Garneau is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the city ofEdmonton. Prior to 1912, it was part of the City of Strathcona. It is named after one of its first inhabitants, Laurent Garneau, a former Manitoba Métis rebel and Hudson's Bay Company employee who with his wife and family settled there around 1874. It is located just west of the Strathcona neighbourhood and just east of the main University of Alberta campus. The neighbourhood overlooks the North Saskatchewan River valley. In the river valley immediately below Garneau are the Kinsmen Park, the Kinsmen Sport Centre, and the John Walter Museum. The central location of the neighbourhood also gives residents access to downtown Edmonton, Whyte Avenue, and many other areas of the city. The Garneau community is home to three playgrounds, one located beside the Community Arts Centre, west of 109th street and 84th avenue, and two on the property of the Garneau Elementary School on 109th street and 87th avenue, one specifically designed for toddlers and preschoolers.
Demographics
In the City of Edmonton's 2012 municipal census, Garneau had a population of living in dwellings, a 5.1% change from its 2009 population of. With a land area of, it had a population density of people/km2 in 2012.
Residential development
There are many high rise condominiums buildings with five or more stories and low rise apartments buildings with fewer than five stories in the neighbourhood. Most of these are rented, making Garneau an attractive location for students at the University of Alberta to live. There are also many historically designated sites in the neighbourhood.
Garnaeu is a stop on the High Level Bridge Streetcar route. There are several bus routes running in the area, considering its proximity to Whyte Avenue and the University of Alberta. They are: 4, 7, 9, 57, 94 and 313. University LRT station is always within 1.4 km of Garneau regardless of where you are in the neighbourhood. Cycling is a popular form of transport, considering the density, expense of car parking on some roads, and the number of low volume quiet side roads.
