Canada's Greatest Neighbourhoods

[chrisallard5454]

Winnipeg's Osbourne Village has been named Canada's greatest Neighbourhood!

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...149195615.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manito...-manitoba.html

Let the bashing begin. But outside of bashing Winnipeg's Village because as some will probably say, "There is no way it is Canada's best" Lets stop, take some pictures and discuss some of Canada's best Neighbourhoods

[Pavlov]

I would note the following:

The Canadian Institute of Planners announced Thursday Osborne Village had been voted the Best Neighbourhood in Canada in its annual Great Places contest. More than 200,000 online votes were cast during the four-month voting process, overseen by judges with the 7,000-strong organization, and Winnipeg's cosy hippest strip rose straight to the top.

Not that anyone can figure out exactly how it happened -- even the Village's biggest boosters.

SOURCE: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...149195615.html

In any event, I think that this is a great idea for a thread. I'm looking forward to some photos from Canada's best neighbourhoods.

[chrisallard5454]

I would also Note this:

The Canadian Institute of Planners announced Thursday Osborne Village had been voted the Best Neighbourhood in Canada in its annual Great Places contest. More than 200,000 online votes were cast during the four-month voting process, overseen by judges with the 7,000-strong organization, and Winnipeg's cosy hippest strip rose straight to the top.

Not that anyone can figure out exactly how it happened -- even the Village's biggest boosters.

[armorand93]

Originally Posted by Reesonov

I would note the following:



SOURCE: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...149195615.html

In any event, I think that this is a great idea for a thread. I'm looking forward to some photos from Canada's best neighbourhoods.

Right on it... *hops on bus*

[flar]

Best...in what way? Prettiest? Best architecture? Trendiest? Most vibrant?


Montreal and Toronto have a lot. Le Plateau stands out as a pretty awesome neighbourhood.

Some lesser known:
Saint-Roch, Saint-Sauveur, Saint-Jean-Baptiste - Quebec City
Dundas, Stinson, Kirkendall, Durand, Westdale, St. Clair - Hamilton
Lowertown, The Glebe, Golden Triangle - Ottawa
Old South - London
Sydenham Ward - Kingston
North End - Halifax
Walkerville - Windsor

[rousseau]

Sorry to bash, but:

I used to live in Winnipeg. I always thought Osborne Village was alright, though not anything special. If you're not from Winnipeg, have a look on Google street view: type in "Osborne and River," and prepare to be think: "Huh?"

The thing about Winnipeg is that it's not a looker. Corydon gets the biggest crowds these days during the very short patio season, but there's a remoteness to it, an end-of-the-earth quality befitting a place as isolated as the city is. The commercial strip is strictly single-storey and interspersed with strip malls, save for the apartment blocks on the one side of the street. Which is not to say that people don't have a good time on Corydon, because they probably do. Even more likely, you'd be hard-pressed to find a single soul there who would give a crap what some precious Ontario guy on an internet forum has to say about the architecture and ambience. And rightly so.

Still, there's really only one area in Winnipeg with anything approaching charm: the granola-crunching stretch of Westminster between Arlington and Ruby. It's tiny, but still, that's a nice area that stands up to anything anywhere in North America. The Exchange District would be nicer if there were more going on, but it feels sort of abandoned.

[davidivivid]

Originally Posted by flar

Some lesser known:
Saint-Roch, Saint-Sauveur, Saint-Jean-Baptiste - Quebec City

Spot on (though I'd perhaps add Montcalm to that list)!

[drew]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Sorry to bash, but:

I used to live in Winnipeg. I always thought Osborne Village was alright, though not anything special. If you're not from Winnipeg, have a look on Google street view: type in "Osborne and River," and prepare to be think: "Huh?"

The thing about Winnipeg is that it's not a looker.

Exactly. Winnipeg is not about the looks, its the feel. Nobody would mistake Osborne Village, (or any part of WInnipeg for that matter) for a more upscale trendy neighbourhood in other larger cities in Canada, but that's part of the charm.

It has a little for everyone. Million dollar plus condos to $500 a month apartments in nearly dilapidated 100 year old apartment blocks. Century old stately single family homes interspersed with similar houses chopped into 3, 4 even 5 individual suites. Cool independent shops and restaurants, and enough chains to keep it familiar.

It's a great area to live. I lived in there for 4 years, and if the above-mentioned single family homes weren't so damned expensive in that area, I'd still be there.

We settled for a house just off of that

granola-crunching stretch of Westminster between Arlington and Ruby

Also a great area, but it's no Osborne Village.

[Ramako]

I've only been to Osborne Village once, though it was during the winter. At the time it reminded me of many typical low/midrise neighbourhoods in Toronto. Certainly nothing to write home about, but what do I know? I can't imagine it holds a candle to the Annex or West Queen West.

[SpongeG]

i like strathcona neighbourhood in Vancouver


lotusevents.files.wordpress.com

[ue]

There are so many great districts across Canada, but here's what comes to mind off the top of my head for Great Neighbourhoods/Streets

Victoria: Downtown

Vancouver: The West End, Commercial Dr, Gastown, Kitsilano, South Granville, Yaletown, Strathcona

Banff: Banff Ave

Calgary: Beltline, Kensington, Stephen Ave, Mission, Inglewood

Edmonton: Old Strathcona, West Oliver/124 St, 104 St, Highlands

Saskatoon: Downtown, NuTana

Winnipeg: Exchange District, Osborne Village, Corydon Ave

Toronto: The Annex, St. Lawrence, Yorkville, Trinity-Bellwoods/W Queen W, The Grange, Cabbagetown, The Beaches, Bloor West Village, Yonge/Eglinton, Koreatown, Leslieville, The Distillery District, New Toronto, Kensington Market

Hamilton: Dundas, Ottawa St

Kingston: Princess St

Ottawa: Glebe, ByWard Market, Centretown, Westboro

Montreal: Sherbrooke West, Le Plateau, Mile End, Old Town/Port, St-Catherine, Westmount, Griffintown, St-Viateur

Trois Rivieres: Downtown

Quebec City: Old Town, St-Roch

Saint John: Downtown

Charlottetown: Downtown

Halifax: Spring Garden Rd, Downtown, Quinpool Rd

St. John's: Downtown

[flar]

^^I forgot about Ottawa St in Hamilton. I think it was "declared" one of Canada's greatest neighbourhoods last year. Ottawa St. stands as one of my all time favourite urban discoveries. Years ago, when I first moved to Hamilton, I was driving around exploring the city one night when I randomly came upon Ottawa St. It was really neat, with all the old signage and lights. It was like another downtown for East Hamilton, and I had no idea it existed at the time.

I also could have mentioned Hess Village and Corktown, with great little pubs on Augusta St and its mix of apartment slabs and rowhouses.

[le calmar]

I love how I can come upon nice areas I had never heard about before in big cities. I spent most of the 5 past years in Montreal and still manage to discover new nice areas.

Last week I drove along the Rivière des Prairies on the old Gouin boulevard, a place I rarely go to. Some houses and churches on this boulevard are 250 years old. Definitely not a neighbourhood worth the mention on this thread, but anyways.



The week before I went to Terrebonne. In this city (Montreal) you can find great neighbourhoods even in the ugliest suburbs, and all over the CMA.

[PoscStudent]

Churchill Park is one of my favourites in St. John's.

[flar]

Links to many neighbourhood tours I've done:


Montreal:
Le Plateau

Quebec City:
Saint-Sauveur/Saint-Roch

Winnipeg:
The Exchange District

Oakville:
Old Oakville

Halifax:
North End/South End

Kingston:
Sydenham Ward

Regina:
Cathedral

Toronto:
Cabbagetown
The Annex
Chinatown

London:
Talbot
Old South/Wortley Village
Woodfield

Hamilton:
Dundas
Corktown
Durand
Kirkendall/Locke Street South
North Stipley
Westdale
Gibson
St. Clair
The Delta
Concession Street
Stinson
The North End
Keith
Kenilworth
Landsdale
Ottawa St.
Central
Barton Street
Strathcona
Beasley
Chedoke
The Beach Strip
Hess Village
James North

Ottawa:
Hintonburg
Lowertown
Sandy Hill North
Centretown Part One
Chinatown
Golden Triangle
ByWard Market
New Edinburgh
Dalhousie
The Glebe

[good_dude]

Link to Winnipeg Love/Hate. Many pics that come up are of Osborne Village.

http://www.winnipeglovehate.com/2009_02_01_archive.html

[rousseau]

Damn it, Flar, I got work to do! Why are you forcing me to look at your photo tours? And why do you persist in making it impossible for me to skip over any of them?

[LilZebra]

Originally Posted by rousseau

The thing about Winnipeg is that it's not a looker. Corydon gets the biggest crowds these days during the very short patio season, but there's a remoteness to it, an end-of-the-earth quality befitting a place as isolated as the city is. The commercial strip is strictly single-storey and interspersed with strip malls, save for the apartment blocks on the one side of the street. Which is not to say that people don't have a good time on Corydon, because they probably do. Even more likely, you'd be hard-pressed to find a single soul there who would give a crap what some precious Ontario guy on an internet forum has to say about the architecture and ambience. And rightly so.

To compare Osborne (no 'u') Village to Corydon...

During the Winter months (or any season), Osborne Village (RIver Ave.), there will always be people crossing the streets, milling about...

On Corydon Ave. try that...it is busy only during the warmer months...May thru September.

[Marty_Mcfly]

The only neighborhood which really gets me excited about St. John's is the Ecclesiastical district. So many beautiful churches, houses, and some lovely buildings along Duckworth Street which give the whole area that nice European feel.

In general, I prefer a walk down Duckworth Street over Water Street any day. Water street may be nice, but a lot of buildings have painted over the old, rustic bricks of the building and it looks bad. Duckworth street really is frozen in time, truly beautiful.

[kool maudit]

the plateau and mile-end in montreal is it. i could entertain an argument for toronto's west end, but not really anything else.