I Want to Live on Alberta Avenue
The alternate title for this post could be: Todd Babiak’s opinion holds too much influence over me.
Actually, that’s not entirely true. I’ve been considering looking for a house on or near Alberta Avenue (118th Avenue) for a while now. Todd’s column—Arts on the Ave brings soul to the city—in the Edmonton Journal today just made me want to find a home in that area even more.
I’ll be honest, one of the main reasons that I want to live on Alberta Avenue is the price. Homes in that area are much more affordable than in most other parts of the city. This is partly because it is considered a bad neighbourhood.
This is true to some extent, but the area has been cleaned up a lot in recent years, and is experiencing something of a renaissance. The arts community has been slowly moving into the area for the past few years, as it’s been one of the only areas that starving artists have been able to afford a home.
This influx of artistic types has created a strong community, and this community has been actively working to clean up the neighbourhood, and turn it into a great place to live and work. This not only means that Alberta Avenue is no longer the crappy neighbourhood it once was, it also means that it’s a pretty darn cool place to live if you’re an artist (which, I like to pretend that I am).
I’ll admit, it’s still a pretty rough area. It’s not nearly as bad as it once was, though. And, I’ve heard a few stories about people who have recently moved to the area. The vast majority of these stories have been encouraging. The few that haven’t could just as easily occurred in any other part of the city.
Besides, if I get in now, I might just find myself living in one of River City’s coolest communities in a couple of years. And, if, by some hilarious accident of fate, I’ve created a family and outgrown the home that I’ve purchased (which will likely be very small), I’ll probably be able to sell it for a rather nice profit.