Belmont

Belmont is one of seven residential neighbourhoods in the Clareview district, located in Edmonton’s northeast.  It is bound on three sides by arterial roads, and by the Kennedale Ravine to the south.  The Belmont area was homesteaded by settlers since the late 1880s, and was f irst subdivided in 1912 during one of Edmonton’s early land booms. Despite this early start, the area remained beyond the bounds of urban development for many years. The Belmont area was annexed to the City of Edmonton in 1961. Throughout the 1960s the future of the Belmont area remained uncertain due to concerns about the nearby petro-chemical and industrial operations. These concerns were resolved by 1972, when the Clareview Outline Plan area was approved. Revised subdivision plans for Belmont were approved in the same year, and most residential land was developed between 1975 and 1977.  Single-detached homes comprise approximately half of the housing types in the neighbourhood, with the remainder of housing units located in medium density structures such as row houses. Educational and recreational facilities are located in the centre of the neighbourhood.  A number of pathways promote pedestrian and bicycle travel through the neighbourhood, and an LRT station is located north of 137 Avenue.  The neighbourhood also has good access to Kennedale Ravine. Prior to its annexation in 1961 the Belmont area was known locally for the presence of the Belmont Rehabilitation Centre and Belmont Drive-In Theatre (the theatre was destroyed by a tornado in 1987). The name of the neighbourhood, “Belmont,” is taken from the French term “beautiful mountain.”