Neighbourhoods of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
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There are various neighbourhoods within the city of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
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[edit] Brighton
Located in proximity to downtown, with many houses overlooking the Charlottetown Harbour Brighton is Charlottetown's most prestigious neighborhood. Made up of some houses as old as 100 years, as well as continuing new development from the 1970s to today. Technically, all streets south of North River Road form Brighton. However, houses closest to the water tend to be larger, the most prestigious as well as the most expensive. Prices of homes in the Brighton area range from the low 200 thousands, to over 1 million. Mature tree lined Queen Elizabeth Drive, which runs along the charlottetown harbour is the neighborhood's, and probably the city's most sought after street with very large older tudor and colonial style homes. Other notable streets in the neighborhood are Brittany Drive, Malahu Drive & Edinburgh Lane. Brighton is by far the most desirable neighbourhood in the city, especially with upscale affluent, executive families due to the proximity to city schools. As of 2006 undeveloped building lots have been known to sell for as high as $200,000.
[edit] Spring Park
Located on the other side (to the North) of North River Road is the neighbourhood of Spring Park This neighborhood is also made up of many large homes, however there are also smaller more afforable bungalows. SpringPark is popular with upper middle-class families, due to proximity to city schools. Homes here range from $150,000-$300,000.
[edit] Lewis Point
Located across the Ellen creek from Brighton, Divided by Beach Grove Road, is the neighbourhood of Lewis Point, made up of subdivisions Lewis Point Park and Orchard Hill. Like Brighton, some of the cities largest homes are found in Lewis Point Park, it is among the most desirable areas. Homes In Lewis Point Park range from the Low 200 thousands, all the way up to approximately $800,000. To the North of Beach Grove Road, is Orchard Hill, though there are some larger upscale homes located in a cluster at the back of the neighborhood, close to Maypoint Road. This neighborhood is decidedly more middle class. As of 2006 homes for sale here were going for as little as $130,000, but in places, as high as $400,000.
[edit] West Royalty
Going further out of the city, where North River Road, turns into Malpeque Road and separated from Lewis Point by The North River causeway, a busy four lane highway which connects suburban town "Cornwall" to Charlottetown is the area known as West Royalty . This area has seen rapid growth from the 1970's and is still expanding quite quickly today. This area is made up of subdivisions Grace Christian , Gates Subdivision , Bell Heights , Richmond Hill , Park West , Upton park , and the newest addition Sandlewood Park . This neighborhood is most popular with young, middle class families. Most homes in this area were built and then sold, as opposed to being custom built. There is an overwhelming amount of "Split-Entry" style houses here. The area's rapid growth, especially in the past five years can be largely attributed to the construction of a new elementary school, behind the Bell Heights Subdivision. Homes in this area generally range from $150,000-$250,000.
[edit] Sherwood
Traveling eastbound on Charlottetown's four lane, undivided arterial highway know as "The Bypass" Finds the neighborhood of Sherwood. The Sherwood area is by far Charlottetown's largest area of residential development. Most homes in the area were built in the 1970s and 1980s, however some are newer. Sherwood is a middle class neighbourhood, however some of the newers homes, built in the last ten years have been larger and more upscale. Named after Sherwood Forest from the Robin Hood series. Homes in Sherwood are built around beautiful, mature trees. Most streets in sherwood are names of trees. Pine Dr, Ash Dr, Maple Dr etc. Many of Sherwood's early built homes are traditional, wellkept bungalows. Making many homes in Sherwood quite afforable, expect to find bungalows for as little as $130,000 but keep in mind some of the larger two storey homes sell for as high as $300,000.
[edit] Parkdale
Sherwood's sister neighbourhood, right next door, is Parkdale. Parkdale saw most of its development in the 1950s and 1960s. Parkdale was Charlottetown's first real "suburban" neighborhood, not being located right in the city centre. Even though it has been 12 years since Charlottetown amalgamated to included out lying areas, many longtime residents of Parkdale still refer to traveling to downtown as "going into town" or "going into Charlottetown." Parkdale is a lower middle class neighborhood. In addition to residential, there are also large amounts of commercial and industrial businesses. Several of Charlottetown's car dealerships are located in this neighbourhood. Parkdale is also home to the Charlottetown Driving Park, which now includes a "Racino". The vast majority of homes in Parkdale are older, interesting bungalows with character. Homes in the area range in price from $120,000-$180,000.
[edit] East Royalty
Divided from Parkdale by The Bypass, is the area of East Royalty. This neighbourhood is dominated by the Hillsborough Park subdivision. This area is conveniently located directly off The Bypass, giving it easy access. This neighborhood is made up of many apartment buildings, townhouses, duplexes, as well as some single family homes. The subdivision was built in two phases about 15 years apart, meaning houses on phase one's Main Street - "Northridge Parkway" are noticeably older than homes on the second Main Street - "Westcomb Crescent". This is a strictly working class neighborhood, and is generally not well regarded by those who live outside it. However it is well known for being a very good value, making this neighborhood attractive to young families, just starting out.
Hillsborough Park as developed by the provincial government as a subsidized housing experiment, thus many of the houses are of similar style, resulting in a "Cookie Cutter" feel. Townhouses/duplexes in Hillsborough Park can still be purchased for as low as $70,000. Single family homes range from $100,000 for a three bedroom bungalow, to about $130,000 for a two storey or split-level. There are a few smaller subdivions within the East Royalty area, containing homes slightly more upscale than those of Hillsborough Park. Homes in these areas are typically in the $150,000-$200,000 range. The northern part of the neighborhood houses the local Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints where all the neighborhood skaters can be found. East Royalty extends along St.Peters road and through areas containing McRae Drive, MacWilliams Road and East Royalty Road where there has been several new subdivision constructed. Jardine Street and Horseshoe Hills have seen houses constructed which range from $150,000 to $400,000.
[edit] Downtown Charlottetown
Downtown Charlottetown is slowly experiencing an economic and cultural revival as an increasing number of young families and professionals move into and renovate the Victorian homes that this diverse neighborhood is known for. In addition to existing gentrification, there has been a campaign in recent years to attract people back into the downtown core and this has been largely successful. This is due in part to the new public transit system, higher gas prices, a new crackdown on crime as well as a new downtown grocery store. Charlottetown residents are now experiencing the trend seen across North America, that is a renewed interest in "downtown living" as a backlash against the new construction and homogeneity of the suburbs. Two new upscale downtown condo developments are currently under construction and the downtown waterfront is being slated for development. Houses in Downtown Charlottetown range from $100,000 for small one and a half story homes that need work to $400,000 for large renovated heritage homes. Previously, most of the housing in downtown Charlottetown was comprised of lower class rental apartment buildings. Today, there are many professionals buying and renovating these inexpensive heritage properties, particularly near the harbour and walking to work rather than commuting from the suburbs.
[edit] Towns Surrounding the city
Located on either side of Charlottetown are suburban towns of Stratford (population approx 7,500) and Cornwall (population approx 5,000).
[edit] Stratford
Stratford is located on the eastern boundary of Charlottetown and is generally regarded as its wealthy suburb due to the large concentration of upscale subdivisions overlooking the city's waterfront. Some of the homes in Stratford are comparable in size and price to those in Charlottetown's wealthy Brighton neighbourhood. Overall Stratford is upper-middle class, but has many pockets of very rich residential districts. Upscale areas include Tea Hill, Keppoch and Kinlock. There is a major chain grocery store in Stratford, as well as a national home improvement chain store. Several restaurants, schools, and shopping plazas, make Startford practically self contained. Stratford has grown steadily since the 1970s and is currently experiencing a boom in new construction of single family homes, as well as upscale condominiums and townhouses. Stratford is currently the fastest growing municipality in Prince Edward Island (6% growth over 10 years) although this is quite modest by North American standards. Due to the popularity of Stratford homes have grown to be relatively expensive, expect to pay about $20,000 more for a similar house in stratford compared to say, sherwood, for example. Homes in Stratford range from about $150,000-$1 million. The neighborhoods in the town are more smartly planned, and tend to include only homes of similar value. You will not find a $150,000 bungalow next to a large $600,000 home, as you might in some of Charlottetown's subdivisions.
[edit] Cornwall
Cornwallis located on the western boundary of Charlottetown. Cornwall has many neighborhoods ranging from lower working class rental housing, found on streets such as Lower Drive, to upper middle class neighborhoods like Southgate, Elliott Park and Primrose Point. Cornwall has some services such as a small grocery store, hair salon, and some fast food chains, however most people travel to Charlottetown to make major purchases. Overall Cornwall is a middle class community with homes ranging from $100,000-$300,000.
