Downtown Edmonton
Downtown Edmonton (Alberta) is bounded by 109 Street to the west, 105 Avenue to the north, 97 Street to the east, 97 Avenue, 100 Avenue, and Rossdale Road to the south and Jasper Avenue to the southeast (the downtown core), though many people consider part or all of the surrounding neighborhoods to be part of downtown. The downtown core is bordered by the neighbourhoods of Oliver to the west, Queen Mary Park to the northwest, Central McDougall to the North, McCauley to the northeast, Boyle Street(Jasper-East) to the east, Riverdale to the southeast, and Rossdale to the south. Within the downtown core are five districts: the Commercial Core, Government Centre, Jasper-West, MacKay Avenue and Rice Howard Way.
Streets And Districts
Jasper Avenue
Jasper Avenue is the city's "main street". It starts at 82 Avenue in the east, running south east along the south edge of Boyle Street until it reaches the downtown core. It then runs due west throught downtown and the neighborhood of Oliver until it reaches 124 Street.
Rice Howard Way
The portion of 101A Avenue between 100A Street and 101 Street was closed to traffic, making it an open air pedestrian walkway. This area is called Rice Howard Way. Rice Howard way, along with the rest of 101A Avenue between 100 Street and 100A Street and 101A Avenue immediately to the north and south is known for its restaurants and cafes, many of which provide an outdoor dining experience during the summer months.
Rice Howard Way is located one block north of the Central LRT station.
Government Centre
Government Centre is located at the southwest corner of the downtown core and is the home of the Alberta provincial government. (Federal and municipal government offices located near the eastern eadge of the downtown core are not part of Government Centre.) The most notable feature of this part of downtown is the Alberta Provincial Legislature and its surrounding parks, fountains and gardens.
An underground pedway system connects the Legislature to several of the surrounding buildings, including the historic Bowker Building and the John Haultain Building.
Federal government offices were housed in the Federal Building until they relocated to Canada Place in the 1980s. Today, the Federal Building is unoccupied, though there have been several redevelopment proposals.
Transit service is provided by a bus terminal located near the north east corner of the government centre and Grandin LRT station located just to the west.
Demographics
The population of downtown Edmonton is still low when compared with other cities, despite major rejuvenation initiatives. As a result of a booming economy and development of major condominium and apartment projects, the population of the downtown core is rising steadily.
| Year | Female | Male | Total | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 2,170 | 2,880 | 5,050 | Federal Census |
| 1991 | 2,380 | 3,015 | 5,395 | Federal Census |
| 1996 | 2,205 | 2,925 | 5,130 | Federal Census |
| 2001 | 2,845 | 3,330 | 6,175 | Federal Census |
| 2005 | 4,216 | 4,811 | 9,027 | Municipal Census |
Light Rail Transit Service
Edmonton Transit System's light rail system runs beneath the downtown core, with one station at Churchill Square (Churchill Station), three stations along Jasper Avenue (Central Station, Bay Station and Corona Station) and one station at the government center (Grandin Station). From Grandin Station, the LRT continues south across the North Saskatchewan River to the University of Alberta. From Chruchill Station, the LRT travels north east towards Commonwealth Stadium and Rexall Place.
Education
There are several institutions providing educational opportunities in the downtown core.
The largest of these is McEwan College whose City Centre Campus is laocated along the northern edge of the downtown core between 106 Street and 111 Street, and between 104 Avenue and 105 Avenue. This site used to be part of an old Canadian National Railways rail yard that started redevelopment in the 1990s. Grant MacEwan College also operates the Alberta College Campus located near the southern edge of the downtown core on McDonald Drive.
The University of Alberta is redeveloping the site of the Bay building on Jasper Avenue between 102 Street and 103 Street. "The building will house TEC Edmonton, a jointly operated research commercialization centre presently located in the U of A's Research Transition Facility."
The City of Edmonton Public School Board operates a high school, Centre High, in the redeveloped Boardwalk and Revillon buildings.
The University of Lethbridge maintains a small Edmonton campus in a building on the south west corner of 108 Street and 100 Avenue near the Government Centre.
External Links
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