Altadore, Calgary
Altadore is a residential neighbourhood in the inner-city portion of the southwest
quadrant of Calgary, Alberta. It is located between 14 Street and Crowchild Trail,
south of the neighbourhood of South Calgary. It is bordered by the Elbow River
and the River Park to the southeast.
Altadore was named one of Calgary's best neighbourhoods in 2010 for its
proximity to River Park, one of Calgary's best parks on the Elbow River, and
Marda Loop, the largest and busiest outdoor shopping area in Calgary, and for
having a vibrant party and cultural scene. The Marda Loop Business
Revitalization Zone is located within the community, along 33 and 34 Avenues
SW. The neighbourhood is experiencing a gentrification process with many
high-end, luxury semi-detached homes built in the last ten years, favoured by
trendy, young professionals and families.
Altadore was established in 1945. It is represented in the Calgary City Council by
Ward 11 Alderman Brian Pincott. The community has an area redevelopment plan
in place.
The meaning of "Altadore" is unclear. It may have been named after a
mansion in County Wicklow, Ireland, or it may have been a portmanteau word
whose first part derived either from "Alta", the old abbreviation of
Alberta, or "alta" for high (the neighbourhood being on a hill), and
whose second part was derived from "dore", a version of the French
"d'or", or "of gold".
In 2006 the neighbourhood had a population of 8,175. Residents in this
community had a median household income of $53,786 in 2000, and there were
13.6% low income residents living in the neighborhood. As of 2000, 11.9% of the
residents were immigrants. A proportion of 37.2% of the buildings were
condominiums or apartments, and 41.2% of the housing was used for renting.
Altadore contains two schools operated by the Calgary Board of Education.
Altadore Elementary, on 16th Street S.W., serves students from kindergarten to
Grade Six and was opened in 1952, while Dr. Oakley School, on 20th Street
S.W., serves students with learning disabilities from Grades Three to Nine. The
designated public junior high school is Mount Royal Junior High in the Mount
Royal neighbourhood, and the designated public senior high school is Central
Memorial High School.
There are no schools operated by the Calgary Catholic School District located in
Altadore. Separate school students attend St. James Elementary and Junior High
School and Bishop Carroll High School.
There are also a number of private schools in Altadore, including the Calgary
Waldorf School and the Glenmore Christian Academy. The community was also
once the home of I.L. Peretz School, a Jewish elementary school operated under
the aegis of the Board of Education; after the school moved, the building
eventually became the home of the Calgary Waldorf School before it was
demolished in 2004 and replaced by a condominium complex. Dr. Oakley School
was once an elementary and junior high school, but was repurposed in the early
1980s due to low attendance.
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