Whyte Ridge, Winnipeg
Encyclopedia
Whyte Ridge is a residential subdivision of approximately 1500 homes in the southwest corner of the city of Winnipeg
, Manitoba
, Canada
. The subdivision was built on former farmland, just south of a small townsite that was historically known as Fort Whyte. The first homes in the subdivision were constructed in 1986. The final homes in the subdivision were constructed in 2007.
The name of the neighbourhood was derived from William Whyte, who led a "bloodless battle" over railway rights in 1888 on land that is adjacent to the neighbourhood.
Subsequent to the battle of Fort Whyte, a small townsite called "Fort Whyte" appeared, which included a few dozen homes and a grain elevator. The grain elevator was disassembled in the 1980s, but the original homes of the townsite are still found in Whyte Ridge along McGillivray Boulevard, just to the north of the newer subdivision. Residents of these older homes are considered to be a part of Whyte Ridge, and are part of the Whyte Ridge Community Centre catchment region (as are residents of the small subdivision called Linden Ridge, found to the East of Whyte Ridge across Kenaston Boulevard).
Two large man-made lakes were excavated for the development and a ridge was created from the earth that was removed. The lakes are simply named East Lake and West Lake. While no fish have been stocked in either lake, because they drain out to the Red River through underground pipes, fish have made their way into the lakes. Brown Bullhead
, Carp
and Northern Pike
are some of the species of fish that have been identified in the lakes. The lakes are also a popular hangout for Canada Geese
, Pelicans, Mallard Ducks, Coots, and assorted other foul, many of which come to Whyte Ridge from the nearby FortWhyte Alive
Wildlife Centre.
The neighbourhood contains an elementary school (kindergarten to Grade 4) called Whyte Ridge School, and a middle school (Grades 5-9) called Henry G. Izaat ("HGI") School. Both schools are found on Scurfield
Boulevard. Both schools have full sized soccer fields and basketball hoops which are used by the community. In addition, HGI sports a softball diamond on its grounds.
Whyte Ridge has a community centre located on Fleetwood Road. It currently contains a clubhouse, toboggan slide, full sized soccer field, tyke sized soccer field, outdoor basketball court and outdoor hockey rink, along with two parking lots. Further development of the community centre site is in the planning stages.
The neighbourhood has five playgrounds. One is found adjacent to the community centre on Cloverwood Road, one is found near HGI School adjacent to the Softball Diamond, two are found at Whyte Ridge Elementary School, and one is found to the South of the East Lake, on Columbia Drive.
The neighbourhood currently has one church, namely the Whyte Ridge Baptist church on Scurfield Boulevard at Apple Hill Road. The Whyte Ridge Baptist church congregation has bought land north of Whyte Ridge on McGillivray Boulevard, where a larger church is planned. In addition, St. Gianna's Catholic Church is being planned on vacant land that borders McGillivray Boulevard, Columbia Drive and Scurfield Boulevard. Lastly, a Presbityrian church is planned next door to St. Gianna's on McGillivray Boulevard. There is no estimated time of construction for any of these churches.
Adjacent to the neighbourhood but within the geographic area of the subdivision are two gas stations. A Shell station and convenience store is located at the corner of Scurfield Boulevard and Kenaston Boulevard. A Petro-Canada gas station, convenience store and A&W Drive-through restaurant is located at McGillivray Boulevard and Kenaston Boulevard. In addition, next to the Petro-Canada station is a 12 screen Cinema City second run movie theatre which borders Columbia Drive and Scurfield Boulevard.
Just outside of the subdivision's limits are several retailers and restaurants located in at least four distinct retail developments (Kenaston Crossing, Kenaston Common, Linden Ridge Mall and Whyte Ridge Mall). Among the anchor tenants at these malls are Wal-mart
, Canadian Tire
, Safeway
, Costco
and Sobeys
. The malls also contain several smaller stores, a dozen restaurants, and several financial services and insurance broker offices.
Whyte Ridge residents of note include World Champion curler Cathy Overton-Clapham
.
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...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, 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 subdivision was built on former farmland, just south of a small townsite that was historically known as Fort Whyte. The first homes in the subdivision were constructed in 1986. The final homes in the subdivision were constructed in 2007.
The name of the neighbourhood was derived from William Whyte, who led a "bloodless battle" over railway rights in 1888 on land that is adjacent to the neighbourhood.
Subsequent to the battle of Fort Whyte, a small townsite called "Fort Whyte" appeared, which included a few dozen homes and a grain elevator. The grain elevator was disassembled in the 1980s, but the original homes of the townsite are still found in Whyte Ridge along McGillivray Boulevard, just to the north of the newer subdivision. Residents of these older homes are considered to be a part of Whyte Ridge, and are part of the Whyte Ridge Community Centre catchment region (as are residents of the small subdivision called Linden Ridge, found to the East of Whyte Ridge across Kenaston Boulevard).
Two large man-made lakes were excavated for the development and a ridge was created from the earth that was removed. The lakes are simply named East Lake and West Lake. While no fish have been stocked in either lake, because they drain out to the Red River through underground pipes, fish have made their way into the lakes. Brown Bullhead
Brown bullhead
The brown bullhead, Ameiurus nebulosus, is a fish of the Ictaluridae family that is widely distributed in North America. It is a species of bullhead catfish and is similar to the black bullhead and yellow bullhead...
, Carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
and Northern Pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
are some of the species of fish that have been identified in the lakes. The lakes are also a popular hangout for Canada Geese
Canada Goose
The Canada Goose is a wild goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, having a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body....
, Pelicans, Mallard Ducks, Coots, and assorted other foul, many of which come to Whyte Ridge from the nearby FortWhyte Alive
FortWhyte Alive
FortWhyte Alive is an environmental, education and recreation center in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The large park and recreation facility is located in southwest Winnipeg along the migratory path of Canada Geese....
Wildlife Centre.
The neighbourhood contains an elementary school (kindergarten to Grade 4) called Whyte Ridge School, and a middle school (Grades 5-9) called Henry G. Izaat ("HGI") School. Both schools are found on Scurfield
Ralph Thomas Scurfield
Ralph Thomas Scurfield, B.Sc , the son of Ralph and Ann Scurfield . He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba in 1948. He was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Nu-West Group Limited , and was an original owner of the Calgary Flames...
Boulevard. Both schools have full sized soccer fields and basketball hoops which are used by the community. In addition, HGI sports a softball diamond on its grounds.
Whyte Ridge has a community centre located on Fleetwood Road. It currently contains a clubhouse, toboggan slide, full sized soccer field, tyke sized soccer field, outdoor basketball court and outdoor hockey rink, along with two parking lots. Further development of the community centre site is in the planning stages.
The neighbourhood has five playgrounds. One is found adjacent to the community centre on Cloverwood Road, one is found near HGI School adjacent to the Softball Diamond, two are found at Whyte Ridge Elementary School, and one is found to the South of the East Lake, on Columbia Drive.
The neighbourhood currently has one church, namely the Whyte Ridge Baptist church on Scurfield Boulevard at Apple Hill Road. The Whyte Ridge Baptist church congregation has bought land north of Whyte Ridge on McGillivray Boulevard, where a larger church is planned. In addition, St. Gianna's Catholic Church is being planned on vacant land that borders McGillivray Boulevard, Columbia Drive and Scurfield Boulevard. Lastly, a Presbityrian church is planned next door to St. Gianna's on McGillivray Boulevard. There is no estimated time of construction for any of these churches.
Adjacent to the neighbourhood but within the geographic area of the subdivision are two gas stations. A Shell station and convenience store is located at the corner of Scurfield Boulevard and Kenaston Boulevard. A Petro-Canada gas station, convenience store and A&W Drive-through restaurant is located at McGillivray Boulevard and Kenaston Boulevard. In addition, next to the Petro-Canada station is a 12 screen Cinema City second run movie theatre which borders Columbia Drive and Scurfield Boulevard.
Just outside of the subdivision's limits are several retailers and restaurants located in at least four distinct retail developments (Kenaston Crossing, Kenaston Common, Linden Ridge Mall and Whyte Ridge Mall). Among the anchor tenants at these malls are Wal-mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
, Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited is one of Canada's 60 largest publicly traded companies. The firm operates an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retailing hardgoods, apparel and petroleum as well as financial and automotive services, employing more than 58,000 people across Canada...
, Safeway
Safeway Inc.
Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
, Costco
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...
and Sobeys
Sobeys
Sobeys is the second largest food retailer in Canada, with over 1,300 supermarkets operating under a variety of banners. Headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, it operates stores in all ten provinces and accumulated sales of more than $14 billion CAD in 2009...
. The malls also contain several smaller stores, a dozen restaurants, and several financial services and insurance broker offices.
Whyte Ridge residents of note include World Champion curler Cathy Overton-Clapham
Cathy Overton-Clapham
Cathy Overton-Clapham is a Canadian curler...
.