Mill Woods
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Mill Woods is a district in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, south of the Whitemud Drive (14), east of 91 Street, west of 34 Street, and north of Anthony Henday Drive. Development of Mill Woods began in the early 1970s. Mill Woods was one of the first areas of Edmonton to move away from the grid system, leading local comedians to joke about the "black hole" at the center of Mill Woods, which made it easy to get in but impossible to get out.
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[edit] History
As Mill Woods was maturing, it was seen by many Edmontonians as an undesirable area in which to live, because of the lack of trees, the lack of amenities, the continual construction, and the difficulty in navigating Mill Woods' loops and cul de sacs.[citation needed] This was because the roads were supposed to look like the Wild rose, which is the official flower of Alberta.[citation needed] In more recent times, the road layout of Mill Woods is seen as poorly planned and a contribution to the continued overuse of car oriented living. The highly asymmetrical design of the roads leads to limited capacity for walking and a near dependence on the automobile.
Mill Woods was composed of eight communities: Millhurst, Millbourne, Lakewood, Southwood, Burnewood, Knottwood, Ridgewood, and Woodvale. These communities are connected by a ring road, named Mill Woods Road along its east, south, and west extent and 38 Avenue along its north extent. Smaller ring roads intersect Mill Woods Road, connecting the two or three neighborhoods typically found within each community. Newer communities, distinct from Mill Woods, are now being built to the east of 34 Street and to the south of Anthony Henday Drive, which is under construction. Within the circle prescribed by these communities is Mill Woods Town Centre, a business and service core intended to allow Mill Woods to be a self-contained community. It contains a major shopping mall, a hospital, a fire station, a bus terminus, a recreation centre, and a police district headquarters.
The district has 21 public elementary schools, 11 Catholic elementary schools, four public junior high schools, three Catholic junior high schools, one public high school, and one Catholic high school. Mill Woods has a large number of public parks, and is served by the Mill Woods Golf Course. With a population of 110 256 people, Mill Woods would be Alberta's third largest city if it were its own metropolitan area.[1]
[edit] History
The Papaschase Cree Indian Reserve, which was created in 1876, was located in the Mill Woods Area. The reserve was later sold to early white settlers, and the land used for agriculture until the late 1960s. The area's aboriginal heritage is reflected in the names of many of the neighborhoods, which are taken from the Cree language. One of the neighborhoods, Satoo, is named for a Cree chief.[2]
[edit] Canada Day Fireworks
The Millwoods Presidents' Council, along with Community Leagues throughout Mill Woods and various Corporate sponsors including banks, grocery stores, and other companies, provide Canada Day celebrations in Mill Woods Park on July 1st of each year. With various musical performances, petting zoos, hay rides and other activities, families are able to enjoy some free entertainment, and concludes with a fireworks display comparable with the Edmonton's primary display in the river valley. Each year around 60,000 people crowd the park for this event.
[edit] References
- ^ Millwoods Official Website
- ^ These details are mentioned in the write-ups for the individual neighborhoods--Ekota, Kameyosek, Menisa, Meyokumin, Meyonohk, Satoo and Tipaskan--in the map utility on the City of Edmonton website.
