West side is the best side

[Docere]

This seems to be quite a common pattern in Canadian cities where the west side of town is the more prosperous section and the east side is poorer and more working class.

Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Hamilton and London all come to mind as having an affluent west.

The most common explanation I've heard this was due to prevailing winds.

The one exception that comes to mind is Saskatoon where the west side is poorer.

Winnipeg and Regina are split more north/south with the south being more affluent, as does Halifax.

Ottawa doesn't really seem to have an east/west difference - except maybe that the east end is both wealthier and poorer? (i.e. Rockcliffe Park and Vanier).

[thegx]

Edmonton is more north/south than east/west.

[Docere]

Originally Posted by thegx

Edmonton is more north/south than east/west.

Or more SW/NE? The federal riding of Edmonton Griesbach (formerly Edmonton East) is the east end of the inner city.

Also, the "Jasper Place" suburbs to the west are more affluent than the "Beverly" suburbs to the east.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by Docere

Or more SW/NE? The federal riding of Edmonton Griesbach (formerly Edmonton East) is the east end of the inner city.

Also, the "Jasper Place" suburbs to the west are more affluent than the "Beverly" suburbs to the east.

I'm glad Edmonton's been brought up, because it's a place I've wanted to ask about for a while. What's the general division of poor/affluent? Because it seems to me no matter what neighbourhood I read about, there's people that say it's super dangerous and you shouldn't live there. The only places people seem to be in agreement on being nice are the ones surrounding south Henday Drive...and I have a hard time believing that can be it. Any insight from anyone on a more detailed division of the city?

[kel]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

I'm glad Edmonton's been brought up, because it's a place I've wanted to ask about for a while. What's the general division of poor/affluent? Because it seems to me no matter what neighbourhood I read about, there's people that say it's super dangerous and you shouldn't live there. The only places people seem to be in agreement on being nice are the ones surrounding south Henday Drive...and I have a hard time believing that can be it. Any insight from anyone on a more detailed division of the city?

I don't think there is an area in Edmonton that would be considered super dangerous or even dangerous for that matter. Sure there are small sections maybe North of Downtown that I would not want to be walking alone in after dark but there are also parts of Vancouver and Calgary that I would not want to be walking in after dark. Having lived in Edmonton almost my whole life the only crime outside of speeding I have ever seen was a minor assault at a Mac store in the "affluent" Riverbend neighbourhood in the far South West.

[ue]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

I'm glad Edmonton's been brought up, because it's a place I've wanted to ask about for a while. What's the general division of poor/affluent? Because it seems to me no matter what neighbourhood I read about, there's people that say it's super dangerous and you shouldn't live there. The only places people seem to be in agreement on being nice are the ones surrounding south Henday Drive...and I have a hard time believing that can be it. Any insight from anyone on a more detailed division of the city?

I'd say Edmonton has both south/north and west/east divides, but the south/north divide is much more pronounced. The west end is north of the river, but is more similar and connected to the southside. Because of the way the North Saskatchewan River bends southwest from downtown, much of the residential west end is still as far south as the southside is. The west end residential portion is also siphoned from the northside by industrial areas, whereas they are seamlessly connected with southwest communities aside from the river splitting things.

The northside is definitely much more blue collar and really lacks the affluence of the south and west sides. If you want to see affluence north of the Yellowhead, you'd best go to the bedroom community of St. Albert. The only northside (or eastside, depending on your definition) neighbourhood I'd describe as affluent is the Highlands, a 1920s streetcar suburb. The northside is also overall much more matured than other sides and has less greenfield development. Even neighbourhoods hugging the river, where most of Edmonton's affluent neighbourhoods are in the south and west, are much more middle class in the northeast, due to them directly facing Refinery Row on the other side of the river in Strathcona County. There are many middle class and upper middle class areas on the northside, just not very many very affluent areas aside from the Highlands.

The west end has the Jasper Place environs, Callingwood, Mayfield, etc for areas that are more lower income. And the southside has Mill Woods. So it's not like there is a particular "side" of Edmonton that is wholly affluent or better off, but overall the south and west are better off, with the edge given to the south, and the lower income areas on these sides of Edmonton aren't as rough around the edge as northside equivalents, overall.

Unsurprisingly, the most affluent area of Edmonton is where the south and west converge in the southwest, along the river valley as well as Whitemud Creek.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by ue

I'd say Edmonton has both south/north and west/east divides, but the south/north divide is much more pronounced. The west end is north of the river, but is more similar and connected to the southside. Because of the way the North Saskatchewan River bends southwest from downtown, much of the residential west end is still as far south as the southside is. The west end residential portion is also siphoned from the northside by industrial areas, whereas they are seamlessly connected with southwest communities aside from the river splitting things.

The northside is definitely much more blue collar and really lacks the affluence of the south and west sides. If you want to see affluence north of the Yellowhead, you'd best go to the bedroom community of St. Albert. The only northside (or eastside, depending on your definition) neighbourhood I'd describe as affluent is the Highlands, a 1920s streetcar suburb. The northside is also overall much more matured than other sides and has less greenfield development. Even neighbourhoods hugging the river, where most of Edmonton's affluent neighbourhoods are in the south and west, are much more middle class in the northeast, due to them directly facing Refinery Row on the other side of the river in Strathcona County. There are many middle class and upper middle class areas on the northside, just not very many very affluent areas aside from the Highlands.

The west end has the Jasper Place environs, Callingwood, Mayfield, etc for areas that are more lower income. And the southside has Mill Woods. So it's not like there is a particular "side" of Edmonton that is wholly affluent or better off, but overall the south and west are better off, with the edge given to the south, and the lower income areas on these sides of Edmonton aren't as rough around the edge as northside equivalents, overall.

Unsurprisingly, the most affluent area of Edmonton is where the south and west converge in the southwest, along the river valley as well as Whitemud Creek.

This sounds exactly like Winnipeg. The rich/poor divide follows a N/S orientation. The far western reaches of the city tend be run more middle class than wealthy, but the SW corner of the city is arguably the wealthiest on the whole. The eastern end tends to be working class, as is the north but the big difference is that much of Winnipeg's worst poverty is concentrated up north.

I grew up in the northern half of the city and while there were clearly pockets of poverty, much of it was not much different than the rest of the city. However, I occasionally encounter Winnipeggers who seldom go north of Portage Avenue and think that the entire northern half of the city is some crime-ridden shantytown... it blows me away that some people just live in what amounts to half of the city.

[Spring2008]

Originally Posted by Docere

Or more SW/NE? The federal riding of Edmonton Griesbach (formerly Edmonton East) is the east end of the inner city.

Also, the "Jasper Place" suburbs to the west are more affluent than the "Beverly" suburbs to the east.

I would agree with the north/south edm split with north being very impoverished in large areas. Most of the inner-city surrounding the downtown(north and east particularly plus Jasper place to the west) look straight out of a zombie movie. Impoverished, deteriorating, with little to no redevelopment over the past few decades. Spills into downtown too, but not nearly as bad. Always can't wait to get out of there. South of the river, Whyte ave area is a lot better, but the surrounding residential stock still looks mostly old and run-down. Kind of surprised there hasn't been a lot more development in those hoods being close to the best strip in the city.

[yaletown_fella]

I think of Toronto as a north/south city, with the bulk of the wealth concentrated in the North end (Midtown, York Mills, Thornhill etc)

[Docere]

Toronto doesn't have a "south" though - that would be Lake Ontario. It's true though that the city's most affluent neighborhoods are clustered north of downtown. West and east ends of the Old City are about the same socioeconomically (traditionally working class but having seen much gentrification). However the western suburbs more affluent and expensive than the eastern suburbs overall.

[SignalHillHiker]

I read somewhere that's because of the prevailing winds blowing from west to east here. Pollution from the city's industries would be heavier in the east end of cities so that's where the poor ended up.

That's less applicable for us as we're a linear southwest-to-northeast city on the east coast. Parts of Old West End used to be very prestigious. But I think it's safe to say the Old East End (which, again, is actually north of downtown) was always richer. And today the broader East End (again, actually northwest of the Old West End) is definitely the snobby area.

[niwell]

West is best! Parkdale represent!

(I actually love the East End and lived in Riverdale for several years).

[Wooster]

I heard this is because because of typical prevailing winds west to east, industry was usually located on the east end of town, while residential (especially higher end) was typically in the west side.

[Docere]

Originally Posted by niwell

West is best! Parkdale represent!

(I actually love the East End and lived in Riverdale for several years).

Toronto's social geography is more complex than most Canadian cities.

[kool maudit]

There are those who will make the argument for NDG over the Plateau – the journalist Kristian Gravenor does it particularly well and throws in downtown-west-of-say-Drummond to boot – but I am not one of them.

[Marty_Mcfly]

St. John's bucked that trend.

But if we want to get technical, the "East End" is really the North part of the city, the west being the south part of the city, and what would be considered true east is just water. And downtown. Which I guess has some crumby, run down neighbourhoods.

[Razor]

Intersting topic..Never thought of it..I heard "West is best" used in Ottawa as well..As a mocking joke from a West ender, but Ottawa is a bit of an enigma where, like somebody mentioned, it has the radical difference of having the most wealthiest neighbourhood (Rockcliffe Park), butted against one of the lowest income or working class neighbourhoods (Vanier),with a small wealthy neighborhood buffering the two (New Edinburgh)..You can almost throw a rock between the two large neighbourhoods.

[lio45]

The fact that the east side is downriver from downtown also matters, at least in the cradle of Canada (St. Lawrence valley) where you'll see the heavy industry installed on the east side of cities.

[Stryker]

Originally Posted by lio45

The fact that the east side is downriver from downtown also matters, at least in the cradle of Canada (St. Lawrence valley) where you'll see the heavy industry installed on the east side of cities.

This is a big duh, also the fact that in the beginnnings of these towns the east ends were generally settled first, and the west only after a second wave of expansion.

[Docere]

In Toronto, while the original town of York was located east of the current CBD (the St. Lawrence/Old Town area), by the early 19th century growth had shifted westward. The west end developed a bit earlier than the east end:

http://southofbloorstreet.blogspot.c...than-west.html