Click Here to Read More About the Alpine Village Area
Alpine Village Area in Kitchener
Good day to you, and welcome to the WRX Property Group’s website. What’s that you say? You’re interested in Kitchener-Waterloo real-estate and would like to learn more about its individual neighbourhoods? Well, you’ve certainly come to the right place.
We’ve made our way through just about every square kilometer of Waterloo, and now we’ll be working on the neighbourhoods of Kitchener. Today our topic is: Alpine Village. So get comfortable, get excited, and prepare yourself for some informative writings conveyed in an entertaining (to some) manner!
Alpine Village is one of the smallest neighbourhoods in Kitchener-Waterloo, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in its great mixture of offerings and advantages – but don’t worry, we’ll explain everything in due course. Its boundaries are roughly Ottawa Street in the north, Homer-Watson Boulevard in the east, Block Line Road in the south, and Strasburg Road in the west.
Alpine Village has a reputation as an affordable, centrally-located neighbourhood with a suburban feel, mature trees, and many post-war style homes. The community is represented and served by the Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association, an active group that encourages engagement within the neighbourhood.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the neighbourhood, please don’t hesitate to contact WRX, and we will happily help however we can.
Find Homes for Sale in Alpine Village
Location
There are two green areas within the boundaries of Alpine Village (and plenty more along the periphery – but more on them later). Alpine Park is situated right in the centre of Alpine Village, in between the two elementary schools here (more on them later, too).
The park includes pristine fields of green, two baseball diamonds, soccer goalposts, a densely forested area, playground equipment, and lengthy, paved trails leading out to different parts of the neighbourhood. One trail leads to the Laurentian Trail, part of which begins in Alpine Village.
The Laurentian Trail leads into the huge, rehabilitated land of McLennan Park. What was once a landfill is now one of the most active parks in Kitchener-Waterloo.
Included here are numerous paths, many of which offer views of the surrounding neighbourhoods and landscape (some say when the sun catches the nearby Tim Hortons at the right angle, you’ll detect the faintest aroma of a Double-Double); McLennan Dog Park (where the dogs run free); bike and BMX circuits; a skate park; extensive playground equipment; a wide variety of outdoor sports facilities (including tennis, basketball, and beach volleyball courts); and much more.
McLennan Park is a relativelyrecent addition to Kitchener-Waterloo’s extensive network of trails and parks, but it’s already a beloved part of the community (and the City of Kitchener continues to invest in its upkeep, including plans to upgrade the splash pad). Alpine Village residents have all this at their doorstep, and more.
To the east of Alpine Village is the Activa Sportsplex, a huge, multi-purpose athletics facility where residents can skate, box, play hockey and basketball, watch the Kitchener Rangers play hockey and the Kitchener Panthers play basketball, and more. Just south of the Sportsplex is the Country Hills Community Library, a branch of the Kitchener Public Library network.
Residents of the Waterloo Region can enjoy the extensive catalogue of books, movies, games, musical instruments, and more, and Alpine Village residents are close enough to frequent the social and community events held here. To summarize quickly, there is a staggering variety of options for Alpine Village in terms of social opportunities, sports facilities, and environmental areas – for such a small neighbourhood, there’s no shortage of fun to be had.
But what about shopping? Well, once again, Alpine Village is well-equipped. There are a variety of stand-alone restaurants (including Tim Hortons, McDonald’s, and Cora), shops, and banks along the periphery of the neighbourhood. Forest Glen Plaza, southwest of Alpine Village, has many offerings as well, including a No Frill’s for groceries, a Shoppers Drug Mart, a doctor’s office, and more.
But the pièce de résistance lies on the north side of Ottawa Street: Laurentian Mall, part of the SmartCentres network. You’ll always find a parking spot here, and in the numerous shops and restaurants, you’re also sure to find whatever it is you need. Zehrs has you covered for groceries, Staples has office supplies and beyond, and the massive Home & Garden RONA can provide for your… well, your home and garden.
All this and more is available within a few minutes of any given home within Alpine Village.
Transportation
One of the first things you’ll notice about Alpine Village is that it’s got great access to the Conestoga Parkway – better than just about any other neighbourhood in Kitchener-Waterloo. The on- and off-ramps on Ottawa Street access the highway by a roundabout, which may feel different to newcomers to Kitchener-Waterloo, but is truthfully quite efficient, and statistically significantly safer than traffic lights.
Via the Conestoga Parkway, Alpine Village residents can access: Highway7, which leads northeast (eventually to Guelph); Highway 8, which travels far west (to Stratford and beyond) and southeast (to Cambridge, and eventually to Hamilton); Highway 85, which leads north through Waterloo and past St. Jacobs (with its renowned market); and the 401 (accessed by Highway 8), which connects Kitchener- Waterloo as far west as Windsor, and to the east past Kingston and Cornwall (with many major cities in between, including London and Toronto). Being this close to the 401, as well as the smaller highways, enables Alpine Village residents to easily travel wherever they want.
Perhaps you don’t own a car; perhaps you own one, but don’t like using it all the time. Perhaps you just really like buses (there are dozens of us!). Well, if you move to Alpine Village, you’ll be all set. Numerous bus routes run near the neighbourhood (including the #11, which runs right through it along Kingswood Drive, Alpine Village’s most regal street).
That’s the good news. The great news is that on the southeast corner of Alpine Village, at the intersection of Strasburg and Block Line, is one of the Grand River Transit’s satellite terminals: the Forest Glen Plaza Terminal. This terminal serves as a hub for ten bus routes, heading in all different directions (including the rapid iXpress #201). Catching a bus, and making a connection, is simple, and you can easily get to Fairview Park Mall, Conestoga Mall, downtown Kitchener, and much more.
Education
Despite being such a small neighbourhood, Alpine Village has two elementary schools within its boundaries (Alpine Public School and Our Lady of Grace Catholic Elementary School), and a high school quite nearby. Students in the WRDSB (public board) will attend Alpine Public School.
It has approximately 300 students, from kindergarten to Grade 6. For grades 7 and 8, students will attend either Laurentian Senior Public School or W. T. Townshend Public School (both less than a ten-minute drive west).
For secondary school, they will attend Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute (read about it inthe WRX article on it here). Students in the WCDSB (Catholic board) attend Our Lady of Grace Catholic Elementary School, and for high school they will attend St. Mary’s Catholic Secondary School, just east of
Homer Watson Boulevard (article on St. Mary’s coming soon).
Conclusion
Alpine Village can be considered a great neighbourhood because it’s got so much available to it. Huge green areas, spaces for just about every conceivable sport and social event, and options for shopping and dining are all nearby.
But another factor in what makes it great is the community that lives here: the active Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association brings together the residents of this small, suburban part of Kitchener and ensures that everyone has every opportunity to take advantage of the great sights to see, and things to do, nearby.
And I don’t know about you, but I’ll pine for the Alpine Village.
Written by Will Kummer