North Guelph Real Estate

NORTH GUELPH REAL ESTATE REVIEW!

General Hospital | Riverside Park | Victoria North

THE REPORT CARD

OVERALL RANKING - T-7TH/11

OVERALL SCORE: 7.25/10

DESIRABILITY 7/10

Desirability

The North End of Guelph is composed of three very different neighbourhoods: General Hospital, Riverside Park, and Victoria North. General Hospital is very similar to St. Georges/The Ward and the older parts of Downtown Guelph. Here you have 70+ year old homes with smaller streets that are some of the more grittier in Guelph. Riverside Park is closer to the north part of The West End. This means it’s a little quieter and slightly younger where homeowners have smaller bungalows with decent-sized yards that are generally well-kept. Finally, Victoria North is a brand new neighbourhood that is still growing but is similar to Guelph’s new East End. The homes started being built around 2010 and offer a reasonably affordable version of what you can find in Westminster Woods. Overall, each neighbourhood offers something very different.

AFFORDABILITY 7/10

Affordability

North Guelph real estate has a large mix of homes and affordability because of the differences in the three neighbourhoods: General Hospital, Riverside Park, and Victoria North. The homes in General Hospital are similar to ones you would find in St. Georges/The Ward but perhaps are not as well-kept and there doesn’t quite seem to be the same transition happening there as there is in The Ward. However, detached homes are attainable (with perhaps some work) for those on a budget. The same goes for Riverside Park where the homes are generally kept a bit better and you’re looking at slightly larger lots and a bigger mix of splits and bungalows. Over in Victoria North you’re looking at new development with a mix of semis and detached homes. Affordability here is beginning to become harder to come by and closer in line to south end level pricing.

WALK + DRIVE 7/10

Walk + Drive

With three very different neighbourhoods your lifestyle will definitely depend on which area you choose to live. The General Hospital area can be very close to downtown, so you can ditch the car and walk or use public transportation. However, Riverside Park and especially Victoria North, at least one car is probably a must for most families. Both Victoria North and Riverside are very far from the 401, but you have easier access to Halton Hills and Kitchener/Waterloo through Highway 7 (East/West). Driving to big box stores is very easy as the majority are located along Woodlawn Drive across the north end of Guelph. Access to the University is definitely tougher by bus as you have to transfer downtown if you don’t drive. You’re looking at least a 30 minute trip in that case. Each area definitely has a plus and if you live and work in Guelph, the north end is perfectly fine for daily trips.

SCHOOL QUALITY 8/10

School Quality

The North end of Guelph doesn’t have the best set of schools but the score for this category is entirely boosted by the fact that Edward Johnson is far and away the best school in Guelph and ranked as one of the best in Ontario. The caveat is that enrollment is already high and there are capacity issues making it tough to get access to this full-time French Immersion school. If you can’t gain entrance, Waverley Drive PS, June Avenue PS and Brant Avenue PS are your other options in the north end of Guelph. Unfortunately, none of them rank within the top half of Guelph making the English-track school zone of the north end one of the poorest in Guelph.

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NORTH GUELPH SCHOOLS

Edward Johnson PS

Edward Johnson PS (aka Ecole Edward Johnson) is a JK-6 French Immersion school that houses around 500 students from all over the North end of Guelph. While the other schools in the north end of Guelph have struggled a bit, Edward Johnson can boast that it is the established #1 elementary school in Guelph! However, with enrollment capacity at its limits, demand for entry into Edward Johnson has been huge. A new school in the East End, William C Wineguard has been built to help ease the pressure bestowed upon this great school. But, there’s no better to place to send your child if you’re looking for a full-time FI school!

June Avenue PS

Back in 2001, June Avenue PS and Marden PS combined to become the new June Avenue PS. Enrollment was already pretty low so combining the schools didn’t put a strain on June Avenue PS. In fact, there are only ~175 students that currently attend June Avenue PS, a JK-6 English-track school that resides just north of Speedvale closest to the Riverside Park neighbourhood. Unfortunately, June Avenue PS hasn’t faired extremely well in their scores coming in below the provincial average over the past few years.

Waverley Drive PS

Waverley Drive PS resides within the Riverside Park neighbourhood but also houses students from the west side of Victoria North (east side of Victoria North attend Brant Avenue). Waverley Drive PS also houses Brant Avenue’s Grade 7-8 students for a total population of ~510, making it one of Guelph’s largest schools. Unfortunately, their scores haven’t faired quite as well coming in below the provincial average and in the bottom half of Guelph’s elementary schools.

Brant Avenue PS

Brant Avenue PS resides just south of the Victoria North new development and east of Riverside Park in Guelph in the far east end of Guelph’s north end. Unfortunately, Brant Avenue PS scored as one of the weakest schools in Guelph over the past few years. The correlation might have to do with its catchment area being one of the less affluent areas in Guelph. They do however take in students from the new development in Victoria North, but that could change with future boundary changes as the Victoria North area continues to develop.

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You'll Want To Live Here IF...

Downtown Living - General Hospital

You like the General Hospital area and want to be close to downtown for the shops, bars, and restos.

Parks & Rec - Riverside Park

You love the idea of living near a huge park with lots of activities for kids.

Only the Newest - Victoria North

You are looking for a newer home without paying top dollar in Guelph.

You Won't Want to IF...

Old School Homeowner - General Hospital

You’re looking for a modern, updated home in a picturesque neighbourhood.

Only The Very Best - Riverside Park

You MUST have a Top 10 elementary school.

Commute, Commute - Victoria North

You need easy access to Hwy 401 as you’re a commuter.