Downtown Winnipeg | |
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Coordinates: 49°53′44″N 97°8′19″W / 49.89556°N 97.13861°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Manitoba |
City | Winnipeg |
Area | |
• Neighbourhood | 16.3 km2 (6.3 sq mi) |
• Metro | 5,306.79 km2 (2,048.96 sq mi) |
Population (2016) | |
• Neighbourhood | 66,850[1] |
• Density | 4,095.3/km2 (10,607/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (Central Standard Time) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (Central Daylight Time) |
Forward sortation areas | |
Area code(s) | Area codes 204 and 431 |
Downtown Winnipeg is an area of Winnipeg located near the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. It is the oldest urban area in Winnipeg, and is home to the city's commercial core, city hall, the seat of Manitoba's provincial government, and a number of major attractions and institutions.
The City of Winnipeg's official downtown boundaries are: the Canadian Pacific Railway mainline on the north, Gomez Street and the Red River on the east, and the Assiniboine River on the south; the western boundaries of downtown are irregular, following along a number of different streets, back lanes, and across properties.[2] Generally speaking, the western boundaries are rarely much further west of Balmoral and Isabel Streets. In 2016, Canadian Geographic produced a map that generalize Winnipeg's downtown boundaries.[3]
Neighbourhoods in the downtown area include the Exchange District, Central Park, The Forks, and Chinatown. The downtown area is roughly 3 square kilometres (740 acres). Winnipeg Square, Canada Life Centre, Portage Place, and the flagship store of The Bay (closed 30 November 2020) are all located on the downtown section of Portage Avenue. On Main Street are Winnipeg's City Hall, Union Station, and the Manitoba Centennial Centre, which includes the Manitoba Museum, the Planetarium, the Centennial Concert Hall, and the Winnipeg Railway Museum. Although over 60,000 people work downtown[citation needed], only 17,190 people live in the area covered by the Downtown Zoning By-Law.[4]
There are several residential projects under construction on Waterfront Drive and in the Exchange District, and the residential population of the area is projected to increase substantially in the next few years.