Athlone, located north of the CNR tracks in North Edmonton, can be thought of as not the most-ideally located neighbourhood in the city. With a railroad, industry, and perceived crime problems, I made that assumption myself before I toured this neighbourhood. Needless to say, I was surprised. Well-kept homes, infill development, and even a piece of suburbia in the middle of the city is what I found…
Athlone is bounded on the north by 132 Ave, on the east by 127 St., on the south by the CNR tracks, and on the west by St. Albert Trail.
The Alberta Grain Terminal dominates the skyline of this community, giving it an element of grit and industry.
Infill housing is taking root in this part of the city, taking advantage of proximity to downtown and the Northwest Industrial Park, as wellas cheaper housing prices. What a monster house!
Mixed in with the infill is original 1950’s bungalows, some of which can be quite eclectic in design. Oh, the days before neighbourhood association rules!
I was essentially walking through your typical post WWII neighbourhood when I came across something … startling. A huge piece of post 2000’s suburbia smack-dab in the middle of the city! Houses that looked the same, along curvy streets … I felt like I was back in Calgary, in my sister’s suburban neighbourhood of Hidden Valley, minus the hills.
One of the sublimely appealing aspects of Athlone is how it melds with the railroad and industrial area south of the neighbourhood. While it must be loud to have an active freight rail line running behind your home, the train whistle is one of those things that sends a chill down my spine! The grain elevator looks pretty cool too!
Overall, Athlone has lots of prototypical starter homes, in addition to infill homes being built. While there may be a crime problem on 127 st (I was getting a Coke in a convienence store on 127 st, and the kid behind me got a Coke after me. As I was paying for my drink, he slipped cooly out the door!), the neighbourhood is throughly patrolled by police (there were no less than 4 cruisers that passed by me while I toured the area). IMHO, the aesthetic of the grain elevator and the railroad makes this place a unique place to live!
Oscar the Cat says “thanks for visiting my neighbourhood, bye now!”
Posted in neighbourhood tours | Tags: Athlone, cats, Edmonton, exterior design, grain elevators, infill housing, neighborhood tours, railroad
