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Feature Article

SUBDIVISIONS OF RED DEER

Written By: Michael Dawe
Published By: Red Deer Express
Article Used with permission. © Copyright Michael Dawe, 2002
2002-11-25

One hundred years ago, the new Town of Red Deer began to grow. New subdivisions started to be developed outside the original townsite. Some were very small areas and were given such names as Rosedale and River Park on the south bank of the River and Brookside on the west side of Waskasoo Creek.

There were soon major subdivisions such as Parkvale Estates, which was developed in 1904 to the southeast, and Woodlea, which was developed in 1905 to the northeast. Shortly thereafter, the town expanded onto the surrounding hills with West Park, Fairview Park, Highland Park and Grandview. These new subdivisions reflected a trend in subdivision names in early Red Deer, with the use of "view" or "park" or both.

From 1909 to 1913, Red Deer enjoyed an enormous boom. New subdivisions sprang up, often well beyond the built up areas of the community. Riverview, Woodlands, Rosebank, Kenilworth, Glencoe, Westmount and Mount Royal were created on the north hill. Mountain View, Englewood, Hillsboro, and Verity Park were created on the East Hill. East of the new Presbyterian Ladies College, College View and College Park were surveyed. For reasons lost to history, on the west side of the City, North and South Rosedale were created, even though there already was a Rosedale subdivision in the downtown core.

In 1913, the boom suddenly collapsed. For the next thirty years, most of the new subdivisions remained little more than names on a map. Moreover, Highland Park became unofficially known as Michener Hill as many of those who lived there were members of the extended Michener family.

After the Second World War, Red Deer began to grow again. Much of the new construction took place in existing subdivisions such as Grandview, HighlandPark/Michener Hill, Hillsboro and West Park. The Department of Veterans Affairs helped construct new housing in Waskasoo, on the northeast side of the river valley and in a new subdivision, Mountview on the East Hill. The area south of Hillsboro was developed as Eastview.

By the early 1960’s, there started to be a lot of resistance to the use of "view" in subdivision names. In 1961, Sunnybrook was developed using the original name of the Bower family farm. In 1962, the Red Deer Planning Commission suggested "The River" for a newly subdivided area on the north hill. City Council decided to extend the old name of Fairview. However, in 1963, Council decided to use Oriole Park for a new north subdivision.

In 1964, a new subdivision on the East Hill was designated as Morrisroe after the landowner. In the 1970’s and early 1980’s, with the City again exploding in growth, a whole series of new subdivisions were created with Highland Green, (formerly Riverview and Woodlands), Glendale, Normandeau, and the Pines in the north, Bower Place in the south, Anders Park in the east. Old habits died hard with another "view" coming with Clearview. However the suffix for that area was "Meadows" starting a pattern repeated with (yet another) Rosedale and Lancaster Meadows. The far east was designated as Deer Park. In the 1990’s and early 2000’s, "wood" began to appear with Kentwood and Inglewood. Park appeared again with Johnstone Park.

It is rather hard to predict what future names will be used. Because of the City policy of naming streets with the same first letter as the subdivision, there is a growing limitation on new subdivision names as most of the 26 letters of the alphabet have already been used.

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