General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours

[Momo26]

Exactly. That's a fair point. Possibly more targeted surveys? But sometimes it's a chicken and egg scenario (emerging neighborhood).

There's usually a theme, culturally or otherwise, with these inner city urban villages or even micro towns within cities...how does a Kensington Market get formed? How did 'Streetsville' become a thing?

[neonjoe]

Kensington Market became to be organically. Streetsville like like Hespeler was amalgamated into its neighbours as part of the 70s rounds of amalgamation. It had an identity as a village before that.

[panamaniac]

Belmont Village a "working class area"? I don't think I've ever heard of Old Westmount described that way. There's a reason upscale restaurants and other businesses are located there.

[panamaniac]

I think of Belmont Village as being an integral part of Old Westmount, even though it was (intentionally) built on the edge of the community. Not my idea of a "very working class area", although I suppose it depends which side of Glasgow and Belmont you're looking at.

[jwilliamson]

Everyone is describing Belmont Village as a home to fancy, expensive restaurants, but it's also home to places like Checkerboard, Big John's and Thai Bistro.

[Momo26]

Casa Rugantino, The Italian joint, would not even necessarily be described as fancy 'up scale'...it's mid range price wise. Good gnocchi I'll tell yah that.

[GarthDanlor]

I think of Belmont Village as being an integral part of Old Westmount, even though it was (intentionally) built on the edge of the community.  Not my idea of a "very working class area", although I suppose it depends which side of Glasgow and Belmont you're looking at.

There are (or were) definitely working class areas surrounding Belmont Village.  I used to own a house on the "wrong" side of the Iron Horse on Gildner Ave that was built (along with others nearby) to cater to the Workers at Dominion Rubber.  I'm assuming those old apartments on Union must have been considered working class housing at the time too?

[GarthDanlor]

Everyone is describing Belmont Village as a home to fancy, expensive restaurants, but it's also home to places like Checkerboard, Big John's and Thai Bistro.

Yeah it was never a well heeled shopping area in the past, just an ordinary and quite busy commercial area at one time.  I vaguely recall a  busy little grocery store where the drug store now is and a Donut Queen (across the street from where Tim Horton's now is) in addition to all the little restaurants, flower shops, banks, beer store, gas station etc.  Also used to be a lot of Doctor's offices but many of those migrated to the medical centers further down the street by Gage when those eventually opened.  Marketing Belmont Village as upscale is definitely of more recent vintage.

[GarthDanlor]

Everyone is describing Belmont Village as a home to fancy, expensive restaurants, but it's also home to places like Checkerboard, Big John's and Thai Bistro.

Yeah it was never a well heeled shopping area in the past, just an ordinary and quite busy commercial area at one time.  I vaguely recall a  busy little grocery store where the drug store now is and a Donut Queen (across the street from where Tim Horton's now is) in addition to all the little restaurants, flower shops, banks, beer store, gas station etc.  Also used to be a lot of Doctor's offices but many of those migrated to the medical centers further down the street by Gage when those eventually opened.  Marketing Belmont Village as upscale is definitely of more recent vintage.

Looks like it was actually a Zehrs at 696 Belmont:

https://www.groceteria.com/place/ontario...rwaterloo/ 

I had forgotten that the convenience store further down Belmont (between Gage & Karn) used to be a Dutch Girl!

[panamaniac]

Yes, what is now the Rexall was one of the oldest Zehrs grocery stores.

[kitborn]

Belmont Village a "working class area"?  I don't think I've ever heard of Old Westmount described that way.  There's a reason upscale restaurants and other businesses are located there.

I would point out that there are two area adjacent to Belmont Village. One north of the IHT would be considered working class (that's where I grew up as a kid). The other area is south of Belmont is known as Westmount. The Westmount area has some very upscale and larger homes that it's counterpart to the north.

[panamaniac]

Belmont Village a "working class area"?  I don't think I've ever heard of Old Westmount described that way.  There's a reason upscale restaurants and other businesses are located there.

I would point out that there are two area adjacent to Belmont Village. One north of the IHT would be considered working class (that's where I grew up as a kid). The other area is south of Belmont is known as Westmount. The Westmount area has some very upscale and larger homes that it's counterpart to the north.

As I pointed out in my post.

[ac3r]

Belmont Village a "working class area"?  I don't think I've ever heard of Old Westmount described that way.  There's a reason upscale restaurants and other businesses are located there.

I would point out that there are two area adjacent to Belmont Village. One north of the IHT would be considered working class (that's where I grew up as a kid). The other area is south of Belmont is known as Westmount. The Westmount area has some very upscale and larger homes that it's counterpart to the north.

Yeah you got it. It's not the street actual of Belmont that I'd describe as working class, but a lot of the area surrounding it - anything within a 10-15 minute walk, which I consider to be in the neighbourhood. There are a lot of low income apartments/complexes nearby to the south: Brybeck is a short walk away (I grew up there for a bit and we'd always walk down to Belmont to shop), Westmount has a fair amount of low income housing, there is quite a bit near Belmont/Patricia. A lot of the single family homes around there are owned by working class people too.

Dominion Tire Plant (what operates there - do they still make tires?), whatever used to be at he Catalyst, GRH and quite a lot of smaller industries nearby on streets like Gage provided hundreds upon hundreds of people of traditional employment. It's once you go north of Glasgow that you find really wealthy home owners, especially towards Westmount. I used to always joke I lived on the wrong side of the tracks when I lived on Brybeck because everything between the tracks and Highland has always been considered bad, although in reality it isn't. These working class demographics in the area still persist today.

[GarthDanlor]

I would point out that there are two area adjacent to Belmont Village. One north of the IHT would be considered working class (that's where I grew up as a kid). The other area is south of Belmont is known as Westmount. The Westmount area has some very upscale and larger homes that it's counterpart to the north.

Yeah you got it. It's not the street actual of Belmont that I'd describe as working class, but a lot of the area surrounding it - anything within a 10-15 minute walk, which I consider to be in the neighbourhood. There are a lot of low income apartments/complexes nearby to the south: Brybeck is a short walk away (I grew up there for a bit and we'd always walk down to Belmont to shop), Westmount has a fair amount of low income housing, there is quite a bit near Belmont/Patricia. A lot of the single family homes around there are owned by working class people too.

Dominion Tire Plant (what operates there - do they still make tires?), whatever used to be at he Catalyst, GRH and quite a lot of smaller industries nearby on streets like Gage provided hundreds upon hundreds of people of traditional employment. It's once you go north of Glasgow that you find really wealthy home owners, especially towards Westmount. I used to always joke I lived on the wrong side of the tracks when I lived on Brybeck because everything between the tracks and Highland has always been considered bad, although in reality it isn't. These working class demographics in the area still persist today.

AirBoss has a fair sized operation in the old Dominion plant.  I believe they recycle scrap tires and other rubber, amongst other things.

[Momo26]

https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-...egion.html