305 HARTWOOD Avenue, Kitchener, N2H6B3
305 HARTWOOD Avenue, Kitchener, Ontario N2H6B3
#521 -690 KING ST W, Kitchener, N2H5L8
690 King Street, Kitchener, Ontario N2H5L8
690 KING Street W Unit# 613, Kitchener, N2H5L8
690 KING Street, Kitchener, Ontario N2H5L8
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Mount Hope Area in Kitchener
Hello, and welcome to the WRX Property Group website and blog. Over the past few months, we’ve been working our way through the neighbourhoods and regions of Kitchener-Waterloo, one article at a time. Through these, we hope to provide prospective home buyers (and anyone interested in the area) with a better understanding of the various components making up the cities. Today we’ll be looking at: Mount Hope, in Kitchener!
See Homes for Sale in Mount Hope
Location
Mount Hope is at the very northern tip of Kitchener, but it is quite central in terms of east to west. Its boundaries are made up approximately by Roger Street in the north; Margaret Avenue in the east; Victoria Street North in the south; and King Street West in the west.
Two things are worth noting right away: first of all, Mount Hope is located right alongside the City of Waterloo. Indeed, heading northeast or northwest through the intersection of King Street and Union Street will put you in Waterloo, while heading southeast or southwest will put you in Kitchener.
A final factoid: the names of major streets in Kitchener often end with ‘East’ or ‘West,’ whereas in Waterloo they will typically end in ‘North’ or ‘South.’ So major streets like King or Weber will undergo name changes the moment they cross the border: one second you’re walking on Weber Street West, the next you’re on Weber Street South (despite moving to the north). Anyway: back to Mount Hope!
Downtown, Uptown, and Mount Hope
The second thing worth noting is just how close Mount Hope is to both Downtown Kitchener and Uptown Waterloo. Mount Hope is, after all, part of the Kitchener Downtown Neighbourhood Alliance (DNA), a volunteer organization that unites the various communities in and around Downtown Kitchener through community programs and advocacy.
Being so close to these two diverse, vibrant areas is a major benefit to Mount Hope residents. There is always something to see and do in both Uptown and Downtown, with numerous restaurants, shops, and activities to enjoy. Also nearby, Victoria Park and Waterloo Park are among the most beautiful parks in the Region.
Life in Mount Hope
Mount Hope is an interesting neighbourhood. On the one hand, the area within its boundaries is decidedly residential. The homes are not the largest in the city, nor are the lots very large. But many of the homes here are historic, and there is a great deal of architectural variety here. Mature trees line the relatively narrow streets, and it has the feel of a well-established community.
As soon as you move out of the central Mount Hope area, however, the residential feel gives way immediately to the hustle and bustle of Kitchener’s urban core. Shops and restaurants abound up and down King Street. The Google Waterloo offices stand in the southwest corner of Mount Hope, and just south of here is the thriving Innovation District of Kitchener.
So Mount Hope is a neighbourhood of contrasts: a tight-knit, well-established community within its border, and the hustle and bustle of urban life along its periphery. But it’s worth looking a little longer at what’s available for Mount Hope residents to enjoy their time at home.
The Mount Hope Breithaupt Park Neighbourhood Association (MHBPNA) serves the neighbouring communities of Mount Hope and Breithaupt Park, which lies just east of Mount Hope. The MHBPNA, another volunteer organization, is all about building connections between community members, and making sure these neighbourhoods live up to their great potential.
Activities run by the MHBPNA include tobogganing, lantern walks, football camp, songwriting, soapbox derbies, and so much more. They also ran a recent series of public forums, which focussed on a range of topics and issues relevant to community members (including the impact of increasing population density and how to fight for sustainability in the neighbourhood). You can keep track of the latest events on the MHBPNA Facebook page (here), or learn more on their website (here).
Education
For any families, or future families, living in Mount Hope (or planning to buy a home here), knowing a little about the schools in the area can be very important. There are no schools within Mount Hope’s boundaries, but there are a few nearby.
Students in the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) are zoned for St. Teresa Catholic Elementary School, a Kindergarten to Grade 8 school which stands northeast of the neighbourhood. For high school, Mount Hope students will move on to St. David Catholic Secondary School, further north along King Street (in Waterloo). In both cases, Mount Hope students are eligible for bussing.
Students in the public, Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) will be zoned for Elizabeth Ziegler Public School, which lies just north of Mount Hope’s borders, on the northern side of Union Street East (in Waterloo). Elizabeth Ziegler is a Kindergarten to Grade 6 school, and it offers French Immersion. For Grades 7 and 8, they will move on to MacGregor Public School, further north, which also offers French Immersion.
For high school, WRDSB students from Mount Hope are zoned for Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational Institute (KCI for short), which stands just west of the neighbourhood’s border. You can read more about KCI here, and you can read more about St. David Catholic Secondary school here.
Transportation
It’s worth highlighting one final way in which Mount Hope really shines: public transportation. Once the LRT starts running, Mount Hope residents will truly be spoiled for choice, with numerous LRT stations within walking distance. There’s much to love about the urban Uptown and Downtown areas, but for those occasions when a larger, enclosed mall is preferable, residents can hop on the iON to visit Conestoga Mall in the north, or Fairview Park Mall in the south, quickly and easily.
The Charles Street Terminal in Downtown Kitchener is one of the Region’s major transit hubs, with buses to just about every part of Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge, as well as inter-city transit options. In the next few years, a brand new multi-million dollar transit terminal will be opening at the King and Victoria intersection, too.
Wrapping Up
Mount Hope is a lovely little residential neighbourhood with an absolutely amazing location. It’s the perfect place for anyone working in Kitchener’s Innovation District, or the wider Downtown/Uptown areas. Indeed, it’s perfect for anyone looking to enjoy all that city life has to offer, while also having a quieter place to call home. If you’d like to know more, please contact us!
Written by Will Kummer