The Queen Alexandra neighbourhood is located just south of the University of Alberta and has a number of well maintained older executive-style homes. Just over half of the homes in the area were built between 1961 and 1980. This area is attracting a number of new condominium developments, perfect for professional couples and families. Daily conveniences are in close proximity to the Queen Alexandra neighbourhood; however you do not see the traffic hassles of the downtown area. Many of the streets are lined with beautiful mature elm tress – the area has good road access to all ends of Edmonton.
Queen Alexandra is a popular area for students because of it’s proximity to the University of Alberta campus and the commercial and cultural centre of Whyte Avenue. This popularity makes this nieghbourhood the perfect place for an investment home.
As of the 2005 Municipal Census there is a population of just over 4000 people with majority of the population are between the ages of 20 and 34. About 80% of homes are occupied by renters. Low rise apartment buildings account for about 1418 of 2772 dwellings in the area, whereas single detached homes account for 852. The median income for the Queen Alexandra area is $59,759.
Once part of the town of Strathcona, Queen Alexandra is bordered by Whyte Avenue to the north, 104 street and 109 street to the east and west, and 70 avenue to the south. The closest neighbourhoods are among the most popular in Edmonton including Strathcona, Garneau, McKernan, Belgravia, Park Allen and Allendale.
Parks
Joe Morris Park – 10820 78 Avenue
Rollie Miles Athletic Field – 10480 73 Avenue
Southside Athletic Grounds – 7103 105 Street
Tipton Park – 10849 81 Avenue
Schools
Queen Alexandra Elementary School (pictured right)
Grade K-6
http://queenalexandra.epsb.ca/
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Elementary/Junior High
Grade K-9
http://www.ourladyofmountcarmel.ecsd.net/
Strathcona Senior High School
Grade 10-12
http://strathconaschool.ca/
Sports Facilities
South Side Arena – 10525 72 Avenue
Strathcona Leisure Centre – 10450 72 Avenue
Yes it is a very nice neighborhood … I can vouch for it as I live here! You do not need a car as everything is within walking distance.
I recently got laid off from my 16 year career at GM in Oshawa.
Since early 2007 we executives at the plant saw this coming.
Oshawa is a nice community near Toronto but there are no jobs left here. A few of us are trying to sell our homes and want to move to edmonton where jobs are better accesible to engineers.
One question: the Alberta housing is depreciating. We can factor a small loss vs getting a new career (nothing’s free…) however, if a few of us relocate to edmonton, are there any guarantees that prices will level soon?
If not what can we do to protect our investing in a home?
***Richard,
You may want to test the job market first before committing. Your decision to buy will be based on many factors but renting first and getting to know the areas are not a bad idea. In some cases Its becoming more affordable to own then rent. That will depend a lot on price range and location.
P.s. are you related to an Alex of the same last name?
Rent until the knife hit’s the floor. When that is, nobody knows!
Stick to the good neighborhoods, like Queen Alex etc. Depreciation is less, more stable… Look for a deal NOW when there is selection in these good neighborhoods, while people are still following the herd and selling. Too many people standing around waiting for everybody else to say it is okay to buy. You don’t make money following the herd. Now is the time to act, get a great deal, on a house you’d be in a bidding war in a normal market. Once the herd says go, it will be too late. Use this opportunity!! Just use mid 2006 pricing as your indicator of how much to pay. low ball, negotiate, use the power while you got it. Nobody gets rich doing what everybody else is doing. They take advantage of opportunity, and now is the time. Just go for location, quality.. homes that demand premium dollars in a good market.
Richard, not to sure Edmonton/Alberta is that far behind Oshawa. Another major Oil Sands project has officially been put on “hold”. Seems a risky play. The wheels seem to be coming off the truck.
But best of luck.
http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2008/10/30/oil-sands-delay.html
Beautiful neighbourhood. One thing that is a double edged sword are the aging elm trees that line the streets. Stong winds are starting to bring down MASSIVE branches in some areas (that can cover the entire street and total a vehicle). Also, the leaves in the fall are fun. You rake your leaves and the wind comes and the neighbours leaves blow onto your yard! Always do your leaves LAST! lol.
Just make sure if you park in front, your insurance will cover a big branch crashing down. It happens more than one would think. I got lucky. I got a hood dent in Hazeldean from a smaller sized dead branch. Two doors down? A “branch” about 6-8″ in diameter at the larger end wiped out not one but two cars! It covered the entire street – it was scary. Happens a lot near Whyte ave too.
Just be aware of it. It can take the shine out of living in an otherwise beautiful area. The “tunnel” of branches and shade is a sheer joy in the summer – you can walk around the block in the shade – it’s wonderful.
There are pros and cons to those trees.
Cheers,
E-town
Richard,
while this may be a good time to buy, with lots of inventory and sellers willing to lower their asking price, I am not convinced that it is a good idea to move here and immediately buy a property.
What if your new job does not work out? What if your family does not like it here?
Consider the cost of potentially having to sell the house again, in a buyers market.