St. Boniface
Photo from Travel Manitoba
Affectionately known as St. B, St Boniface is a charming centrally-located neighbourhood that dates back to the early 1800s and is the hub of the Franco-Manitobain community in Winnipeg.
St Boniface offers the unique opportunity to work, learn, eat and shop speaking entirely in French.
Living in St. Boniface offers the peace, quiet, and community you would expect from a quiet residential area— all the while being just minutes away from all the amenities of the Forks and Downtown, plus the shop’s restaurants and services offered by the bustling commercial streets that give the neighbourhood its charm and character.
Life in St. Boniface
St. Boniface is made up of a couple of different smaller pockets - Central St. Boniface, North St.B., Norwood & Norwood Flats. All of these areas feature lots of parks, schools, shopping & dining, plus the entire area is bordered by the Red River on the West and the Seine River on the East so there is no shortage of outdoor space to enjoy!
The Commute
Cathédrale de Saint-Boniface
Located on the southern edge of downtown, St. Boniface boasts a quick commute to almost every corner of the city. That being said, you don’t have to go far for all your shopping and dining needs because there are some of the city’s best shops, restaurants and schools right at your fingertips!
Demographic
The area is home to approximately 13,000 people living in 7200 homes, approximately 49% of which are owned by the occupants. The average household income is nearly $67k, the average household consists of 1.9 people, and 66% of residents speak English. The second most common language would be French, and then some others are Ukrainian, Tagalog, Punjabi and more. {realtor.ca}
Shopping & Dining
You will be impressed by the amount of shopping and dining options in the immediate area. With plenty of local shops along the three major streets (Marion, Goulet and Provencher) which offer groceries at Safeway or No Frills, a bowling alley, Olympic Cycle & Ski & Woodcock Cycle Works for all your sporting goods and so much more.
The Forks
There is no shortage of amazing restaurants in St. Boniface, which is known to be one of the city’s culinary hot spots. Nola, Marion Street Eatery, Stella’s inside the CCFM, are some of our faves, and The Wood Tavern is an awesome spot for live music. Without a doubt, St B is also home to some of the city’s best bakeries: Le Croissant & La Belle Baguette are not to be missed, and the beautiful Cafe Postal serves up spectacular coffee. Fortify is a super unique plant-based eatery, wellness shop and complimentary medicine clinic.
Also found just across the bridge is The Forks — an absolute Winnipeg treasure, where you can find unique shopping opportunities and loads more restaurants.
Schools
With approximately 57% of households in St. Boniface having kids living at home, you’ll be happy to see the multiple school options for all grades plus post-secondary education offered in French right within the community at the Universite de Saint-Boniface.
As a fairly large area, there are many schools in St Boniface. Some of them include: Beautiful Saviour Lutheran School (nursery to grade 8), Holy Cross School (K-8), Springs Christian Academy (K-12), École Henri Bergeron (4-8 French immersion), Archwood School (K-8), Marion School (K-8) and École Provencher (K-3 French and English). École Tache (K-6 French), École Precieux-Sang (K-6 French).
Additionally, there are three high schools in the area which are St. Boniface Diocesan High School (9-12), Nelson McIntyre Collegiate (9-12) and College Louis Riel (7-12 French).
Community LifeOne of the most unique features of the neighbourhood is its incredible history. The Cathedrale Saint-Boniface Cathedral and Le Musee de Saint-Boniface Museum are great places to learn all about the history of St. Boniface, the connection to Louis Riel and the Metis revolution, the Voyageurs that originally settled in this region and so much more!
Le Musee de Saint-Boniface Museum • Photo from www.tourismwinnipeg.com
St. Boniface is an incredibly well-established neighbourhood, which means there are many options for community centres that offer family-oriented recreation all year long! Of course, if you’re in Winnipeg you can bet you’ll be surrounded by skating rinks all year long! Here are some options for recreation facilities in the area: Norwood Community Centre, Champlain Community Centre, Archwood Community Centre and Notre Dame Recreation Centre. You’ll also be pleased to know that the St. Boniface Hospital is located right in the heart of the neighbourhood!
The centre culturel franco-manitobain (CCFM) is a central feature of Franco-Manitobain life in Winnipeg, and is located in St Boniface. Sine 1974 the CCFM has been a hub for Franco-Manitobain artistic and cultural activities. It offers an art gallery, concert hall, meeting rooms, a restaurant and is also home to a community radio station. Another jewel of St B cultural scene is the Théatre Cercle Molière, which is the oldest french theatre in North America.
A unique feature of the neighbourhood is Fort Gibraltar — a historic site located in Whittier Park which was established in 1810 as a hub for the fur trade and community development. Each year in February Fort Gibraltar is the hub of the Festival du Voyageur which is a celebration of Franco-Manitobain heritage and culture, and for a whole week, you can find local musicians, outdoor activities, and fun traditions like maple taffy!
Photo from www.fortgibraltar.com/en
St. Boniface is also home to Lyndale Drive, one of only four streets in Winnipeg that is closed to vehicle traffic on Sundays from May long weekend to Thanksgiving weekend. This is a really special feature of the area. The Promenade Tache is an interpretive walk from the Provencher bridge to the Norwood bridge— a fantastic way to stretch your legs and enjoy both the natural beauty of the river and the architectural beauty of the area.
St. Boniface Real Estate
Scott’s first home in Winnipeg was in Norwood Flats, and our realtor Denis-Michel Thibeault is a huge fan of St. B. (plus a native French-speaker!) so St. Boniface is an area that we at the Moore Group have kept a very close eye on over the years. Consequently, we’ve sold loads of homes in the area and are happy to help with any questions about buying or selling in St. Boniface.
One of the things that are for sure about St. B. is that there is something for everyone!
A typical starter home in Norwood or St. Boniface would probably be a bungalow or 1 1/2 storey built somewhere in the 1910-1940 range, the size would be less than 1000 sqft, with 2 or maybe 3 bedrooms and one bathroom. Pricing would probably be around the $275/300k mark if it needed some work, and closer to the $350/$375k mark if it was nicely updated both mechanically and cosmetically.
Getting into the family home range, again we are still generally looking at the same 1910-1940 vintage of homes, only now you would expect more like 3-4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, size in the 1400-1800 sqft range, and usually a two-storey home. For a home like this, you would expect to pay around $425-$500, depending on the location and updates.
Around the Whittier Park area in North St. Boniface, there are a number of really exciting brand new homes that have been built. Completely new and totally custom, yet in a central and mature area, these homes are really desirable and are pushing into the $750-$850 range. Pricing also pushes into these higher ranges on Lyndale Drive and for homes along the Seine river.
Once it’s time to move on from the family home there is no need to leave the area— there are loads of extremely popular condo options for down-sizers that our clients have all been really happy with. For a nicely-appointed condo, you would be looking in the $275-$325 range, although of course there are options for quite a bit more and quite a bit less that can also be found in the area.
If you have questions about buying or selling real estate in St. Boniface or Norwood, please contact us today!
More info: City Councillor Matt Allard
Sources:https://www.realtor.ca
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Boniface,_Winnipeg
http://tourismeriel.com/en/destinations/st-boniface-1
https://www.tourismwinnipeg.com/plan-your-trip/neighbourhoods/display,neighbourhood/15/
