Crash7

I am hoping that the knowledgeable amongst you would be able to recommend some communities to me that fall into my criteria.

I know very little about Edmonton so am looking for recommendations for the better areas to live.

I would like to live in a nice community but it does not have to be super exclusive , (Up and coming with a cool vibe would be fine! ) myself and my OH are in our late 20's with no children, thus outside space, garden etc is not essential. Any style of accommodation would be considered, apartment, condo, house etc

Criteria..

Within 10-20 minutes walking time of downtown. Ideally not passing through any rough areas on the way.

A nice local community with coffee shops, restaurants & bars, a few shops and a gym would be good.

Near, walking distance of a nice/scenic walk, be it down a river or park (Green land) etc

Access to roads to get out of the city. But good public transport links to get into the city.

I appreciate that I am going to have to compromise but if someone in the know could recommend some communities it would be hugely appreciated and give me areas to visit during my recce!

Now lets 'Name that community!'

Thanks

Cassie 10000

Just wondering if you are living in Edmonton at the moment or not?

If so one of the ways we looked for our apartment was to have a drive round the area we were looking to live.

We also had a walk around and asked local people that were walking there dogs or were just around what their opinion was.

We also looked at rental webpages. You can search by area usually and price.

Hope this helps.

Crash7

Hi Cassie,

Thanks for the reply, I am not currently living in Edmonton, nor have I ever been there, but I will visit in January.

I am trying to get some info about the city so that I know where to head for when I get there.

I plan to do as you suggest and visit and walk around the areas but I was hoping to get a short list prior to going.

Do you live in Edmonton? Do you know anything about the South Central / Whyte Avenue area?

Thanks

Cassie 10000

Sorry I can't really help you that much as we live in the West, near to West Ed Mall.

We are about a 20 min drive to the City Centre.

Will you be working in the city then?

I found it hard looking at the websites in England as I had no idea of the area, and it is very hard to get suggestions for areas from other people as we are all different.

If you can when you move over here spend two weeks in a hotel and within that time you should be able to secure an aparment, that's how we did it.

If you need any other help please do not hesitate to PM me and I'll try my best to help.

Crash7

Thanks again

I actually visit Calgary & Edmonton and it has proven very easy to get lots of info about Calgary but Edmonton is proving difficult.

I think lots of people dont wish to mention the good or bad parts as they may offend someone - which is fair enough! - But it doesnt help me!

Cassie 10000

Have a look on here www.rentedmonton.com and also www.kijiji.ca just change the city to Edmonton before you look. It comes up with Toronoto for some reason

Do you have a job lined up?

ogcsmith

I live in Edmonton just south of the University.

Old strathcona is nice but it can get a little rowdy around Whyte especially at weekends. McKernan to the West of Stracona is a nice area as are the neighbourhood of Windsor Park and Belgravia ( where I live).

I work downtown and rather than walking all the way in ( which is possible although can be cold) I walk to the local LRT train station then take that downtown.

Parking downtown can be an issue and very expensive ( one of the guys I work with pays $250 a month and his space is 8 blocks from the office).

If you need easy access to downtown I would recommend areas with a LRT station ( especially in the south) if you don't want to park,

Cassie 10000

Hi Ogcsmith

Nice to meet another fellow Edmonton Expat.

Crash7

ogcsmith

Thanks for the excellent info, the areas you mention are the ones I have been looking at, but only a map!

Could you tell me in your opinion and one I wont hold you to if the areas you mention fit my initial 'Want' list?

How long does it take you to walk into the core should you do so?

Thanks

ogcsmith

I have been lurking around the forums but since I have been around a little while now I am trying to help where I can

With regards you list, all the areas I mentioned fit most of what you are after.

The more expensive areas, Windsor Park and Belgravia have less of a student population but as a consequence have a little less going on. There isn't much in the way of shops at all in Belgravia, just a coffee shop and book shop. Windsor park is closer to the University so you have access to the facilities there. Most of the houses here are 1950's ish if that is what you are after. Roads are very quite and tree lined. Good acess to the river and trails down there too.

Mckernan has a few more shops and is slightly more run down than Belgravia and Windsor Park although it is cheaper.

Strathcona is older still and the houses are very beautiful 1900's stuff. However, I was a bit worried about heating them. Nice area but quite studenty. some of the houses are frat houses and there are student housing blocks all around. However, Whyte avenue has loads of greats shops and eating which is a definate plus. However, while not a bad area it can be a little intimdating especially at night at the weekends.

Walking in, you could do it from old strathcona but I wouldn't want to across the bridge the other side. Groat road is really for cars.

I should mention that walking here is different to the UK with jaywalking being illegal and red lights everywhere. If you have to cross a lot of roads then it can take a long time and even though the distance is short it can take a while especially if the lights are against you.

The LRT is also being extended. There are new stations on 114th street ( between belgravia and mckernan) and new the university south campus opening in April 2009. there are also new stations opening in southgate and 23 av in 2010.

The LRT runs every 6 minutes in peak times so I find it works really well. Even with my current 10 minute walk to the health sciences LRT station and a short walk to my office it only takes about 20 minutes to come in. With the new Belgravia station opening that should cut about 7 minutes over my journey time.

Last things, gyms. There are a couple downtown and a couple on gateway blvd but they don't have many around. We currently use the university gym. They are in the process of opening a new one at the south campas next year.

normanstrongbow

In the late 1980's I lived here:

The Wimbledon

http://www.bwalk.com/Rental/infoshee...ojectno=84&b=1

15 min. walk downtown. Restaurants, Pubs close by. Lots of bus routes to downtown.


Early 1990's I lived here:

The David Thompson

http://rentmidwest.com/index.php?a=d...aram=buildings

15 min. walk downtown. LRT close by. Easy access to River Valley Park System. Very quiet area.

There is a new YMCA Gym downtown about a block north of the Central LRT station.

http://www.edmonton.ymca.ca/location...aton_index.htm

edmontron

Check out the forum on www.connect2edmonton.com where you can ask your question again and you will get loads of useful replies.

Cassie 10000

Thanks for that, I've added it to my favorites.

stuabroad

Hi

I'm moving out to Edmonton to start a new job on 12th. Thanks for the useful insights on apartment searching. Fortunately i'm renting a room from one of the staff in my new office, so will be living with a black labrador and her two teenagers ...lol should be fun. Will probably be looking to find my own place once settled a little.

Different question: Where does a single guy early Thirties go to have a little off-work fun and just relax an shoot the breeze? I understand there's a Scottish pub that shows Rangers games in the Elephant and Castle on Whyte Ave...might be an idea to meet othera already there and get some tips. I livesd in Ottawa for 5 years as a kid but this time i'll be in Canada as an adult (well, almost).

onside

There is a difference in the pub culture here. People are less likely to just go to a bar to relax and chat with whomever comes in. There are very few British style pubs here. Sherlock Holmes in the downtown core is the main one, in my opinion. Elephant and Castle on Whyte is the other one. Both of them aren't quite authentic. There is also Ceili's, the Druid, and O'Byrnes... the first two are faux North American pubs and the Druid becomes a essentially a nightclub on the weekends. O'Byrnes is great on weekdays but gets jam packed on weekends... it's less meet market, clubby than Ceili's.

The other popular hang-out at the bar type places are several upscale chain restaurants like Earls or Joey Tomatoes. On the west end, there is also the Shark Club. Most suburban neighbourhood lounges are a bit cheesy but they do the job of getting you a drink.