Housing in Edmonton

[GuiltyMind88]

Hey everybody,

I'm planning on accepting my offer from UofA and naturally ive gone from one stage of planning immmediately into the next. I'll be moving from Vancouver and am planning on living off-campus, likely on my own. 

Would love to hear everybody's recommendations for good neighbourhoods/buildings, and ones to stay away from if you'd like to throw that in there as well. I'm thinking living in walking distance from campus would be preferable but i've read there can be some good deals further away if you're willing to transit so any and all reccomendations are welcome.

I've also never done this whole apartment hunting thing before so forgive me if this is a stupid question but seeing as i wont be moving in till the end of summer is there any point in looking now? seems likely that if i find a good place it'll be scooped up between now and then.

I'm thinking many people will have a similar question sooner or later so hopefully this will be helpful for them to look back on,

Cheers!

[pleaseletmein]

Edmontonian here! First off, congratulations!

Second, stay away from downtown. It’s just very hectic, traffic can get bad, and the neighbourhoods are just not great/safe.

If you’re planning to live Northside, North-west is the only viable option, just south of St.Albert, north of 137 street (Oxford, Albany area).
Never go North-East no matter what. Just trust me. 

South is pretty safe, Millwoods has some very nice areas even though it gets a bad rep. South-West has to be the best area, I have never heard anything bad about it (south of the University). However, it is very old.
West is awkwardly far from the University considering the only main ways across the Saskatchewan River are the three bridges heading north-south, and one faaaar west. West side is alright, pretty safe, again just really old. 
It all depends on your budget for rent because the nice/safe areas will always be more expensive. 
Hope this helps, and feel free to ask any other questions if you want me to go more in depth. 

[washedballer]

Congrats! Also life long Edmontonian here! The advice above is.. Interesting. Northeast has some great neighborhoods, but a trek to the uni. It's about 30-40 minutes depending on whether you're taking the train or the bus. I have owned my house here for the last two years in a very nice neighborhood and have never felt safer. 

 

Downtown has GREAT areas. If you can find a place in the area directly across the river from the university (formerly called Grandin, not sure what it was changed to) you're looking at a 5 minute, one stop train ride. Good bars, great food, safe area. Only I convenience would be grocery shopping is likely a car ride, unless you don't mind a few block walk and to shop at save on. Lived here for a year during my last year of undergrad and it was extremely convenient. 

 

McKernan/Belgravia is likely the best area to live, very nice, quiet and close to uni but the highest rent prices. Not great for apartments if you're set on that. Lived in this area for two years, definitely more driving involved for everything. 

 

Further south is Southgate, century park areas. Right on train line, lots of shopping, food and coffee shops. But looking at 15-25 minute train ride or a bus to the train station. Lived in century for a year, more time spent commuting then you initially think. 

West is nice areas,but more car oriented to get around or shop. 

 

Our transit system is extremely controversial right now. During peak travel times 830-430 it is fairly busy and extremely safe. The later at night you go, the more questionable it becomes. I wouldn't use it past 7 or 8, nor would I want my wife to. But I would have zero hesitation using it as a daily commuter to class. 

 

TLDR walking is either grandin or McKernan/Belgravia. Lots of apartments right on Saskatchewan drive, but high rental prices. 

 

If you would like to chat more feel free to pm ☺️ again congrats!

[kollykibbler]

I second everything above. Don't live in Mill Woods, period. Don't live out near St. Albert unless you have a car, and even then, Riverbend or Glenora would be a better option. Oliver, which I believe is the neighbourhood across the river mentioned above, is very nice and quite convenient, McKernan/Belgravia even more so. My recommendation would be Garneau. It's so close to the university you'd pretty much never have to use the LRT, and the renting situation isn't terrible by any stretch. A nice one bedroom can be found for around $1200. I would particularly recommend living on Whyte (82 Ave) between 109 Street and 112 Street. The Safeway will be just down the road, and you can very easily walk to the law building.

[Lilbb19]

Cant go wrong with Southwest if you have a car.

 

[existentialdread]

Question #1 is will you have a car? Question #2 is do you already live on your own in Vancouver?

If no car, I am a big advocate of downtown. I have lived in downtown Edmonton for 10 years without a vehicle and getting to campus is very easy (it is an 11 minute commute via train from where I live). The only exception to this is the Oliver area because there is only one train station and the neighbourhood is large-ish so depending where you are, you could have bit of a walk. However, there are still viable bus routes if you live closer to the edges of downtown. Edmonton's transit is notoriously bad so always google map the route from your prospective address to campus. i.e. if you need to take 3 buses, absolutely do not move there lol. 

I have always lived in the downtown core apart from a brief stint in Oliver and have enjoyed it. There are lots of good restaurants and as of recently there is now 2 walkable grocery stores (save-on and city market). Of course, if you enjoy nightlife and cocktail bars then it's a good place to be. It is also very lively during Oilers games, concerts, etc. 

 

If you already live on your own in Vancouver, you should be very excited about the cost of living here. Downtown Edmonton pricing is extremely reasonable IMO--you should be able to find a nice 2 bed 2 bath for $1600-2000 (if you have a roommate or are living with more than one person). One bedrooms are always a bit more expensive but lots out there for around $1100-$1300 (usually with parking). 

 

If you're going to have a car and want to live somewhere a little quieter, your options are pretty good so long as you don't mind a 15+ min drive. I would just advise you to avoid St.Albert, Sherwood Park, Millwoods, Leduc, or any of those surrounding communities because the commute will be a pain your ass. Parking at U of A also isn't cheap which is something to consider. 

 

Living on or near campus is always an option and there are also lots of good restaurants and walkable grocery stores; however, the price is usually comparable to DT or even higher, and the quality is often worse. A rental can be old and gross but with very inflated pricing due to its proximity to the university. 

 

Lastly, just based off of my experience, I wouldn't really start looking until you are about 6-8 weeks out from moving. Most of the time people are looking for a tenant either immediately, or for the next month. I've noticed very few people are posting their rentals 2+ months in advance. We are dealing with a tough rental market at the moment and I believe vacancy is 4.3% as of January. More rentals will come up as we get into summer but there will also be more potential tenants competing. 

[FlyingFish]

Garneau and Strathcona areas are pretty nice. You will probably be able to find a 1 bedroom with heat and water included for about $1000. If you want a super updated place maybe $1200 max. 

Living in Garneau or Strathcona is nice because you can walk to school and 95% of activities and errands can be done by walking. I sometimes take public transit, but only during peak hours where there are lots of other people. I would avoid living anywhere where you would have to rely on public transit as it is not safe in during non-peak hours (i.e. on a Tuesday at 9:15PM after a 3 hour evidence class).... I am a pretty physically imposing person and have had some pretty scary encounters.

If you are going to live downtown and have a car, try to get a place with underground secure parking or else have a good auto glass shop!

In terms of searching for a place, I would start looking about 6 weeks out. If you know anyone in Edmonton it might be a good idea to have them look at an apartment in person before you put a deposit down. I posted in my year's facebook groupchat and a classmate did this for me!

Edited April 3, 2023 by FlyingFish

[Teejah]

I'm thinking of buying a cheap condo. There's some good info above on public transit and the best neighborhoods to live in, but I'm wondering what the neighborhoods to avoid are. What are the bad neighborhoods/parts of town that you just wouldn't live in if you could avoid it? Basically I want to live somewhere nice, but not so nice that condos are 50% more expensive.

[Whist]

1 hour ago, Teejah said:

I'm thinking of buying a cheap condo. There's some good info above on public transit and the best neighborhoods to live in, but I'm wondering what the neighborhoods to avoid are. What are the bad neighborhoods/parts of town that you just wouldn't live in if you could avoid it? Basically I want to live somewhere nice, but not so nice that condos are 50% more expensive.

Chinatown and the Alberta Avenue areas are generally the two places people mention as sketchiest. Neither of those places are very close to the school though anyways. I wouldn't personally choose anywhere downtown but some people don't mind it. Right on Whyte ave can be a bit off and is pretty noisy. 

The condo market in Edmonton is notoriously sluggish, so I wouldn't recommend buying one unless it's your idea of a long-term home.

Edited April 22, 2023 by Whist

[Teejah]

That's good info. I haven't thought about the possibility of not being able to sell the thing when I'm done 3L.