Downtown

   Originally, Medicine Hat’s downtown was North Railway Street which parallels the tracks on the north side. The road which parallels on the south side of the tracks is South Railway Street. The Railway station is on North Railway, and many older commercial buildings. These have been recycled into second hand stores and furniture and appliances and others. The true downtown is on first through fifth streets, between fourth avenue and South Railway Street. When I was a kid, this was the heart of town. Eaton’s, Woolworth, Kresge’s, and a host of others are all gone now. In their stead we have a downtown which is a delight to experience. There are funky boutiques with unusual items, specialty stores, coffee bars, banks and offices. Overlooking downtown are two very large buildings, one is our only high-rise apartment building, and the other is the Telus building, and all along the river are the City Hall, the Courthouses and the Library. There are also some offices and professional buildings, and the Monarch and Towne movie theaters. There is an old iron bridge called Finlay Bridge which crosses the river right beside city hall. There is an underpass on first street which goes under the CPR tracks and is heavily used. Second and Third streets are one way, so watch yourself. They are the only one ways in the city.

Flats

   The Flats is the oldest part of the city, and has some of the least expensive homes. The least desirable houses were removed in the 1970’s to make room for the YMCA, the new Police Station, the Arena and the Remand Center. The rest of the area is going through a slow makeover. Little old houses are coming out and being replaced by larger new homes or rental units. The larger older homes that are in good shape are being renovated, and the whole area is looking better and better. There are two huge parks, Lions’ and Strathcona, which feature ball diamonds, horseshoe pits, tennis courts, trails, playground equipment, an obstacle training course, a kiddy pool, Strathcona Center, which is for meetings, weddings etc., and the Veiner Center, which is a seniors drop in center. There is Elm Street public elementary and St. Louis separate elementary schools. The city owns a large chunk of land which will be developing soon, and will focus even more attention on the area. This should lead to more improvement in adjacent properties, and higher prices for the whole area over the first half of this decade. Two noticeable features of this area are the rich alluvial soil which gives great gardens, and that it is out of the wind. This latter fact is why the early residents wanted to live here, rather than out at Dunmore where the first rail yard was located. When it became obvious that the town would be in the valley, the CPR decided to place their station there.

   If you are interested in a quiet area with many nice parks, if you want to stay in a lower price range or if you wish to renovate a home, this is a great area to look.

Hill

As the city grew, the housing spread out from the tracks, first along the river on The Esplanade, which we now call First Street SW. Then it moved up onto the high ground overlooking the tracks, and then further west and south. This high ground is called the Hill, and is divided by Division Avenue into the SE and SW hills. The further west you go, the newer the homes are. Medicine Hat High School, Alexandra Junior High School, Earl Kitchener, Herald, Connaught, River Heights and Central Park public elementary schools, and St. Mary’s separate Junior High School are all in this area. Central Park is the largest in the area, and is the size of two city blocks. There is a Safeway store and some convenience stores but this is mostly a residential area. There is an outdoor pool, an enclosed skating rink as well as tennis courts for recreation. The hill area goes west until it reaches the Trans Canada highway. The highway intersects with the #3 highway which goes to Lethbridge. The municipal airport is at the edge of town just out the #3 a little. The area between the highways and the airport is called the light industrial area, and is full of businesses and shops of that type. There is one little area of the hill which is separated from the rest by a little draw. It is called Kensington, and was the original site of the Connaught Golf Club, and was turned into residential in the 1960’s. It is across the Highway from the Light Industrial Area. The sides of the highways are lined with fast food restaurants, motels and hotels. The Medicine Hat Museum and National Gallery are facing the #1 highway on the Light Industrial Area side, just off the interchange. You must look sharp or you will miss it. The Hillside Cemetery is along the #3 highway, and you will find industrial and commercial places along the #3 and south of the airport too.

   Near the highway at the top of the hill overlooking the river are the Hospital and the Medical Arts Clinic. Below the hospital is an area called Harlow. This is in the valley adjacent to the river and the highway. It was originally all in greenhouses, but is being changed over to residential. Across the highway from Harlow is the Riverside Waterslide.

   The hill area has a wide variety of homes, from character through wartime housing and all ages and styles right up to the brand new. If you want a mature area with character and charm, a quiet place for the family, the Hill could be for you.

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