BRIDGELAND
NE Calgary, Alberta
NE CALGARY, ALBERTA
As one of Calgary’s oldest neighbourhoods, Bridgeland-Riverside had its start as the first home for many new Calgarians and it continues to be a vibrant, urban area today.
Riverside, the area snuggled closer to the Bow, began in the 1880s with the arrival of German and Russian immigrants who initially shared the land with Gypsy caravans and First Nations peoples. During Calgary’s population boom in the early 1900s, Italian and Ukrainian immigrants settled further up the escarpment in the heart of Bridgeland. There, Italian-owned businesses concentrated along 1st Avenue N.E. to create what’s often called Calgary’s Little Italy. In 1907, the city annexed Bridgeland and, three years later, Riverside followed.
Today, beside modern additions like The Bridges — a multi-unit, transit-orientated housing development built around the footprint of the old General Hospital — Bridgeland-Riverside’s heritage is alive and well, as witnessed in its century-old buildings, homes and architecture.
With easy access to transit and river walking trails, and with 1900s-era houses tucked in amongst restaurant storefronts and condos, Bridgeland-Riverside holds a place for Calgary’s past and offers a sustainable vision for the future. There is a great art supply shop in this borough, along with some great Italian restaurants.
The Bridgeland Riverside Community Association oversees activities in Bridgeland and provides a community centre that has rooms available for rent to community members and the public. Bridgeland Riverside depends a great deal on the revenues generated from hall rentals for the operation of the entire facility.
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