Edmonton’s top neighbourhoods

• Winnipeg Rankings
• Top Cities
• Vancouver Rankings
• Calgary Rankings
• Edmonton Rankings
• Toronto Rankings
• Montreal Rankings
• Methodology

Anyone who’s been or lived in Edmonton will tell you: the big West Ed Mall isn’t the city’s main attraction. “There’s so much more to Edmonton,” explains Mark Slobodan, realtor with RE/MAX Excellence. Considered the blue collar city of Alberta’s oil patch much of the wealth comes from tradespeople that work in the oil sands. But locals have known for years that the city has the distinction of being the centre of culture, government and education for the province of Alberta. The University of Alberta (UofA) makes it’s home here and the city’s famous nickname is “Canada’s Festival City”—an apt name given that Edmonton is known for its arts scene, most of which is centred around Whyte Avenue (otherwise known as 82nd Avenue).

Still, it would come as no surprise to local-Edmontonians to learn that the No. 1 ranked neighbourhoods were in a zone located in the northeast quadrant of the city, near the Rexall Centre—home of the Edmonton Oilers. The communities of Montrose and Newton were initially built just before World War II and the remnants of the solid, small bungalows can still be seen (and bought) throughout these neighbourhoods. But it’s the relatively large lots and the proximity to highways (just a stone’s throw from Yellowhead Trail and the Anthony Henday ring road) that make this an ideal place to buy and raise a family. Perhaps that’s why there’s been a flurry of activity recently with a large number of tear-downs and new-builds revitalizing the northern section of these communities.

Live chat: Romana King takes reader real estate questions »

Still, city planners continue to push for development in neighbourhoods closer to the downtown core—and this may be the reason why the No. 2 spot was taken by the southeastern neighbourhoods of Ritchie, Hazeldean and King Edward Park. “It’s the only area in the southeast to ride along the riverbank,” says Slobodan, “and anything in the riverbank valley commands top dollar.” But, being on the tail-end of the trendy side of 82nd Avenue also has its advantages: these communities haven’t appreciated in value as quickly as Belgravia, Queen Alexandra, and Garneau—all neighbourhoods in close proximity to the UofA and to the hip part of Whyte Avenue. Our experts feel there is still room for prices to appreciate in these Zone 17 neighbourhoods due, in part, to city officials rezoning places like King Edward Park for redevelopment. “City officials realized that they needed to redevelop and revitalize the downtown core and the only way to do that is to attract families back into the core,” explains Slobodan. “They started with King Edward Park, where they let development have a bit of a free rein.” That’s meant that first-time home buyers have been competing heavily with developers to snatch up the 700 to 800 square-foot bungalows priced, on average, at just under $423,000.

For those investors or home-buyers who want to be closer than a 15 to 25 minute drive to downtown, consider the No. 12 rated Zone 7, which consists of Inglewood, North Glenora, Westmount and Woodcroft neighbourhoods, with homes prices averaging $425,000. For homes that need a lot of updating go to Inglewood, says Slobodan. “This is a place known for original-owner occupied homes.” Part of the draw is that developers know that the lot sizes are large enough to knock down the old home and build four townhomes (known as a fourplex in Edmonton). “It’s a great area because it’s got very large backyards and lots and lots of tree coverage,” says Slobadan. But, in terms of quality, Inglewood is on the lower end. For higher-end homes—and prices—try North Glenora. “It’s a five minute drive north of Glenora, an area of the city where the old-money congregated and stayed.”

Yet, the push to redevelop the downtown core into a commercial and residential hot spot is anticipated to pull housing prices up, even if continued oil prices are low or stagnant. Just last year Edmonton Oiler’s owner, Daryl Katz, announced the development of the Stantec building—a 62-storey mixed use building that will house 1,700 employees of the engineering, planning and architecture firm, Stantec, as well as 33 floors of residential condo units. Considering the city’s push to develop and create a vibrant downtown core, anything in the urban northwest will be of value, says Slobodan.

When ranking the top neighbourhoods not all metrics were weighted equally. Read our full methodology.
We would like to thank national licensed real estate brokerage Zoocasa for making its experienced realtors available for our expert panel.