Mill Woods


Mill Woods is a residential area in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Located in southeast Edmonton, Mill Woods is bounded by Whitemud Drive to the north, 91 Street to the west, 34 Street to the east, and Anthony Henday Drive to the south. Mill Woods is adjacent to three other residential areas including The Meadows to the east across 34 Street, and Southeast Edmonton and Ellerslie to the south and southwest respectively across Anthony Henday Drive.
The development of Mill Woods began in the early 1970s and was one of the first areas of Edmonton to move away from the grid system.

History

Originally the Papaschase Indian Reserve, the Mill Woods area was settled under treaty by a Métis-Cree band between 1876 and 1891. After the reserve was deemed to have been abandoned in 1891, the land was subject to agriculture settlement. The land was then settled by Moravian Brethren from Germany and Russia, who ran it as a communal farm in a community associated with the Bruederheim Moravian church. The City of Edmonton began assembling land in this area in 1970 as a means of mitigating the rising cost of serviced land in the vicinity of Edmonton, while the City of Edmonton began preparing a plan to develop the area.
The Mill Woods Development Concept was approved in March 1971, consisting of eight communities and a town centre community. It was originally anticipated to have a population of approximately 120,000 people at full build-out.
Eastern Mill Woods suffered heavy damage from the Edmonton tornado in 1987.
The designation of the original Papaschase reserve as abandoned was disputed by the descendants of the Papaschase band, who brought a lawsuit for compensation against the government of Canada in 2001. The claim was dismissed by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2008 on the grounds that the statute of limitations had expired.

Naming

Mill Woods was named for the Mill Creek, which bisects the northeast portion of the area, as well as the wooded nature of the area. The aboriginal heritage of the area is reflected in the names of numerous neighbourhoods in Mill Woods. For example, the Satoo neighbourhood is named for Chief Satoo of the Cree people.

Geography

Mill Woods comprises a town centre community and eight surrounding communities, which are each divided into multiple neighbourhoods. Millbourne is divided into the sub-communities of Leefield and North Millbourne before being divided into two neighbourhoods each.
The communities within Mill Woods are connected by an arterial ring road, Mill Woods Road, along its east, south, and west extent and by 38 Avenue along its north extent. Smaller collector ring roads that intersect Mill Woods Road connect the multiple neighbourhoods typically found within each community.
Within the circle formed by these eight communities are the neighbourhoods of Mill Woods Park, Mill Woods Town Centre and Tawa. Together, these three neighbourhoods form a largely business and service core intended to allow Mill Woods to function as a self-contained community.

Amenities

Mill Woods contains Mill Woods Town Centre, the Grey Nuns Community Hospital, an Edmonton Fire Service station. It contains Edmonton Police Service's Southeast Division headquarters; there is a City run Recreation Centre, and is home to Mill Woods Park. As well as Mill Woods Golf Course in the just south of Whitemud Drive.

Schools

Mill Woods has twenty-one Edmonton Public elementary schools, eleven Edmonton Catholic elementary schools, four public junior high schools, three Catholic junior high schools. As well as two high schools J. Percy Page High School, and Holy Trinity Catholic High School. Edmonton Catholic Schools also operates an alternative outreach high school in Mill Woods. Previously, Mill Woods has also been home to the Mill Woods Campus of MacEwan University.

Events

The Mill Woods Presidents' Council, community leagues throughout Mill Woods, and various corporate sponsors provide Canada Day celebrations in Mill Woods Park on July 1 of each year. It features free family entertainment including various musical performances, petting zoos, hay rides and other activities, 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, which is the largest neighbourhood celebration in Canada.

Demographics

The total population of Mill Woods according to the City of Edmonton's 2012 municipal census is 78,322. The following is a population breakdown of Mill Woods by neighbourhood.
RankNeighbourhoodCommunityPopulation
Population
1Kiniski GardensBurnewood66376927
2Pollard MeadowsSouthwood45534480
3Crawford PlainsSouthwood43814410
4SakawMillhurst41024194
5Jackson HeightsBurnewood39114130
6BissetRidgewood38313980
7Daly GroveSouthwood35463608
8HillviewWoodvale34443766
9WeinlosRidgewood34283482
10SatooKnottwood33893490
11RichfieldMillbourne32973346
12Tweddle PlaceMillbourne31293272
13MinchauRidgewood30993327
14GreenviewWoodvale29232890
15MeyonohkLakewood29232969
16TipaskanLakewood29012944
17KameyosekLakewood28952712
18MeyokuminMillhurst28913063
19Lee RidgeMillbourne27412751
20EkotaKnottwood25632655
21MenisaKnottwood25452685
22Michaels ParkMillbourne21962195
23TawaMill Woods Town Centre19091961
24Mill Woods Town CentreMill Woods Town Centre10881156
25Mill Woods Golf CourseWoodvale00
26Mill Woods ParkN/A00
TotalMill Woods26 Areas7832280363

Transportation

There are two ETS bus terminals one Lakewood, near Mill Woods Recreation Centre on 28 Avenue NW, and the other at Mill Woods Town Centre. Another terminal, Millgate, lies just north across Whitemud Drive from the Tweddle Place and Michael's Park neighbourhoods.
Two freeways run by Mill Woods including, Whitemud Drive on the north side and the Anthony Henday Drive on the south; both running east–west. Several arterial roads that run in and around Mill Woods. Running north-south are 91 Street, 66 Street, 50 Street and 34 Street. Running east-west are the two freeways as well as 23 Avenue, and 34 Avenue.
In 2020 the Valley Line of the Edmonton Light Rail Transit system is expected to be completed, and in doing so adding 3 stations in Mill Woods; Millbourne/Woodvale, at 38 avenue NW and 66 Street NW, Grey Nuns Hospital at 66 Street NW and 31 Street NW and Mill Woods Town Centre at 28 Avenue and 62 Street NW,