Oliver, Edmonton
Encyclopedia
Oliver is one of the oldest residential neighbourhoods in the City of Edmonton
, Alberta
, Canada
. The neighbourhood is named after Frank Oliver, an early Edmonton resident, businessman, and politician. The south east portion of the neighbourhood is also known as Grandin, with both Grandin LRT Station
and Grandin School located in this part of the neighbourhood.
Oliver is located immediately to the west of the downtown core
(to the point where it is sometimes mistaken as part of downtown), and overlooks the North Saskatchewan River
valley. Located in the river valley immediately below Oliver is Edmonton's Royal Glenora Club
, Victoria Golf Course, and Victoria Park. The High Level Bridge
and Groat Bridge
give residents access to locations on the south side, including the University of Alberta
and Old Strathcona
. The Victoria Promenade (part of Edmonton's Heritage Trail) offers attractive vistas of the river valley at the western end of Oliver.
Oliver is one of the densest neighbourhoods in Edmonton and West Oliver is the densest area in Alberta.
The north edge of the neighbourhood was once a Canadian National Railway
right of way and rail yard. This part of the neighbourhood was recently redeveloped, and includes apartment buildings, the Oliver Square and Oliver Square West strip shopping centres, some old warehouses converted shops, and parking for the MacEwan University downtown campus.
Oliver was early Edmonton's West End. As the city grew, Oliver became a central neighbourhood and underwent a significant amount of redevelopment. According to the 2001 federal census, most of the residences in Oliver were built in the 1960s and later, with only one residence in seven (14.5%) dating from 1960 and earlier. These buildings represent surviving structures from Oliver's early development.
Beginning in the 1960s, the neighbourhood underwent significant redevelopment with a significant number of high rise apartments/condos coming to dominate the neighbourhood's skyline. Approximately one residence in three (30.4%) were built between 1961 and 1970. Another one residence in three (31.9%) were built between 1971 and 1980. One residence in seven (13.7%) were built during the early 1980s. While some redevelopment occurred after 1985, the pace of redevelopment slowed significantly. Recently the areas around Jasper Avenue have been home to new retail and condo developments like the Serenity and Illuminada.
The most common type of residence in Oliver, according to the 2005 municipal census, are rented
apartment
s and apartment style condominium
s in high rise buildings with more than five stories. This type of residence accounts for roughly two out of every three (66%) residences in the neighbourhood. Approximately seven out of every ten of these are rented.
Most of the remaining residences are rented apartments and apartment style condominiums in low rise buildings with fewer than five stories. This type of residence accounts for approximately one out of three (31%) of all residences in Oliver. Approximately four out of every five of these are rented.
In addition, there are a small number of duplexes
, row houses, and single family dwellings.
one in three (28.5%) residents had moved within the previous one to three years. Only one resident in three (28.1%) had lived at the same address for at least five years,
There is a significant amount of commercial development in the Oliver area.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, the majority of the rail yards of the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railways were rededeloped as strip shopping centres. These include Oliver Square and Oliver Square West located along the north edge of Oliver. In addition, a Canadian Pacific rail yard, immediately to the east of Oliver, was also redeveloped as a strip shopping centre.
Edmonton's main street, Jasper Avenue, cuts through Oliver, and much of Jasper Avenue is lined with shops, restaurants and other services.
Along the west edge of the neighbourhood, shops and businesses line 124 Street. Just to the west of Oliver, in the neighbourhood of Westmount, are the shops and services located in another strip shopping centre called High Street.
There are many places of worship in the Oliver area. One of the best known is St. Joseph's Basilica
. Originally St. Joseph's Cathedral, the name was changed when Pope John Paul II
visited Edmonton during his visit to Canada in 1984.
Other places of worship in Oliver are:
The Beth Israel Synagogue was also located in the Oliver area before relocating to the Oleskiw
neighbourhood.
to the west and north west. It is bounded on the west by 124 Street, on the north by 105 Ave, and on the east by 110 Street.
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The neighbourhood is named after Frank Oliver, an early Edmonton resident, businessman, and politician. The south east portion of the neighbourhood is also known as Grandin, with both Grandin LRT Station
Grandin (ETS)
Grandin Station is an LRT Station operated by Edmonton Transit System in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is an underground station located beneath 110 Street between 99 Avenue and 98 Avenue. It provides service to the Government Centre part of the downtown core and the neighbourhood of...
and Grandin School located in this part of the neighbourhood.
Oliver is located immediately to the west of the downtown core
Downtown Edmonton
Downtown Edmonton is bounded by 109 Street to the west, 105 Avenue to the north, 97 Street to the east, 97 Avenue, 100 Avenue, and Rossdale Road to the south and Jasper Avenue to the southeast , though many people consider part or all of the surrounding neighborhoods to be part of downtown...
(to the point where it is sometimes mistaken as part of downtown), and overlooks the North Saskatchewan River
North Saskatchewan River
The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows east from the Canadian Rockies to central Saskatchewan. It is one of two major rivers that join to make up the Saskatchewan River....
valley. Located in the river valley immediately below Oliver is Edmonton's Royal Glenora Club
The Royal Glenora Club
The Royal Glenora Club is a member owned, private sport and social club located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Opened in 1961, the Royal Glenora started as an amalgamation of three Edmonton Sport Clubs: the Glenora Skating and Tennis Club, the Braemar Badminton Club, and the Royal Curling Club.The...
, Victoria Golf Course, and Victoria Park. The High Level Bridge
High Level Bridge (Edmonton)
The High Level Bridge, opened in 1913, spans the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Located next to the Alberta Legislature Building, the bridge linked the separate communities of Edmonton and Strathcona, which became one city in 1912. It was designed from the outset to...
and Groat Bridge
Groat Bridge
Groat Bridge is a bridge that spans the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is a part of Groat Road.-External links:...
give residents access to locations on the south side, including the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
and Old Strathcona
Old Strathcona
Old Strathcona is an historic district located in south-central Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Once the commercial core of the separate city of Strathcona, the area is now Edmonton's main arts and entertainment district, and in 2007 was named Alberta's second "Provincial Historic Area"...
. The Victoria Promenade (part of Edmonton's Heritage Trail) offers attractive vistas of the river valley at the western end of Oliver.
Oliver is one of the densest neighbourhoods in Edmonton and West Oliver is the densest area in Alberta.
The north edge of the neighbourhood was once a Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
right of way and rail yard. This part of the neighbourhood was recently redeveloped, and includes apartment buildings, the Oliver Square and Oliver Square West strip shopping centres, some old warehouses converted shops, and parking for the MacEwan University downtown campus.
Residential development
Beginning in the 1960s, the neighbourhood underwent significant redevelopment with a significant number of high rise apartments/condos coming to dominate the neighbourhood's skyline. Approximately one residence in three (30.4%) were built between 1961 and 1970. Another one residence in three (31.9%) were built between 1971 and 1980. One residence in seven (13.7%) were built during the early 1980s. While some redevelopment occurred after 1985, the pace of redevelopment slowed significantly. Recently the areas around Jasper Avenue have been home to new retail and condo developments like the Serenity and Illuminada.
The most common type of residence in Oliver, according to the 2005 municipal census, are rented
Renting
Renting is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another. A gross lease is when the tenant pays a flat rental amount and the landlord pays for all property charges regularly incurred by the ownership from landowners...
apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
s and apartment style condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
s in high rise buildings with more than five stories. This type of residence accounts for roughly two out of every three (66%) residences in the neighbourhood. Approximately seven out of every ten of these are rented.
Most of the remaining residences are rented apartments and apartment style condominiums in low rise buildings with fewer than five stories. This type of residence accounts for approximately one out of three (31%) of all residences in Oliver. Approximately four out of every five of these are rented.
In addition, there are a small number of duplexes
Duplex (building)
The term duplex can be used to describe several different dwelling unit configurations:A duplex house is defined as a dwelling having apartments with separate entrances for two families. This includes two-story houses having a complete apartment on each floor and also side-by-side apartments on a...
, row houses, and single family dwellings.
| Distribution of Types Of Residences - Owner Occupied vs Rented - 2005 Census | |||
| Owned | Rented | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment With Five or More Stories | 31% | 69% | 100% |
| Apartment With Fewer Than Five Stories | 21% | 79% | 100% |
| Duplexes | 40% | 60% | 100% |
| Row Houses | 73% | 27% | 100% |
| Single Family Dwellings | 52% | 47% | 100% |
| Total | 21% | 79% | 100% |
Population mobility
The population in Oliver is highly mobile. According to the 2005 municipal census, almost three out of every ten (28.3%) residents had moved within the previous twelve months. Anotherone in three (28.5%) residents had moved within the previous one to three years. Only one resident in three (28.1%) had lived at the same address for at least five years,
Shopping and services
During the 1990s and early 2000s, the majority of the rail yards of the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railways were rededeloped as strip shopping centres. These include Oliver Square and Oliver Square West located along the north edge of Oliver. In addition, a Canadian Pacific rail yard, immediately to the east of Oliver, was also redeveloped as a strip shopping centre.
Edmonton's main street, Jasper Avenue, cuts through Oliver, and much of Jasper Avenue is lined with shops, restaurants and other services.
Along the west edge of the neighbourhood, shops and businesses line 124 Street. Just to the west of Oliver, in the neighbourhood of Westmount, are the shops and services located in another strip shopping centre called High Street.
Religious assemblies
St. Joseph's Basilica, Edmonton
St. Joseph's Cathedral Basilica is a minor basilica in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The basilica, located just west of the downtown core is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton and is one of the largest churches in Edmonton...
. Originally St. Joseph's Cathedral, the name was changed when Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
visited Edmonton during his visit to Canada in 1984.
Other places of worship in Oliver are:
- Beth Shalom Synagogue
- Christ Church (Anglican)
- Ethiopian Evangelical Church
- Evangelical Mission to Ukraine
- Grace Lutheran
- House of Refuge Mission
- Jesus is Lord Fellowship
- The Oblate Missionaries Secular Institute
- Robertson Wesley United Church, and
- St. Joachim Church.
The Beth Israel Synagogue was also located in the Oliver area before relocating to the Oleskiw
Oleskiw, Edmonton
Oleskiw is a residential neighbourhood in west Edmonton, Alberta, Canada that overlooks the North Saskatchewan River valley to the east and south...
neighbourhood.
Surrounding neighbourhoods
Surrounding neighbourhoods include Queen Mary Park to the north, Central McDougall to the north east, and WestmountWestmount, Edmonton
Westmount is an established central-west residential neighbourhood in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Westmount is wedge shaped with the point in the wedge overlooking the North Saskatchewan River valley, and is geographically close to the downtown core...
to the west and north west. It is bounded on the west by 124 Street, on the north by 105 Ave, and on the east by 110 Street.