580 BEAVER CREEK Road Unit# 208, Waterloo, N2J3Z4
580 BEAVER CREEK Road, Waterloo, Ontario N2J3Z4
225 BENJAMIN Road Unit# 72, Waterloo, N2V1Z3
225 BENJAMIN Road, Waterloo, Ontario N2V1Z3
325 NORTHLAKE Drive Unit# 3, Waterloo, N2V1Z1
325 NORTHLAKE Drive, Waterloo, Ontario N2V1Z1
#3 -325 NORTHLAKE DR, Waterloo, N2V1Z1
325 Northlake Drive, Waterloo, Ontario N2V1Z1
507 QUIET Place Unit# 1, Waterloo, N2L5L6
507 QUIET Place, Waterloo, Ontario N2L5L6
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About the Lakeshore Neighbourhood
Kitchener-Waterloo has great locations and neighbourhoods for just about anyone: styles, sizes, and prices all vary, but the region itself – wherever you choose to live – is consistently great. Today we’re going to look into the Lakeshore area of Waterloo.
It’s a fantastic location, situated right in the heart of Waterloo. There are many perks to living here, and if you’re a family looking for a perfect home to settle down in, you will be hard-pressed to find a better neighbourhood than Lakeshore.
We’ll discuss why later on in this article. So get comfortable, put on your reading cap (if you’ve got one), and let’s find out what makes Lakeshore so great!
Lakeshore is a fairly large neighbourhood, located near the center of Waterloo just west of the Conestoga Parkway. Its boundaries are Northfield Drive to the north, Weber Street to the east, Columbia Street to the south, and Albert Street/Bearinger Road/Westmount Road to the west.
The western portion of Lakeshore curves around a large area of University of Waterloo buildings, including the David Johnston Research & Technology Park. More on that later. Houses here are mostly pre-2000 models, with a variety of styles, and prices can range accordingly.
Please feel free to reach out to WRX for more specifics.
Location
Lakeshore really has it all in terms of location. It’s very close to the Conestoga Parkway (Highway 85), providing quick access to Highways 7, 8, and 401, yet far enough away that traffic and noise should never really be a concern.
Lakeshore has multiple options for shopping, too: Conestoga Mall, as well as the multiple shops and restaurants around it, is mere minutes away (you even have two major options of getting there – Northfield or King.
Verily, variety is the spice of life). Conestoga Mall has enough shops to satisfy even the most selective of shoppers, and the area nearby includes a movie theatre (Galaxy Cinemas Waterloo), big box stores, and restaurants with everything from sushi to steaks.
Lakeshore has grocery stores nearby, too: Sobeys Northfield, Zehrs near Conestoga Mall, and a few smaller ones, including India Food and Grocery.
Much to the delight of booklovers, Lakeshore has a branch of the Waterloo Public Library in its borders, too: the McCormick Branch. Incidentally, the McCormick Branch is one of the nicest libraries in Kitchener-Waterloo visually: it’s located in a beautiful little park, through which a small stream runs, as well as several trails (including the delightfully-named Waterloop Trail).
Attached to the library is the Albert McCormick Community Centre, which has two ice rinks, a stage, and a variety of amenities. It’s a great place for tournaments, and it often features trade shows and various functions.
Lakeshore has multiple bus stops for people who use public transit, and it will have good access to four LRT stops just outside the neighbourhood (Northfield, R&T Park, University of Waterloo, and Conestoga) once the IONs are up and running.
There are also multiple bus connections running through Conestoga Mall.
See Houses for Sale in Lakeshore
Nature
Tree-lovers and trail-enthusiasts, rejoice! Lakeshore has lots of mature trees, and enough trails to keep things interesting for frequent (and occasional) walkers, hikers, and bikers. In addition to the trails around the Albert McCormick Community Centre, there are two larger parks in Lakeshore (with several smaller ones, too).
In the northwest is Twin Oaks Park, situated between two schools, which runs southwest through Heasley Park and meets up with the Waterloop Trail (good old Waterloop). The largest park in Lakeshore, by far, is Sugarbush Park, which stretches from Weber Street almost to the extreme western side of the neighbourhood.
There are multiple, criss-crossing trails here, and beautiful, verdant trees that make it feel like you’re deep in the forest, and far away from the cares of the city, when you’re walking along the trail.
And if all this isn’t enough, Lakeshore borders the huge, wondrous Laurel Creek Conservation Area, which is worth visiting multiple times throughout the year.
Education
Waterloo has a very positive reputation for the quality of its schools: you can find some of the best elementary and secondary schools in the province here. Parents concerned with getting a great education for their children will be satisfied with the variety of schools in Waterloo, and their high standards and strong performance.
And Lakeshore has a lot of schools. It’s a big part of what makes this neighbourhood such a great place for families and, indeed, students. Lakeshore has five schools within its boundaries!
Cedarbrae Public School has approximately 250 students, from Kindergarten to Grade 6; one of its special programs is ‘Better Beginnings,’ which promotes healthy development. N. A. MacEachern Public School also has Kindergarten to Grade 6, and it offers the French Immersion program from Grades 1-6.
Students zoned for these two schools will be bussed to MacGregor Public School for Grades 7 & 8, which is located south of Lakeshore, near Wilfrid Laurier University. Also in Lakeshore is Winston Churchill Public School, which serves Kindergarten to Grade 8.
For secondary school, students from each of the three aforementioned schools are zoned for Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational Institute. Lakeshore also has two Catholic schools: Sir Edgar Bauer Catholic School (elementary school with opportunity for French Immersion) and St.
David Catholic Secondary School (secondary).
As noted before, Lakeshore borders a large area with University of Waterloo buildings and facilities, including the University of Waterloo Environmental Reserve. First, it should be noted that this close proximity means the campus is walking distance from Lakeshore, but not so close that noise or activity affects the peaceful suburban life within Lakeshore’s boundaries.
But Lakeshore really is a great location for UW staff or students looking to settle down. For parents with younger children, it means that your kids can potentially go to elementary school and post-secondary school while still living at home (or at least, there’s the option to do so).
Wilfrid Laurier University is just a little bit further away, but still quite close.
Overall
Lakeshore has nice, wide streets, most of which have sidewalks, and almost all of which are sheltered by mature trees. It really is a lovely neighbourhood if you like going for walks, with calm, quiet streets, and a variety of trails (including the Waterloop – I just had to write it one more time).
This, coupled with the multiple schools, community centre, and public library, make Lakeshore an amazing place to raise a family. Though that’s not to say Lakeshore’s only good for families – there are benefits here for any personal circumstances.
Both universities, and Waterloo’s largest mall, (and all the jobs both provide) are a few minutes away. If Lakeshore sounds like your kind of neighbourhood, contact WRX Property Group – we’ll be happy to help however we can.
Written by Will Kummer