QUEEN ALEXANDRA REAL ESTATE

The northern portion of Queen Alexandra formed part of the original Town of Strathcona, which was incorporated in 1899, and subdivision soon followed. Strathcona experienced strong growth prior to World War I, and much of the area north of University Avenue to Whyte Avenue was developed rapidly. Single-family residences dominated, but commercial land uses in the area of Whyte Avenue and 104th Street were also established as Strathcona’s commercial district began to develop. The bulk of development south of University Avenue occurred during the 1940s and later.

Residential redevelopment has been a significant component of land use change over the last decade as single-family homes are replaced with higher density residential forms such as low-rise apartments and condominiums. The neighbourhood’s proximity to Whyte Avenue, the University of Alberta (U of A), and the U of A hospital — all major employment centres and significant destinations within the city — has made Queen Alexandra a convenient neighbourhood to live, shop, work, and play.

The northern part of the neighbourhood contains most of the commercial land uses, and Whyte Avenue, which forms the neighbourhood’s northern boundary, is a significant city-wide activity node and a shopping and entertainment destination. Institutional land uses are prominent throughout Queen Alexandra. The neighbourhood contains several schools, parks, sports facilities, and religious assemblies.

The area was named for Queen Alexandra (1844–1925), the wife of King Edward VII of England. The date the neighbourhood received its name is not definitively known. The neighbourhood may have been named in 1901 at the time of King Edward’s accession when Alexandra became queen. Alternatively, the neighbourhood may have been named to coincide with the renaming of the Duggan Street School in 1910.