Downtown Winnipeg
Encyclopedia
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
is centred around Portage Avenue and Main Street
Portage and Main
Portage and Main is an intersection in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the heart of downtown Winnipeg at the place where Portage Avenue and Main Street intersect. Together these two streets create the most iconic and famous street corner in Canada.Portage and Main is the hub of some...
, and is bounded by the Assiniboine River
Assiniboine River
The Assiniboine River is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked within a flat, shallow valley in some places and a steep valley in...
on the south, Colony and Balmoral Streets on the west, Notre Dame Avenue, Princess Street, and Logan Avenue on the north, and the Red River
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
on the east. It includes the Exchange District
Exchange District
The Exchange District is a National Historic Site of Canada in the downtown area of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Just one block north of Canada's most famous intersection, Portage and Main, the Exchange District comprises approximately twenty city blocks and nearly 150 buildings.- History :The...
, Central Park
Central Park (Winnipeg)
Central Park is a large urban park located in Downtown Winnipeg, and forms the heart of the neighbourhood of the same name. The area is bound by Notre Dame Ave. to the north, Ellice Ave. to the south, Donald St. to the east and Balmoral St. to the west...
, The Forks, and Winnipeg's Chinatown
Chinatown, Winnipeg
The Chinatown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada was formed in 1909. It is on King Street between James and Higgins Avenues, and was officially recognized in 1968. Some 20,000 Chinese live in the Winnipeg area....
. The downtown area is roughly three square kilometres. Portage Avenue is the city's busiest thoroughfare. Winnipeg Square, the MTS Centre
MTS Centre
The MTS Centre is an indoor sports arena and entertainment venue in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and home of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League. It is located on the former Eaton's site and is owned and operated by True North Sports & Entertainment. The 440,000 square feet ...
, Portage Place
Portage Place
Portage Place is a mixed-use shopping centre located on the north side of Portage Avenue, between Vaughan and Carlton Streets in Downtown Winnipeg...
, and the flagship store of the Bay
The Bay
The Bay is a chain of 91 department stores that operate across parts of Canada. It is the main brand of Hudson's Bay Company , North America's oldest company. It has its headquarters in the Simpson Tower in Toronto. In French, the chain is known as la Baie, short for "Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson"...
are all located on the downtown section of this street.
On Main Street are Winnipeg's City Hall, Union Station
Union Station (Winnipeg)
Union Station is the inter-city railway station for Winnipeg, Manitoba.It is a grand beaux-arts structure situated near The Forks in downtown Winnipeg. It was built by the Canadian Northern Railway, National Transcontinental, and Grand Trunk Pacific Railway...
, and the Manitoba Centennial Centre
Manitoba Centennial Centre
The Manitoba Centennial Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada was an urban renewal program that began in 1960. The Centennial Concert Hall, as part of the Centennial Centre, was built as a Canadian Centennial project. The concert hall cost $8 million. The venue presently has a seating capacity of...
, which includes the Manitoba Museum
Manitoba Museum
The Manitoba Museum, previously the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature is the largest museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.The museum is the largest heritage centre in Manitoba and the world and focuses on human and natural heritage. It has planetarium shows and a Science Gallery hall...
, the Planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
, the Centennial Concert Hall and the Winnipeg Railway Museum
Winnipeg Railway Museum
The Winnipeg Railway Museum is a non-profit organization operated by volunteers from the Midwestern Rail Association. The museum is located on tracks 1 and 2 within Winnipeg's Via Rail operated Union Station in Manitoba, Canada.- Overview :...
. Although over 60,000 people work downtown, only 12,720 (2001 Census) people actually live in the Downtown area.
There are several residential projects under construction on Waterfront Drive and in the Exchange District, and the residential population of the area is projected to increase substantially in the next few years.
Downtown districts
The Downtown Winnipeg Zoning By-Law defines the boundaries of the Downtown planning area, and several sectors within it. The downtown census area is slightly smaller, omitting a three-block extension at the north edge. There is also a significantly larger Downtown community area, used for Community Social Data Strategy for Winnipeg.Waterfront District
The Waterfront District is a newly emerging district located in the northeast corner of downtown Winnipeg. The area runs along the west bank of the Red River along the recently built Waterfront Drive. There are several condominium projects recently completed or currently being built as well as plans for even more redevelopment.Central Park
Central ParkCentral Park (Winnipeg)
Central Park is a large urban park located in Downtown Winnipeg, and forms the heart of the neighbourhood of the same name. The area is bound by Notre Dame Ave. to the north, Ellice Ave. to the south, Donald St. to the east and Balmoral St. to the west...
is one of Winnipeg's most densely populated neighbourhood with 13,755 people per square km according to Statistics Canada's 2001 Census. 70 per cent of all refugees coming to Winnipeg live downtown, in and around the Central Park area. Central Park includes many different ethinicities including Arabs, Vietnamese, Chinese, Ojibway, Filipinos, and African (more than half being African).
With the increase in the African population, Central Park has been transforming in recent years. It is now the home to the 'Central Market', with more markets planned to come. Many of the markets will sell handmade fashion and imported African crafts.
During warm Saturday nights, live entertainment fills the air, residents enjoy free Sunday movie screenings to enjoy an evening outdoors. The Knox Centre at Knox United Church presents international films in various languages - with English subtitles - every Thursday evening.
Exchange District
The Exchange DistrictExchange District
The Exchange District is a National Historic Site of Canada in the downtown area of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Just one block north of Canada's most famous intersection, Portage and Main, the Exchange District comprises approximately twenty city blocks and nearly 150 buildings.- History :The...
is Winnipeg's historical warehouse district
Warehouse District
-Canada:* Distillery District is located in Toronto, Ontario and is the largest collection of Victorian-era industrial architecture in North America.-United States :...
. The district, because of its rich abundance of turn-of-the-twentieth-century buildings is increasingly being utilized as a location for filming as it resembles similar areas in large Midwest American cities, such as Chicago. There have been several initiatives to revitalize the historic district such as Red River College
Red River College
Red River College of Applied Arts, Science and Technology is located in Winnipeg. The College offers degree, diploma, certificate, and apprenticeship programs in the applied arts, applied sciences, and various trades. The university press, The Projector, is a member of CUP.-Campus:It has a number...
's Downtown Campus on Princess Street as well as several loft and condominium projects. The district is also home to the annual Winnipeg Fringe Festival
Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival
The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival is an annual alternative theatre festival held in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is the currently the second-largest North American festival of its kind, and since 2003, has been the longest at twelve days , and it is common for a small number of shows to be held over...
, the second most attended in Canada.
Broadway-Assiniboine
Broadway-Assiniboine lies in the southern part of downtown on the north bank of the Assiniboine RiverAssiniboine River
The Assiniboine River is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked within a flat, shallow valley in some places and a steep valley in...
. The neighbourhood is one of the most densely populated in Winnipeg and features many notable landmarks such as the Hotel Fort Garry and in 2005 the Bears on Broadway. Broadway-Assiniboine features the Assiniboine Riverwalk and is home to many notable restaurants.
The Forks
The Forks is a national historic site located in downtown Winnipeg where the AssiniboineAssiniboine River
The Assiniboine River is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked within a flat, shallow valley in some places and a steep valley in...
and Red Rivers
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
meet. It has been a meeting place for people for over 6000 years and is a popular place for tourists and Winnipeggers alike. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Canadian Museum for Human Rights
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is a national museum currently under construction in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada at the historic Forks where the Assiniboine and Red Rivers meet...
will be at the Forks.
South Portage
Millennium Library
A Millennium Library may be:*Millennium Library *A library designation given by the White House Millennium Council...
, the Winnipeg Convention Centre
Winnipeg Convention Centre
The Winnipeg Convention Centre is a major meeting and convention facility located in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.The publicly-owned facility was built in 1975, and was among the first such facilities built in Canada...
, MTS Centre
MTS Centre
The MTS Centre is an indoor sports arena and entertainment venue in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and home of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League. It is located on the former Eaton's site and is owned and operated by True North Sports & Entertainment. The 440,000 square feet ...
, the Law Courts and Cityplace
Cityplace (Winnipeg)
Cityplace is an office and retail complex situated in Downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba. It consists mainly of the former Eaton's company mail-order warehouse building that occupies the block bounded by Hargrave and Donald Streets, and Graham and St. Mary Avenues...
. Winnipeg's public transit hub is located on the Graham Avenue Transit Mall, as many bus routes converge there. There are numerous office buildings and hotels in this area, including some of Winnipeg's tallest buildings.
Chinatown
Winnipeg's Chinatown covers a few square blocks to the northwest of City Hall and is home to about 600 people of whom nearly 80% are Chinese. The area is popular for its many authentic Chinese restaurants.Downtown landmarks
- The Forks
- Manitoba Legislative BuildingManitoba Legislative BuildingThe Manitoba Legislative Building is the meeting place of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, in central Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was originally named the Manitoba Parliament Building, not Legislative. The neoclassical building was completed in 1920 and stands seventy-seven meters tall...
- MTS CentreMTS CentreThe MTS Centre is an indoor sports arena and entertainment venue in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and home of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League. It is located on the former Eaton's site and is owned and operated by True North Sports & Entertainment. The 440,000 square feet ...
- Union StationUnion Station (Winnipeg)Union Station is the inter-city railway station for Winnipeg, Manitoba.It is a grand beaux-arts structure situated near The Forks in downtown Winnipeg. It was built by the Canadian Northern Railway, National Transcontinental, and Grand Trunk Pacific Railway...
- Fort Garry HotelFort Garry HotelThe Fort Garry Hotel is a historic hotel in Downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and one of Canada's grand railway hotels. Built in 1913 by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, it is located one block from the railway's Union Station, and was the tallest structure in the city when it was completed.Like...
- Portage PlacePortage PlacePortage Place is a mixed-use shopping centre located on the north side of Portage Avenue, between Vaughan and Carlton Streets in Downtown Winnipeg...
(mall) - Shaw Park
- Esplanade RielEsplanade RielThe Esplanade Riel is a pedestrian bridge located in Winnipeg, Manitoba designed by Colin Douglas Stewart of Wardrop Engineering and Étienne Gaboury, Architect and completed in 2003. It spans the Red River connecting downtown Winnipeg with St. Boniface. It is paired with a vehicular bridge,...
- Millennium LibraryMillennium LibraryA Millennium Library may be:*Millennium Library *A library designation given by the White House Millennium Council...
- Manitoba MuseumManitoba MuseumThe Manitoba Museum, previously the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature is the largest museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.The museum is the largest heritage centre in Manitoba and the world and focuses on human and natural heritage. It has planetarium shows and a Science Gallery hall...
(formerly Museum of Man and Nature) - PlanetariumPlanetariumA planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
(located outside of Manitoba MuseumManitoba MuseumThe Manitoba Museum, previously the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature is the largest museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.The museum is the largest heritage centre in Manitoba and the world and focuses on human and natural heritage. It has planetarium shows and a Science Gallery hall...
) - Canadian Museum for Human RightsCanadian Museum for Human RightsThe Canadian Museum for Human Rights is a national museum currently under construction in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada at the historic Forks where the Assiniboine and Red Rivers meet...
(under construction)