The West End is a residential area of Downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It includes the neighborhoods of Armstrong’s Point, Colony, Daniel McIntyre, Minto, Sargent Park, Spence, St. Matthews, West Broadway, and Wolseley.
The area is bordered by Route 62 (Osborne, Memorial, Colony, and Balmoral Streets) on the east, St. James Street on the west, the Assiniboine River on the south, and Notre Dame Avenue on the north.
Demographics
In 2011, the population of the West End was 46,140. The area is ethnically diverse. The 2011 census shows the West End as 51% Caucasian, 21% Filipino, 15% Aboriginal, 4% Black, and 9% other visible minorities. Historically, the area was home to large German, Scandinavian, and Icelandic communities. The contrast between neighborhoods in the West End is extreme. For example, Armstrong’s Point is one of Winnipeg’s most affluent neighborhoods with a median household income of $89,887; West Broadway is located directly north of Armstrong’s Point and has a median household income of $25,877.
History
The development of the West End as a residential expansion came during one of Winnipeg’s most significant periods of growth between 1890–1895 and 1900–1912. The area was originally a part of the Parish of St. James until the boundary of the City of Winnipeg, MB was extended to St. James Street from Maryland Street (formerly Boundary Road) in 1882. Development of the area as a working and middle-class residential area began in the late 19th century and continued through the 1920s until the area was entirely built up. The area developed rapidly due to its proximity to Downtown Winnipeg. Unlike Winnipeg’s North End, the mainline of the Canadian Pacific Railway did not impose a physical barrier between the West End and Downtown. The city’s street railway system also served the area well, with lines on Portage Avenue, Sargent Avenue, Sherbrook Street, and Arlington Street. The industrial area adjacent to the railway spur between Wall and Erin Streets employed many West End residents.
The West End was considered Ward Two in the old City of Winnipeg and was seen as the “swing riding” between the affluent and conservative Ward One and overwhelmingly socialist Ward Three, which comprised the North End and Elmwood.
Parts of the area declined in the years following World War II as many families moved to Winnipeg’s suburbs. Some of the housing stock was converted to rooming houses and became dilapidated. During the 1970s, crime became a severe problem in portions of the West End. Bed Bug Exterminator Winnipeg
Since the 1980s, a notable revitalization of the neighborhoods has been made. Numerous urban beautification projects have been undertaken, and in 1987, the West End Cultural Centre was founded in an old church at Ellice Avenue and Sherbrook Street.
Check out other neighborhoods like Charleswood