As one of the oldest inner-city neighbourhoods, Garneau is located in the heart of Old Strathcona immediately to the east of the University Hospital and the University of Alberta campus. Its central location gives residence good access to downtown Edmonton, Whyte Avenue, the Queen Elizabeth Pool, and other areas of the city.
Garneau was considered to be fully developed when it became part of the City of Edmonton in 1912. Since that time, the continuing expansion of the adjacent University of Alberta and the development of the Whyte (82nd) Avenue commercial area have helped change the neighbourhood’s residential makeup. Single-unit housing has been renovated or replaced by townhouses and apartments. University student housing and fraternity houses are located in northwest Garneau.
The neighbourhood contains a significant number of commercial businesses located along 109th Street, Whyte Avenue, and 112th Street. Most goods and services are available in the neighbourhood or in nearby Old Strathcona. Residents of Garneau also have good access to most areas of Edmonton, including Downtown via the High Level and Walterdale Bridges, and the North Saskatchewan River Valley.
Garneau is named for Laurence Garneau, an early settler in the area, who served under Louis Riel.
It now sees low-rise and high-rise apartments, with students and faculty sharing blocks with families and retirees in 1920s Arts and Crafts houses and 1950s bungalows. It’s a balance maintained by dedicated community members lobbying to ensure that heritage remains in the landscape. In 1973, the group formed the Garneau Community League Planning Committee, while lobbying for a development plan, which came about in 1983. The plan details the type of housing that can be built and their locations so that they best fit the community aesthetic.