From Cool to Country, Edmonton Offers Many Housing Options
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Whether you’re seeking the urban, contemporary vibe of downtown, the casual, family-friendly flow of the suburbs, or the green expanses and laid-back pace of the country, Edmonton holds out housing possibilities geared to match your life – at any speed.
“We have entry-level housing all the way through exclusive executive neighborhoods,” says Mark Perras, president of the Realtors Association of Edmonton.
Loft apartments, high-rise condominiums, historic 100-year-old homes, single-family dwellings and rural acreages represent the wide range of residential real estate available in the city proper and throughout the 25 municipalities that make up Greater Edmonton. Furthermore, housing is amazingly affordable here.
“Edmonton is not as expensive as Toronto or Vancouver or even Calgary,” Perras explains. “Vis-à-vis the rest of the country, we’re right where we should be.”
So are Miranda and Ian Wemyss. Their home in the heart of the city suits the couple’s lifestyle perfectly. Miranda Wemyss says she and her husband couldn’t be happier with the condo they purchased near the company where both work in downtown Edmonton.
“I love that I walk to work,” Wemyss says. “We’re only eight or nine blocks from my work. I love that we’re only eight blocks from the [Edmonton] City Centre mall. I love, love, love that I can run down 109th to River Valley [Parks System] and run up and down the stairs there.”
Wemyss also notes that she and her husband live close to the grocery store where she buys fresh food each day and the beautiful, bustling Legislature Grounds where the young couple enjoys walking together among the pools and fountains.
They snatched up their condo as soon as it went on sale.
“We never considered anything else,” Wemyss says. “We knew this was where we wanted to live.”
A different set of considerations led Dénes and Priscilla Németh to buy their home in the suburbs. Following the birth of their first daughter, the young professional couple chose to settle in St. Albert near their extended family.
“It’s the prototypical great place to raise a family,” says Dénes Németh, referring to the St. Albert municipality of 55,000, which is located in Sturgeon County north of Edmonton. “It’s a very educated, professional community. Where we live is a pretty well-to-do area, but St. Albert is not an ‘upscale’ city. It’s very down to earth.
“In this area, there is more space, and the houses are farther apart than they are in the city. It’s got good schools and an excellent healthcare system. It has the largest farmers market in western Canada. And there’s a good selection of restaurants and everything you need, but it’s close enough to Edmonton to go shopping and out for entertainment. ”
And to go to and from work. Németh works in downtown Edmonton, but the region’s excellent thoroughfares make for an easy 30-minute commute.
Strathcona County lies east of Edmonton and has housing options in both urban and rural settings.
More than two-thirds of Strathcona County’s population resides in Sherwood Park. The urban community – where housing includes single-family homes in contemporary neighborhoods, condominiums and estates – boasts excellent economic opportunities and top-notch schools and public services, as well as prime shopping and entertainment destinations.
Real estate in the Strathcona County’s scenic rural areas features acreages, farms and lakeside cabins.
Story by Carol Cowan
Photo by Jeff Adkins
