Central Park (Winnipeg)
| Central Park | |
|---|---|
| Neighbourhood | |
 Location of Central Park within Winnipeg | |
| Country |
 Canada |
| Province |
 Manitoba |
| City | Winnipeg |
| Area | |
| • Land | 0.2 km2 (0.08 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 3,555 |
| • Density | 15,277.3/km2 (39,568/sq mi) |
| Racial Group | |
| • White | 24.8% |
| • Aboriginal | 21.5% |
| • Visible minority | 53.7% |
| Locations Type | Location |
| • Neighbourhood Cluster | Downtown East |
| • Community Area | Downtown |
| • Police District | District 1 |
| • City Council Ward | Daniel McIntyre |
| [1] | |
Central Park is a large urban park located in Downtown Winnipeg, and forms the heart of the neighbourhood of the same name. The area is bound by Notre Dame Ave. to the north, Ellice Ave. to the south, Donald St. to the east and Balmoral St. to the west. Everything within the neighbourhood's one-kilometre loop can be reached within eight minutes on foot.
70 per cent of all refugees coming to Winnipeg live downtown, in and around the Central Park area.[2]
It's one of Winnipeg's most densely populated neighbourhoods with around 13,755 people per square km according to Statistics Canada's 2001 Census.[2]
Culture and Entertainment
Central Park is home to many different ethnicities including Vietnamese, Arabs, Chinese, First Nations, Filipinos, with a majority from Africa.[2]
Because of the growing African population, the area has been transforming in recent years, giving it a new sense of community and culture. Its Central Market for Global Families is a summer outdoor market that sells handmade and imported African clothing, beadwork, handicrafts, weavings, art, as well as organic produce [including some African/tropical greens raised by local residents on a community garden at University of Manitoba]
Live entertainment fills the air in Central Park on warm Friday nights throughout the summer and are a significant aspect to the markets on Saturday. Special events attract hundreds of people to the park on World Refugee Day in June, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in July [led by a newcomer-aboriginal coalition] and Central Park Revival.
Demographics and Crime
In 2006, the population of Central Park was 3,555 people.[1] Central Park does not have a majority racial group; it is 24.8% White, 21.5% Aboriginal and 53.7% visible minorities; 20.0% Black, 16.6% Southeast Asian, 6.2% Arab/West Asian, 5.4% East Asian and the rest made up of other groups in lower populations. Central Park is 0.2 km squared, which has a population density of 15,277.3 people per square km.
Central Park is a lower-income neighbourhood, with a median household income of $18,473, about one-third the city's median household income of $49,790. There are 1,950 dwellings, only 10.8% which are owned and the average dwelling is worth $58,388. 6.7% of these dwellings are in need of major repairs.
Central Park also has a higher crime rate than the city as a whole. In 2012, there was one homicide making the rate per 100,000 residents 28.1. For other crimes, the rates per 100,000 follow as; 2025.3 for robbery, 84.4 for sexual assaults, 534.5 for break and enters and 281.3 for auto thefts.[3]
Architecture
The Waddell Fountain commemorates Emily Margaret Waddell, who died in 1908. It is a rare example of the High Victorian style in Manitoba, and is based on the 1844 Gothic Revival monument in Edinburgh for Romantic poet Sir Walter Scott.
In her will, Emily Waddell stipulated that if her husband Thomas remarried, he must donate $10,000 to the city to construct a fountain. Thomas Waddell, who did remarry, raised the money in 1914.
Local architect John Manuel, who also designed structures at the University of Manitoba, was tasked with designing the Waddell Fountain. He would later move to Alberta in 1927 to oversee construction of Canadian Pacific Railway hotels in Banff and Lake Louise.
Buildings around Central Park feature a diverse range of architectural styles and densities, coexisting with various shops and services. The YM-YMCA building, Knox United Church, Calvary Temple, and a number of area schools provide a strong institutional component for families and senior citizens. Other landmark buildings are The International Centre, Welcome Place, and Edohei, considered to be Manitoba's first sushi restaurant.
References
- 1 2 http://winnipeg.ca/census/2006/Community%20Areas/Downtown%20Neighbourhood%20Cluster/Neighbourhoods/Downtown%20East/Downtown%20East%20Neighbourhoods/Central%20Park/Central%20Park.pdf
- 1 2 3 Canadian Broadcasting Channel. "CBC Manitoba - Features - Urban Myths - Central Park". CBC News. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
- ↑ http://www.winnipeg.ca/crimestat/
External links
Coordinates: 49°53′46″N 97°08′55″W / 49.896°N 97.1485°W