Inglewood Community Reviews

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Inglewood Is Calgary’s Oldest Neighbourhood – And Growing When I first moved to Calgary in October 1980, the apartment vacancy rate in the city was extremely low. Under the gun to find a place to live, I took the first opportunity that came up – an old four-storey brick apartment building in Inglewood along 9th Avenue, the main drag. Little did I know. Inglewood is one of the most sought-after neighbourhoods in the city. The problems of the past are long gone as the inner-city community continues to gain popularity as an appealing place to live, work and play. Many people don’t realize this but according to the Inglewood BIA (Business Improvement Area), the community is Calgary’s oldest neighbourhood, established in 1875. “Originally known as East Calgary or Brewery Flats, the community was not officially given the name Inglewood until 1911, when it was named after the nearby homestead established by Col. James Walker. Inglewood is a community based along the Bow River, with a western boundary at the confluence of the Elbow and Bow rivers, across from Fort Calgary. It was developed by a group headed by Acheson Irvine, Major John Stewart and James Macleod. Atlantic Avenue, now Ninth Avenue, was the first “main street” in the city,” says the BIA on its website. “Today, the neighbourhood is a shopping and arts district with multiple parks and pathway system that runs adjacent to the river. Nature reserves include the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, the Bow Habitat Station, Inglewood Wildlands Park, and the Sam Livingston Fish Hatchery. It is directly across the Bow River from the Calgary Zoo, and St. Patrick’s Island, and across the Elbow river from Fort Calgary Historic Park. “Today, Inglewood promotes an arts and culture-filled district with more than 220 businesses, including shops, boutiques and eateries attracting locals and tourists alike. It is the home of Music Mile, Jazz YYC, Sunfest, Night Markets, Fringe Festival, Bleak Mid Winter Film Festival, and multiple events are hosted in Inglewood throughout the year. It boasts iconic Calgary live music venues like the Ironwood Stage and Grill (formerly The Garry Theatre), the Blues Can, and Festival Hall, the headquarters for the Calgary International Folk Festival.” Inglewood has been a lively residential and commercial hub in Calgary since 1875. It continues to be a vibrant, historic, pedestrian- oriented neighbourhood and home of many of Calgary’s iconic institutions, including 400 residential, institutional and commercial buildings constructed before 1914. Inglewood was designated by the Canadian Institute of Planners as Canada’s Greatest Community in 2014, says the BIA. Eric Drinkwater, a realtor with RE/MAX Real Estate (Central), has been busy of late in the Inglewood real estate market with new breweries and new restaurants in the area adding to the neighbourhood’s appeal. “It’s the lifestyle, village setting. I think that’s really caught on for a lot of people. People want to be there. The condo market is a little saturated downtown. Inglewood is downtown but being like your little inner-city village, enclave area, it kind of sets itself apart from that,” says Drinkwater. “These condo developments, both new and resale, have definitely been experiencing stronger sales throughout downtown Calgary. “People love the inner-city lifestyle. You have breweries within walking distance. You have five-star restaurants. You have the bird sanctuary for your day trips with the family. Tons of parks and pathway systems. The whole village lifestyle. “You get all the perks of being close to downtown, being right in the core, but you’re just off of it a little bit. People see it as a better lifestyle I think. It’s not a concrete jungle. You have your parks, your pathways, your bike paths. Some of the breweries are letting you take your dogs in.”