West Lethbridge (or The Westside), is one of three geographical areas in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. It is the newest and the fastest growing. It is the home of the University of Lethbridge and is a residential area primarily.
West Lethbridge is geographically isolated by a loop in the Oldman River to the west, south and east. Lethbridge proper is across the river to the east. The first bridge across the river opened in November 1890 at a cost of $38,000. [1]
As Lethbridge continued to grow in the middle of the 20th century, the 1969 General Plan recommended westward expansion of the city across the Oldman River. As a result of this recommendation, the Oldman River Regional Planning Commission prepared the report "The Urbanization of West Lethbridge" in 1969. [2] This report proposed West Lethbridge development as a village concept. Each village would include a school, a major park and a commercial centre. Each village was planned to be approximately one square mile in area, contain two neighbourhoods of roughly 6,000 persons each and bounded by arterial roads. This concept still serves as a framework for development in West Lethbridge. [3] The report was prepared for a first phase of development up to 30,000 residents. [4]
By the time the city began including West Lethbridge in its census in 1971, there were fewer than 70 residents. By the following year, 254 residents lived here. [5] This was also the year the University of Lethbridge moved to the Westside.
The 2006 municipal census reported West Lethbridge had a population of 27,154. [5] Since the 1970s, the area has seen an average population increase of 18%, not including the years of 1972 and 1976, when it saw increases of 274% and 281% respectively. [5] The bulk of the city's growth since the early 1990s has been on the west side. Its population is younger than North and South Lethbridge, with only 3% over age 65. [6]
While primarily a residential area of the city, West Lethbridge still contains many service and retail amenities. Shopping centres include MicMac Plaza, West Village Mall, and the regional shopping centre West Lethbridge Towne Centre. [7] The urban park Nicholas Sheran Park is on the Westside as is the Nicholas Sheran Leisure Centre, an aquatic centre and ice arena. In addition to the University of Lethbridge, education services are provided by three public elementary schools, one public middle school, three private elementary schools, and two high schools (one private and one public). Another major park in Lethbridge is West Highlands Park with amenities such as a lake, walking paths, covered and uncovered patio areas. The Crossings neighbourhood also houses the ATB Centre and the YMCA of Lethbridge.
In 2004, Lethbridge City Council announced plans for the second phase of growth in West Lethbridge, covering a 600 hectare (1,483 acre) area west of Indian Battle Heights and Varsity Village. [4] In 2006, the council voted to put $12 million toward the West Lethbridge Centre. Once complete, the centre should serve as West Lethbridge's hub and consists of two high schools, a branch of the Lethbridge Public Library, parks and fields for softball, soccer and other sports. Additionally, the cities first major leisure centre, the Crossings Leisure Complex, is being constructed. It will consist of two NHL style ice rinks, an Olympic class swimming pool, a waterpark with waterslides and wave pool, 12 curling rinks, an indoor track, and gym. The centre is located in the new The Crossings subdivision. [8]
Transportation in West Lethbridge consists of a major road network. University Drive is currently the major arterial roadway in the area. It connects with Whoop-up Drive, the city's busiest roadway, and Crowsnest Trail, the city's connection to Calgary, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. Several collector roads connect with University Drive.
In 2006, University Drive was widened from Whoop-up Drive to the location of the proposed sports arena, making the roadway six lanes in areas, including multiple turning lanes onto access roads for the University of Lethbridge.
Six bus routes operated by Lethbridge Transit service the Westside, with two of them offering connections to downtown, North Lethbridge and South Lethbridge. All routes converge at a transit terminal located at the university.
Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian Rocky Mountains contribute to the city's warm summers, mild winters, and windy climate. Lethbridge lies southeast of Calgary on the Oldman River.
Fort Whoop-Up was the nickname given to a whisky trading post, originally Fort Hamilton, near what is now Lethbridge, Alberta. During the late 19th century, the post served as a centre for trading activities, including the illegal whisky trade. The sale of whisky was outlawed but, due to the lack of law enforcement in the region prior to 1874, many whisky traders had settled in the area and taken to charging unusually high prices for their goods.
Alberta Provincial Highway No. 3, commonly referred to as Highway 3 and officially named the Crowsnest Highway, is a 324-kilometre (201 mi) highway that traverses southern Alberta, Canada, running from the Crowsnest Pass through Lethbridge to the Trans-Canada Highway in Medicine Hat. Together with British Columbia Highway 3 which begins in Hope, it forms an interprovincial route that serves as an alternate to the Trans-Canada from the Lower Mainland to the Canadian Prairies.
The modern history of Lethbridge extends to the mid-19th century, when the area was developed from drift mines opened by Nicholas Sheran in 1874, and the North Western Coal and Navigation Company in 1882. Prior to the development of drift mines in the area, Lethbridge, Alberta was known as Coal Banks, and was part of the territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy. The Confederacy was made up of the Kainai Nation, the Northern Peigan, the Southern Peigan (Blackfeet), and the Siksika Nation.
Nicholas Sheran (1841–1882) was an entrepreneur born in New York City. He spent his early years apprenticing as a printer, working on Arctic whalers, and serving in the United States Army.
The Oldman River valley parks system is a continuous collection of eight urban parks in the Oldman River valley of Lethbridge, Alberta, 100 metres (330 ft) below the prairie level. The parks were created in the 1980s as part of the city's Urban Parks Project. Today they are a combined 16 square kilometres (6.2 sq mi) in size and comprise one of the largest urban park systems in North America, and the third largest in Canada.
There are many forms of transport in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, including highways and public transit. Lethbridge's airport is Lethbridge Airport (YQL), which is south of the city boundary. Lethbridge also has an intricate cycling-and-pedestrian pathway that meets several destinations in the city, including the urban park system in the Oldman River valley.
Downtown Lethbridge is the central business district of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, hosting most of the city's banks and several accounting and law practices, including national firms.
Lawson Heights is a residential neighbourhood located in northern Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, which was developed beginning in the late 1970s.
Lawson Heights Suburban Centre is a neighbourhood that is maturing, and is located in north east Saskatoon. The neighbourhood features high density residential areas, major commercial suburban development area centre, transit mall, large green space parks which are slated for upgrade, and secondary institution. It is situated just east of the North West Industrial SDA and near the South Saskatchewan River Lawson Heights Suburban Centre combines a proximity to amenities offered by a comprehensive industrial development and the scenic river and river bank park system.
Erindale is a primarily residential neighbourhood located in northeast Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is mostly made up of low-density single detached dwellings. As of 2011, the area is home to 4,338 residents. The neighbourhood is considered a high-income area, with an average family income of $123,336, an average dwelling value of $340,990 and a home ownership rate of 95.3%.
Alberta Provincial Highway No. 3A, commonly referred to as Highway 3A, is the designation of four alternate routes of Highway 3 in southern Alberta, Canada. All four segments are former alignments of Highway 3, also known as the Crowsnest Highway.
Nicholas Sheran Park is an urban park in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, and is named after one of the city's founders, Nicholas Sheran. The largest park in West Lethbridge, it was conceptualised as a regional park in 1969, and constructed in 1974.
Coal Banks Trail is a 30-kilometre multipurpose recreational path in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. It connects all of the city's major urban parks, all three geographical areas, and many smaller parks. While primarily a community recreation opportunity, the trail is also used for community events, such as the Terry Fox Run and the Moonlight Run.
Richmond Heights, adjacent to the South Saskatchewan River, features walking trails in the Meewasin Valley. G.D. Archibald Park North hosts baseball and soccer games. Luther Heights is a Luther care community for those aged 60 and over. In 2006, 73.5% of the residents owned their own home; the average home size was 2.3 residents. According to MLS data, the average sale price of a home as of 2013 was $362,063.
Abbottsfield is a neighbourhood in east Edmonton, Alberta, Canada overlooking the North Saskatchewan River valley. The neighbourhood is named for Abraham Abbott, a resident of the Town of Beverly and long time school custodian in the Beverly School District. While development of Abbottsfield didn't begin until nearly a decade after the amalgamation of Beverly with Edmonton in 1961, the neighbourhood is located in an area closely associated with Beverly. Beverly was a coal mining town, and one of the major Beverly coal mines was located in the Abbottsfield area.
The Red Coat Trail is a 1,300-kilometre (810 mi) route that approximates the path taken in 1874 by the North-West Mounted Police in their March West from Fort Dufferin to Fort Whoop-Up.
Chinook High School is the largest school operated by Lethbridge School District No. 51. The public high school is one of four in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, that serve grades nine through twelve. Completed in 2010, it was the first public high school to open in the city in 50 years; Winston Churchill High School (1960) was the last. It is also the only secondary school on the city's west side. Classes began on the afternoon of Monday, August 30, 2010, and a grand opening followed on September 17 at a final, on-budget construction cost of $45.3 million.