King Street, Kitchener, Ontario
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King Street is the major north-south arterial road in Kitchener, Ontario, as well as Waterloo, Ontario. In both Kitchener and Waterloo, King Street divides the city into the east and west sides.
[edit] In Kitchener
In Kitchener, King Street starts at the Conestoga Parkway and continues in a northwesterly fashion to the border with Waterloo.
Although it runs north-south, King Street is labeled east-west, since the city of Kitchener was originally planned relative to the Grand River, which runs north-south. The same is true for the other major north-south routes in the city (e.g., Weber Street), and the reverse is true for the major east-west arteries in the city (i.e., although they run east-west, they are labeled north-south).
King Street is the major street of downtown Kitchener, containing such buildings as the Kitchener City Hall and Market Square. Throughout downtown, it is also lined with shops and boutiques, as well as nightclubs. North of downtown, King Street is home to Grand River Hospital. It also contains television studios (for CKCO), as well as radio stations (91.5 The Beat and 96.7 CHYM-FM, for instance).
It should be noted that there is another King Street in southern Kitchener that runs north-south. It originally began at Wilfred Avenue (a residential street) and ran southward into Cambridge, wedged in between Highway 8 and Weber Street. Virtually all of the portion between Wilfred Avenue and Weber Street has been demolished in recent years in order to widen Highway 8; however, south of Weber the street reappears again and continues into Cambridge. This road is often referred to as "Old" King Street/King East, in order to distinguish it from the downtown thoroughfare.
[edit] In Waterloo
Upon crossing into Waterloo, King Street turns into a northeastward direction and continues until passing out of the city and into Woolwich Township. As in Kitchener, King Street has a junction with Weber Street in Waterloo, and also has an interchange with Highway 85.
A major difference between King Street in Kitchener and in Waterloo, however, is that upon entering Waterloo, King Street is labeled north-south (the dividing line being Erb Street) instead of east-west as in Kitchener. The same is true of all major north-south thoroughfares in Waterloo.
Just as King Street is the main thoroughfare in downtown Kitchener, it is also the main strip of "Uptown Waterloo" (the central district of Waterloo). Shops and pubs line the street roughly from the border with Kitchener up to Bridgeport Road. Also, two major shopping malls are situated on King Street: Waterloo Town Square in Uptown Waterloo (currently in the midst of a major renovation) and Conestoga Mall at the junction with Highway 85.
