopping destination, runs North-South through the east side of Westmount, and includes a number of

mixed-use development Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions ...

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...

s and

apartment An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement (Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that ...

s. Thus, in terms of residential units, the most common type of residence, according to the 2005 municipal census, is a mixture of rented

s and apartment style condominiums (54%). Single-family dwellings are the next most common (42%). Duplexes account for another 3% of residences, and other types or residence account for the remaining 1%. The trend is increasing home ownership over time; in 1986, 41% of private dwellings were owned by the occupant, and by 2001 52% were owned by the occupant. Most recently, 54% are owner-occupied, with the remaining 46% being rented.

People

Over 60% of Westmount adult residents have attended college or university. In terms of highest educational attainment, the largest proportion of residents have obtained a University bachelor's degree or higher, and this is an increasing trend (16.4% in 1986, 21.4% in 1996, 26.5% in 2001). Average residential income is also on the rise, from $40,001 in 1996 to $52,801 in 2001. According to the 2005 municipal census, 22.8% of residents had moved in the previous year, 27.4% had moved in the previous one to three years, and 48.6% had lived in the neighbourhood for more than three years.

Schools

The Westmount area is served by a number of pre-schools and schools. Discovery Time Preschool, run as a parent co-operative, operates educational programs for children aged three to five. Westglen Elementary School, on the same block, is operated by the Edmonton Public School System. Westglen includes an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program, and has a strong environmental commitment, in 2008 being named an Earth III school - "the first school in Alberta and the third in Canada to achieve this status" There are after-school care and childcare centres on the same block. There are additional schools in the surrounding neighbourhoods, including Westmount Junior High School in Inglewood, Westminster Junior High School in Glenora, and

Ross Sheppard High School Ross Sheppard High School or École Ross Sheppard (SHEP or Ross Shep) is a secondary school, high school located in a northwest neighbourhood of Coronation Park, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The school colours are Colombia blue and navy blue, a ...

in Woodcroft. 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, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

is just across the river via Groat Road. St. Mark Junior High School is also in the area, 500 metres north of Westmount Mall in Woodcroft.

Amenities and shopping

Nearby attractions include

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories. The name is also used in some other countries. Government Houses in th ...

in Glenora, Coronation Park and the Telus World of Science in Woodcroft. There are several shopping areas in the neighbourhood, including art/retail/commercial districts along 124 Street, and two small upscale shopping centres on 102 Avenue. In addition, Westmount Centre, a major shopping mall, is located just to the north west of the neighbourhood in Woodcroft. Groat Road also provides access to other destinations on the south side including

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, the supe ...

and

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 ...

Parks, green spaces and recreation

Westmount Park occupies three blocks in the heart of Westmount. It includes an outdoor hockey rink, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, a fitness centre, a water-spray park, several playgrounds and the schools noted above. Westmount also contains several smaller parks with a mix of green space and playgrounds. A raised cycling route runs along 127 Street, and a completely separate pedestrial/cycling trail runs along the eastern edge of the neighbourhood, at 121 Street.

Surrounding neighbourhoods

References

External links

Westmount Neighbourhood Profile

Discovery Time Preschool

Westglen Day Care

Westglen Elementary School

Westmount Junior High School

Westmount Community League
{{Edmonton neighbourhoods Neighbourhoods in Edmonton