Avalon, Saskatoon

Avalon
Neighbourhood
Avalon Shopping Centre Avalon Shopping Centre
Avalon location map Avalon location map
Coordinates:
Country	Canada
Province	Saskatchewan
City	Saskatoon
Suburban Development Area	Nutana
Neighbourhood	Avalon
Annexed	1910-1919
Construction	1946-1970
Government
• Type	Municipal (Ward 7)
• Administrative body	Saskatoon City Council
• Councillor	Bob Pringle
Area
• Total	1.46 km2 (0.56 sq mi)
Population (2007)
• Total	3,214
• Average Income	$65,000
Time zone	UTC (UTC-6)
Website	Avalon Community Association

Avalon is a mostly residential neighbourhood located in south-central Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is a suburban subdivision, consisting mostly of low-density, single detached dwellings. As of 2007, the area is home to 3,214 residents. The neighbourhood is considered a middle-income area, with an average family income of $65,000, an average dwelling value of $168,444 and a home ownership rate of 77.3%. According to MLS data, the average sale price of a home as of 2013 was $352,359.

History

File:John Lake Park.jpg

John Lake Park

Most of the land for the neighbourhood was annexed by the city between 1910 and 1919, with the remaining southern piece annexed between 1960 and 1969. A 1913 map shows that the present-day Avalon area overlaps three registered subdivisions of the day: Avalon in the northwest, Pacific Addition in the east and railway stock yards in the south. Home construction, however, did not begin in earnest until after World War II. The layout of the streets reflects the changing urban planning philosophies of the day as the land was developed. The north part of the neighbourhood follows a traditional grid pattern. By the 1950s, the design of residential neighbourhoods used a modern system of curving residential streets, feeding into collector roads that connected to arterial roads. Thus, the southern part of the neighbourhood follows this design practice.

John Lake School was opened in 1958. Georges Vanier School was opened that same year, and renovated in 1963.

Residential build-out in Avalon was mostly completed by the late 1960s, however some additional residential development occurred south of Glasgow Street and west of Clarence Avenue in the mid-1990s, along with some limited remnant development west of Melrose Avenue in the 1980s. As noted below, plans for the southwest extension of Circle Drive initially caused some concern; construction of an interchange at Clarence Avenue and Circle, in the planning since the 1960s, was completed by the late 2000s, facilitating resident access to the freeway and to the Stonebridge commercial area to the southeast.

Government and politics

Avalon exists within the federal electoral district of Blackstrap. It is currently represented by Lynne Yelich of the Conservative Party of Canada, first elected in 2000 and re-elected in 2004 and 2006.

Provincially, the neighbourhood is within the boundaries of the Saskatoon Eastview constituency. It is currently represented by Judy Junor of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party, first elected in 1998 and re-elected in 1999, 2003 and 2007.

In Saskatoon's non-partisan municipal politics, Avalon lies within ward 7. It is currently represented by Councillor Bob Pringle, who was elected to city council in 2006 and re-elected by acclamation in 2009. Previously, he served in provincial politics as the NDP MLA for Saskatoon Eastview from 1988 to 1998.

Institutions

Education

Georges Vanier Catholic Fine Arts School
250px
Location
820 Wilson Crescent Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7J 2M4 Canada
Information
Type	Elementary, Fine Arts focus
Religious affiliation(s)	Catholic
Opened	1958 (1958)
School board	Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools
Principal	Don Remizowski
Vice Principal	Laura Cey
Grades	Kindergarten to Grade 8
Enrollment	347 (2015)
Education system	Separate
Language	English
Feeder to	Holy Cross High School
Website	Georges Vanier Catholic Fine Arts School

John Lake School
250px
Location
2606 Broadway Avenue Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7J 0Z6 Canada
Information
Type	Elementary
Opened	1958 (1958)
School board	Saskatoon Public School Division
Principal	Kendall Pierce
Vice Principal	Marilyn Black
Enrollment	244 (2015)
Education system	Public
Feeder to	Aden Bowman Collegiate
Website	John Lake School

• Georges Vanier Catholic Fine Arts School - separate (Catholic) elementary, part of Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools Originally opened in 1958 as Christ the King School, it was renamed in honor of Georges Vanier in 1967. In 1979, it became the first designated fine arts school in Saskatchewan. The school began major expansion and renovation during 2014 which was completed by the fall of 2015.
• John Lake School - public elementary school, part of the Saskatoon Public School Division. The school was constructed in 1959.
• Avalon is also served by Aden Bowman Collegiate, located a few blocks to the north of John Lake School.

Parks and recreation

• C.P. Seeley Park (1.3 acres)
• John Lake Park (4.1 acres)
• Avalon Park (4.2 acres)

The Avalon Community Association exists to represent the educational, recreational, and social needs of residents, to promote a sense of community and enhance quality of life in the area.

Public services

Avalon is a part of the east division of the Saskatoon Police Service's patrol system. Saskatoon Fire & Protective Services' east division covers the neighbourhood. Transit services to Avalon are provided by Saskatoon Transit on routes No. 6 (Clarence - Broadway) and 13 (Lawson - Exhibition).

Commercial

The main commercial development is the Avalon Shopping Centre, a strip mall located on the corner of Broadway Avenue and Cascade Street. There are also two small commercial areas along Ruth Street: one between Lorne and Vernon Avenues, and another at Melrose Avenue. In addition, there are 40 home-based businesses in the neighbourhood. It is also separated by an interchange from the Stonebridge "big-box" shopping centre to the immediate southeast.

Location

Avalon is located within the Nutana Suburban Development Area. It is bounded by Ruth Street to the north, Circle Drive to the south, Idylwyld Drive to west, and Clarence Avenue to the east. Roads are laid in a grid fashion in the north part of the neighbourhood, while the south part features crescents and cul-de-sacs.

Vernon Avenue is a local oddity. On maps it is a one-block long one-way street for northbound traffic between Bute and Ruth Streets. It actually begins at Bute Street as the back alley for houses along McPherson Avenue to the east. It then merges with the Idylwyld Freeway offramp to become a true road until terminating at Ruth Street. St. George Avenue in the neighbouring Exhibition neighbourhood is similarly used as the southbound exit from the Idylwyld Freeway to Ruth Street. The combination of houses and exiting freeway traffic makes this type of street a rarity in Saskatoon.

Early planning for the southwestern extension of Circle Drive led to some concerns as early concepts for the proposed flyover interchange with Idylwyld Freeway would have required demolition of many homes on or near Glasgow Street. The final design, which opened to traffic on July 31, 2013, sacrificed some greenspace in the southwest corner of the community, and the construction of sound attenuation fencing, but otherwise required no home demolition.

External links

• Avalon neighbourhood profile - 2007
• Avalon Community Association