St. Vital

Welcome to sunny St. Vital!

Located between the Seine River on the west and the Red River on the east and stretching from the perimeter all the way to St. Boniface, this popular neighbourhood is the second oldest permanent settlement in Manitoba and one of the largest areas in Winnipeg. St Vital is a strong francophone community with 17.4% of households speaking either both English and French or French only. Being so large, this isn’t an easy area to describe— but we will do our best!

THE COMMUTE

Travel is usually pretty easy in and out of St Vital. The area has several main traffic corridors— the main north-south routes are St. Anne’s Road, St. Mary’s Road and Dakota St and the main east-west routes are Abinojii Mikanah and the Perimeter Highway, plus a number of smaller collector streets.

The commute to downtown will really depend on where in St. Vital you settle—Portage & Main is only a 10 min drive from Old St. Vital but a 22 min drive from River Park South.

Looking north over River Road/ Victoria Crescent area along the Red River. That’s Abinojii Mikanah and the Fort Garry Bridge.

THE NEIGHBOURHOODS OF ST VITAL

Offering many distinct neighbourhoods, each with vastly different characters, price points, and eras of construction, St Vital truly offers something for everyone.

Looking west over Old St. Vital and the Red River

At the north end of St Vital, bordering on St. Boniface, is Old St. Vital. The homes in this area are mostly small bungalows and 1 ½ storey homes built in the 1950s/1970s on 50ft wide lots. There has been significant infill development in Old St. Vital, so there are also newer homes, generally on older lots that have been split to create two homes, each on 25ft wide lots.

Victoria Crescent is a beautiful stately area nestled in the curve of the Red River. The homes along the river, which wraps around to include River Road and Salme Drive, are some of the most expensive homes in Winnipeg, with lots fetching close to 1M. The sky is the limit for the existing homes, most of which have been meticulously maintained, or else torn down and replaced with new homes.

Kingston Crescent (on the west side of Dunkirk Dr) and Elm Park (to the east of Dunkirk Dr) are two of the most beloved pockets in St Vital, offering large family homes, many parks, and Winnipeg fan-favourite, the walking bridge to the Bridge Drive In for Winnipeg’s best ice cream.

St. George, Worthington, Norberry and Pulberry are located in mid-St. Vital along St. Mary’s Road —all have lots of homes mostly built in the 1960s and 1970s, and offer a variety of options from fixer-uppers to completely renovated dream homes.

Houses along the Red River on Salme Drive

On the east side of mid-St. Vital, located between St. Anne’s Road and the Seine River are Alpine Place and Lavallee. These are two of Winnipeg’s best kept secrets. These areas have a lovely rural feel, with huge lots and access to the beautiful Seine River, perfect for kayaking and fishing in the summer, or snowshoeing in the winter.

The other half of St Vital is located on the other side of Abinojii Mikanah highway. Here you’ll find Southglen, Minnetonka and Meadowood, which offer great options for affordable homes mostly built in the 1970s. Most are well-designed family homes, usually bungalows and split-levels, plus some awesome architectural gems.

Tucked into a curve of the Red River at the west end of St Vital is River Pointe, which is an exclusive pocket, home to large family homes, many along the river, and lots of shared green space.

Further south, you’ll find newer construction in Normand Park and Van Hull Estates both offering large family homes, mostly constructed in the 1990s and early 2000s, and River Park South and Dakota Crossing, which are great family areas offering parks, schools, large family homes and construction as recent as within the last few years!

Last but not least, is Royalwood, which is nestled between St.Anne’s Road and the Seine River. Built around the Bois-Des-Esprit park and the river, this is a hugely popular area—for good reason. The construction is newer, the community feel is fantastic, there are plenty of amenities and green spaces— and it’s walking distance from Harth Mozza & Wine Bar, one of our team faves!

SHOPPING & DINING

The newest brunch addition to Old St. Vital, and one of our favourites, is Juneberry where you can enjoy a delicious brunch in a cozy atmosphere. You will also love Jardins St-Léon Gardens, which is open seasonally in Old St Vital from May to October offering a mouth-watering array of local fruits, veggies, and more all from local providers plus Miller’s Meats which is another personal fave of our team— offering an outstanding selection of meat, bread, fresh veggies and more.

If you’re looking for a great bakery, than look no further than The Crusty Bun in mid-St Vital for European-Style baking, deli sandwiches and home-made soups.

Further north along St Mary’s Road, wine lovers will be thrilled to live near to Jones & Co, one of the city’s finest wine stores.

Last but not least, no summer night in St Vital is complete without a walk or bike ride to Licks Ice Cream Patio in south St Vital.

Beyond these faves, the truth is that St Vital truly offers more shopping, dining, medical services, grocery, banking and convenience stores than we could ever list, plus the St. Vital Mall, which is one of the city’s largest shopping malls, offering over 160 stores, a food court, movie theatre and arcade.

SCHOOLS

Centre scolaire Léo-Rémillard • Photo from CBC Radio

Most schools are operated by the Louis Riel School Division, serving elementary, middle and high school years. You can use the Louis Riel School Division search engine to find the schools that serve your particular area.

There are two Francophone schools in St. Vital operated by La Division Scolaire Franco-Manitobaine (DSFM) : Centre Scolaire Léo-Rémillard in Royalwood and École Christine-Lespérance in River Park South.

St Vital also offers two Parochial schools administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Boniface: St. Emile School and Christ the King School.

What to do in St. Vital

Parks and various outdoor spaces makes for a great family neighbourhood

There are many parks, trails and sites all around to keep you busy and active!

St. Vital Park is located along the Red River, spanning 46 hectares, making it the third largest park in Winnipeg. This park offers endless year-round activities, including nearly 4000m of walking or biking paths, an outdoor skating rink, BBQ pits, picnic tables and a pavilion.

Maple Grove Park is a whopping 81 hectares located at the Perimeter Highway and St. Mary’s Road. The park is home to a fields for football, rugby, ultimate frisbee, beach volleyball, plus a large dog park that has trails along the river for you and your pup to enjoy.

Bois-Des-Esprit urban forest • Photo from Tourism Winnipeg

Bois-Des-Esprit which means “Woods Where the Spirits Dwell” is 117-acre urban forest situated along the Seine river Greenway in Royalwood. As you explore the park, keep an eye open for the monuments and art sculptures hidden in the woods!

Guay Park is home to the St. Vital War Memorial to commemorate the men and women from St. Vital that were killed during service in the First, and Second World War and Korean War.

St. Vital Museum opened in May 2008– housed in the former residence of the St. Vital Fire and Police Departments which shut down in 1874. Here you can find artifacts on display depicting the history of St. vital dating back to 1820. Take a tour to find out the history of the area.

There are a number of very active community centres in the neighbourhood to help keep you and your family busy! St. Vital Centennial Arena offers public skating and skating lessons while the Dakota Community Center offers various year round sports and recreation programs for children, youth, and adults. Windsor Community Center also offers various programs and also has summer camps available for kids. Maple Grove Rugby Park is a sports and entertainment facility well known for Super Spike - a huge outdoor volleyball tournament and concert series. It’s also a great place to walk your dog along the river bank and enjoy sports programs as well.

St. Vital REAL ESTATE

St. Vital offers a home for every budget and lifestyle. Due to the sheer size of the area there are usually lots of homes to choose from—in 2022, a total of 732 homes and 169 condos were sold in St Vital.

In 2022, detached homes sold between $60,000 and $1,490,000 and condos sold between $134,000 and $1,160,000.

Here’s a breakdown of what the pricing for a few typical St Vital homes looks like in 2023.

In Old St Vital, an 800 sqft bungalow built in the 1940s on a 48 x 100 lot with well-maintained original flooring and kitchen, finished basement, deck and detached garage costs around $350,000.
In Pulberry, a 1200 sqft bungalow built in the 1960s on a 60 x 100 lot that is completely renovated with detached garage and finished basement costs around $475,000.
In Van Hull Estates, a 1600 sqft bungalow built in 2009 on a 50 x 110 lot with original finishes, attached garage, and unfinished basement costs around $550,000.
In River Park South, a 1900 sqft two-storey built in 2014 on a 45 x 150 lot with attached garage, large deck, finished basement and beautiful interior would cost around $650,000.
On Victoria Crescent, a 2500 sqft two-storey built in the 1990s on a 150 x 350 lot (not on the river) that is beautifully updated would cost around $750,000.

If you have questions about buying or selling real estate in St. Vital, please contact us today!

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