Quote:
Originally Posted by jigglysquishy
Nutana is absolutely the best neighbourhood in Saskatchewan. The high street is so strong that a lot of folks refer to the neighbourhood as Broadway.
Cathedral is the closest equivalent in Regina, just not nearly the scale of Nutana.
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It is pretty conventional to refer to a neighbourhood by its anchoring corridor. I don't think the Broadway district is an outlier in this regard. I agree with your sentiment though.
One thing I like about Saskatoon is that it actually has a fair number of neighbourhood high streets for a city its size. This comes as a result of the city originating as an amalgamation of a few different settlements back in the very early 1900s. Saskatoon has four prewar strips outside the downtown proper. I don't think this is bad for a city of 300,000. Not counting
2nd Ave N in City Park, as this feels more like a functional extension of Downtown than something distinct. Nor am I counting
Idylwyld Drive north of 33rd -- it's prewar, but fully stroad.
Listed according to my subjective ranking of vitality:
1.
Broadway in Nutana -- the oldest section of Saskatoon, dating originally from the late 19th century. As mentioned - the most conventionally attractive neighbourhood in Saskatchewan. If you have heard of anything approaching "urbanity" in Saskatchewan, this is probably it.
2.
20th Street in Riversdale -- second oldest non-downtown strip. Long downtrodden but home to increasing numbers of gentrifying boosters. A curious mix of forwardly Instagrammable food and retail, and pawn shops and social services.
3.
33rd Street in Mayfair. A true "streetcar suburb" (yes, we had streetcars until the 50s when everyone except Toronto got rid of them). Has a raw edge but with a particular cluster of antique shops and artisan grocery. Also, the only strip on this list with a full-service grocery store.
4.
Central Ave in Sutherland. Sutherland was once an independent town that Saskatoon annexed in the 50s, and retains some level of distinctiveness when compared to Saskatoon. Traditional home of Saskatoon's greasiest student-frequented watering holes.