Welcome to Summerside | Stories

Three homes decorated with lights and Christmas ornaments standing on the lawns.

Some of the decorated homes along a snowless Grande Boulevard on November 28, 2023.

You could say the community of Summerside(external link) is in its holiday era—and not just because it has its own beach club and trout-filled lake.

Residents in the neighbourhood, particularly those on Grande Boulevard, like to go all-out for Halloween and Christmas. They glitz up their homes with lights, inflatables and other decorations, turning their south Edmonton street into a holiday attraction for thousands to visit.

Retired couple Juanita and Gordon Bowman live in one of the 150-plus homes on the kilometre-long boulevard. “This year, we ordered a big inflatable snowman that has a surfboard because we thought it would fit into the theme of Summerside,” she says.

The decorations are only a small reflection of Summerside’s vibrant community spirit. The residents association hosts various events, fundraisers and classes at the beach club, including coffee drop-ins for seniors, food bank donations, learn-to-skate workshops for children, and paddleboard lessons for all ages.

More than 16,000 people live in Summerside, which is located between Ellerslie Road and 25 Street. Close to 36 per cent of residents are in their 30s and 40s, while 23 per cent are 14 years and younger, according to the 2019 municipal census. There are two elementary/junior high schools in the community, various parks and walking paths, plus several local restaurants—including Workshop Eatery, Meat the Bun, and the Thirsty Camel, where the Bowmans like to meet up with friends.

A man and a woman stand outside the front door of their house.

Juanita and Gordon Bowman stand in front of their home, decorated with lights, on Grande Boulevard.

“If you want to come to a place where you’re not going to feel alone, this is the place to be,” says Juanita.
“There’s a sense of real community and helpfulness among your neighbours. We know everybody on the block and then some.”

Homes line the perimeter of a lake as a cloudless blue sky shines above.

Homes line the perimeter of Lake Summerside, which is about a 25-minute drive from downtown Edmonton.

The Bowmans moved to Summerside to be closer to their daughter and three grandchildren, who were already living in the neighbourhood. The water was a plus, too. Juanita and Gordon are avid paddleboarders.

“We used to live in the west end and then we moved to Kelowna,” she says. “When we came back, I said: ‘We should be by water.’ So that’s what made us decide to come here.’”

Summerside is the only community in Edmonton with a manmade freshwater lake. (It also has three storm ponds around the perimeter of the neighbourhood.) Construction began in the early 2000s by developer Brookfield Residential. In 2022, Summerside was named Best Community at the Canadian Home Builders’ Association—Edmonton Region Awards of Excellence.

Jinting Zhao lives in a townhouse with her dog, Wonton, just south of Grande Boulevard. She likes the diversity of Summerside housing options.

“You have the townhouses that I live in, single family homes, duplexes,” she says. “You have carriage houses and apartment buildings. All of that helps to create a cool vibe of different kinds of people—and that’s really good.”

The lake, which is stocked with trout throughout the year, lured Zhao to Summerside in 2016. She lives about a 20-minute stroll from the water.

“Me and my dad love fishing,” she says. “That’s really why I moved here—I want to fish, damn it! Usually, you have to leave the city to fish and it takes awhile to get there and get back.”

Thanks to the lake and community spirit, Summerside feels like its own secluded village, but it’s also close to grocery stores such as Save-On-Foods and Fruiticana (less than five minutes by car), South Edmonton Common (seven minutes) and the airport (16 minutes).

“I’ve been on a paddleboard or a floaty on the lake and I’ll order some food on my phone and then it shows up 20 minutes later,” says Zhao.

A smiling woman with glasses holds a grinning pomeranian with his tongue sticking out.

Jinting Zhao and Wonton outside some townhouses in Summerside.

Neighbourhood Profile Welcome to Summerside

“If you want to come to a place where you’re not going to feel alone, this is the place to be,” says Juanita.
“There’s a sense of real community and helpfulness among your neighbours. We know everybody on the block and then some.”

“It’s the closest thing you can get to feeling like you’re not in the city,
but you don’t lose any amenities of being in the city. That’s nice.”

Summerside Quick Facts

City ward: Karhiio

Population: 16,055

Public transportation: Three ETS bus routes, with connections to Edmonton’s light rail transit (LRT) network

Amenities: Summerside Beach Club, several community parks, playgrounds and paths

Schools: Michael Strembitsky School, Father Michael Mireau Catholic Elementary/Junior High School

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Neighbourhood Profile Welcome to Summerside

“If you want to come to a place where you’re not going to feel alone, this is the place to be,” says Juanita. “There’s a sense of real community and helpfulness among your neighbours. We know everybody on the block and then some.”

“It’s the closest thing you can get to feeling like you’re not in the city, but you don’t lose any amenities of being in the city. That’s nice.”

Summerside Quick Facts

City ward: Karhiio

Population: 16,055

Public transportation: Three ETS bus routes, with connections to Edmonton’s light rail transit (LRT) network

Amenities: Summerside Beach Club, several community parks, playgrounds and paths

Schools: Michael Strembitsky School, Father Michael Mireau Catholic Elementary/Junior High School

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Welcome to Blatchford

Welcome to downtown

Community leagues bring folks together

Putting pieces in place to grow sustainably

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“If you want to come to a place where you’re not going to feel alone, this is the place to be,” says Juanita.
“There’s a sense of real community and helpfulness among your neighbours. We know everybody on the block and then some.”

“It’s the closest thing you can get to feeling like you’re not in the city,
but you don’t lose any amenities of being in the city. That’s nice.”