Manchester, Calgary

Manchester is a residential neighborhood of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It straddles both the southeast and southwest quadrants of Calgary and neighbors the industrial community of Manchester Industrial to the east, south and north. Manchester is in Ward 9. The community is among one of Calgary's oldest, but has been one of the most affected by urban decay.

Manchester is not to be confused with Manchester Industrial, an industrial and commercial community that surrounds Manchester.

Manchester consists of mostly low-income housing and housing projects, with a significant portion of such being built in 2003 in the southern portion of the community.

Manchester has the lowest income and highest percentage of residents classified as low-income of any Calgary community by a decent margin. Manchester additionally struggles with crime, urban blight, homelessness, and poverty.

Community boundaries

The community of Manchester is in both the southeast and southwest quadrants of Calgary. It is bounded by 42 Avenue South to the north, 58 Avenue South to the south, Macleod Trail to the west and the Canadian Pacific right-of-way to the east. Manchester Industrial sits to the east, south and north of the community. The residential neighborhoods of Elboya, Parkhill and Windsor Park bound the community to the west.
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History

Manchester was originally established in 1914 as a residential community within walking distance of employment centers in the nearby industrial area. The majority of the residential dwellings in the community had been built by 1940. By 1968 the population in Manchester had reached 800 residents across 255 dwellings. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the population declined with the rapid suburbanization of Calgary.

Heritage sites

Manchester workers' cottages

Heritage Calgary added the Manchester workers' cottages to its list of heritage sites on December 12, 2014. The cottages use Edwardian cottage architecture and are on 1 Street SW. they have no legal protection.

Education

The Calgary Board of Education currently serves Manchester via Elboya School (grades K-9) and Henry Wise Wood High School (grades 10-12).

Previously, the Calgary Board of Education ran Manchester Elementary School in the community. The school was closed in 1973 due to low enrolment resulting from the declining local population. The building was torn down in 2004 and the site was later redeveloped.

Population and demographics

Population

According to the 2021 Calgary municipal census, the community of Manchester had a population of 950, a decrease from the 2019 population of 1,025.

Income

According to the 2021 Calgary municipal census, Manchester had a median household income of $44,000, compared to the city-wide median of $98,000. Thirty-nine percent of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, compared to a city-wide average of 23%. Thirty-nine percent of Manchester households made less than $40,000 per year, compared to 15% for Calgary as a whole. Twenty-nine percent of applicable households were low-income in Manchester, compared to the city-wide figure of 9%.

Demographics

According to the 2021 Calgary municipal census, 42% of Manchester's population were immigrants, compared to 32% for the city as a whole. Forty-six percent of Manchester's immigrant population was born in Africa, compared to 12% of the wider Calgary population.

Crime

Crime data by year

Transit

Manchester is close to two CTrain stations: 39 Avenue South and Chinook.

Bus route 10 runs between Downtown and Anderson Station along the community's western boundary on Macleod Trail. Bus route 81 runs through the community via 50 Avenue SE and 58 Avenue SW. Bus route 9 runs along the southern edge of the community on 58 Avenue SW.

Walk Score gave Manchester a walk score rating of 68 and a transit score rating of 61.

See also

* List of neighbourhoods in Calgary
* 39 Avenue station (Calgary)
* CF Chinook Centre
* Chinook station
* Macleod Trail
* Parkhill, Calgary
* Windsor Park, Calgary

References

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Neighbourhoods in Calgary