West End, Winnipeg

The West End is a mostly residential area of Downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It includes the neighbourhoods of Armstrong's Point, Colony, Daniel McIntyre, Minto, Sargent Park, Spence, St. Matthews, West Broadway, and Wolseley. The area is bordered by Route 62 (Osborne, Memorial, Colony, and Balmoral Streets) on the east, St. James Street on the west, the Assiniboine River on the south, and Notre Dame Avenue on the north.

In 2011, the population of the West End was 46,140. Historically, the area was home to large German, Scandinavian, and Icelandic communities. Contrast between neighbourhoods in the West End is extreme. Armstrong's Point is one of Winnipeg's most affluent neighbourhoods with a median household income of $89,887; West Broadway is located directly north of Armstrong's Point, and has a median household income of $25,877. Provincially, the electoral map of Manitoba was redrawn in 2019. The West End is now divided into the following four electoral districts, all represented by Manitoba NDP members: Wolseley (Lisa Naylor), St. James (Adrien Sala), Notre Dame (Malaya Marcelino), and Union Station (Uzoma Asagwara). Federally, the West End is within the Winnipeg Centre electoral district and is represented by Leah Gazan (NDP).

The development of the West End as a residential expansion came during one of Winnipeg's largest periods of growth between 1890–1895 and 1900–1912. The area was originally a part of the Parish of St. James until the boundary of the City of Winnipeg was extended to St. James Street from Maryland Street (formerly Boundary Road) in 1882. Development of the area as a working and middle class residential area began in the late 19th century and continued through the 1920s until the area was completely built up. The area developed rapidly due to its proximity to Downtown Winnipeg, and, unlike Winnipeg's North End, the mainline of the Canadian Pacific Railway did not impose a physical barrier between the West End and Downtown. The area was also well served by the city's street railway system with lines on Portage Avenue, Sargent Avenue, Sherbrook Street, and Arlington Street. The industrial area located adjacent to the railway spur between Wall and Erin Streets provided employment for many West End residents. The West End was considered Ward Two in the old City of Winnipeg and was seen as the "swing riding" between the affluent and conservative Ward One and overwhelmingly socialist Ward Three, which comprised the North End and Elmwood. Parts of the area declined in the years following World War II as many families moved to Winnipeg's suburbs and some of the housing stock was converted to rooming houses and became dilapidated. During the 1970s, crime became a serious problem in portions of the West End. Since the 1980s, a notable revitalization of the neighbourhoods has been made. Numerous urban beautification projects have been undertaken and in 1987, the West End Cultural Centre was founded in an old church at Ellice Avenue and Sherbrook Street. Much of the West End has experienced a sharp 'renaissance' in recent years. Average home price in the West End shot up 31% faster than Winnipeg's average between the years of 2000 to 2011. During this time frame, the average value of a West End home increased 12.4% year over year. In contrast, the average home value in the City of Winnipeg as a whole increased 9.5% year over year in that same time frame.

Colony takes its name from one of its main roads, Colony Street, which in turn was named for Colony Creek. In the early days of Winnipeg, Colony Creek drained a section of the prairie from near what is now Notre Dame Avenue to the river.

The neighbourhood was named after Daniel McIntyre, a public official and educator credited with developing Winnipeg's school system. It is bounded to the north by Notre Dame Avenue, east by Victor Street, south by Ellice Avenue, and west by Ingersoll Street.

The Minto neighbourhood was named for Governor General of Canada Gilbert John Elliott Murray, Fourth Earl of Minto (1845 1914). To the north is Notre Dame Avenue, from Victor to Balmoral Street. To the west, the boundary runs along Victor Street from Notre Dame to Portage Avenue. To the east, the boundary runs along Balmoral from Notre Dame to Ellice Avenue. On to Ellice, it continues west until Young Street, from where it goes south until Portage. To the south is Portage Avenue, from Victor and Young Street.

The table below shows the crime rates of various crimes in each of the West End neighborhoods. The crime data spans 5 years, from the year 2017 to the year 2021. The rates are crimes per 100,000 residents per year. +Crime Rates per 100,000 people in West End Neighborhoods, 2017 2021NeighborhoodPop. HomicideRate RobberyRateAgr. Aslt. RateCmn. Aslt. RateUtt. Threat RatePropertyRateArmstrong Point370154.13162.200.08432.4154.11387,459.5Colony645131.0621,922.5631,953.51434,434.123713.21,07233,240.3Daniel McIntyre10,0751427.85841,159.36371,264.57901,568.2125248.14,4368,806.0Minto5,72000.070244.852181.8112391.637129.42,4698,632.9Sargent Park6,18013.248155.352168.3121391.635113.32,4477,919.1Spence4,4151254.43331,508.55622,545.96863,107.6106480.23,39415,374.9St. Matthews5,770620.8272942.8276956.74241,469.7112388.24,02613,954.9West Broadway5,010416.0214854.32821,125.74921,964.1100399.23,80715,197.6Wolseley7,805820.578199.973187.1188481.752133.22,9837,643.8West End45,9904720.51,664723.61997868.429641,289.0591257.024,77210,772.8