Although it fell on hard times during the 1970s, Alberta Avenue is undergoing revitalization and increasingly is becoming a desirable place to live due to its close proximity to the downtown core, reasonable house prices, and access to amenities such as public transit, the Commonwealth Recreation Centre, the Sprucewood Library and many family owned and bakeries. According to a report by the City of Edmonton's Planning & Development Department, 104 building permits were issued for Alberta Avenue in 2011 with a total construction value of 5,114,708. This was the highest number of permits issued for all the mature neighbourhoods studied. Alberta Avenue was targeted in 2006 for revitalization as part of the Alberta Avenue-Eastwood Business Revitalization Zone. In 2015, Alberta Avenue was rated #2 area in Edmonton for property investment by Avenue Magazine. The neighbourhood has an active community league, established in 1922, and a community newspaper, the Rat Creek Press. Recently, the Rat Creek Press launched the Alberta Avenue History Project to celebrate the rich past of the community. Alberta Avenue is also home to the Carrot Community Coffeehouse, a community gathering place. Much of the revitalization efforts are supported by the non-profit organization, Arts on the Ave and as a result, Alberta Avenue is increasingly becoming a center for Artists and arts activities in Edmonton. The Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts is located at 9225 Alberta Avenue and each year the community celebrates the Kaleido Family Arts Festival and the Deep Freeze Winter Festival. Alberta Avenue is bounded on the north by 122 Avenue, on the west by 97 Street, on the south by 111 Avenue, and on the east by 89 Street. Historically, only the areas north of 118 Avenue had been known as Alberta Avenue, with the area south of 118th being the separate community league of Norwood, which had also previously joined with the area that makes up present-day McCauley to form the Norwood-Patricia Square Community League.
Demographics
In the City of Edmonton's 2014 municipal census, Alberta Avenue had a population of living in dwellings, a +6.3% change from its 2012 population of. With a land area of, it had a population density of people/km2 in 2012. As seen in the table below, the demographics of the neighbourhood are changing rapidly. In 2001, just 4.5% of Alberta Avenue households made $100,000 or more, and by 2010 that number had swelled to 18.0%. Inversely, in 2001, households generating $49,999 or less accounted for 74.0% of all households, and by 2010, that had shrunk to 46.0%.
