As far as small city downtowns go, Guelph’s downtown neighbourhood is as alive as they come. And, yes, picturesque.
The epicentre around which the community was built, dating back 190 years, is generally always humming, morning, afternoon and night, more so in recent years as the population pushes over 130,000, and new condominium towers and infill residential projects around its edges boost the number of people living downtown.
There is a lot to do, and a lot to get done down here. It is the heart of municipal government, police and court services, a hub for charity, church, and small business. And the place to have fun. There is a high concentration of pubs and restaurants, loads of coffee shops, a small theatre, and a farmers’ market.
Put a camera around your neck and set out on a quick-paced 90-minute walking exploration of the center of town, and one turns up incredible architectural and natural beauty, and an impressive diversity of things to gawk at and capture.
Many downtown buildings have apartment dwellers living on the upper floors, and the entire core is surrounded by mostly historic homes, a blend of grand and modest. In the city’s red hot real estate market, most of those homes would be very pricey to purchase.
The downtown is where a number of worlds merge and collide – legal, government, business, rich and poor, resident and tourist, transient student and lifers. This blend certainly makes the neighbourhood the most frenetic and vibrant in the city.
During the academic year, University of Guelph students tend to occupy the downtown on weekend nights. Thursday nights are part of the extended student weekend.
Guelph’s most iconic landmark, Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate, is down here, or rather up on a high point of land down here. From up there a sweeping view of the length and breadth of the urban centre can be had. And from essentially anywhere down below, the steeples of the great church are visible.
The picturesque downtown has most of the same problems as other cities. There appears to be a growing number of people down here who are on the margins of society, struggling with poverty and addiction. Encounters with panhandlers are common.
While city hall is working on it, the practical matter of finding a place to park has worsened in recent times.
Rents for apartments and retail space have been climbing, eating into the affordability of living downtown.
But as it was in the beginning, downtown Guelph remains the arrival and departure zone of the city, the hub for public transit, rail and bus travel. GO trains come and go from the downtown. Visitors fan out into the bustling shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants.
There are more than a few inspiring sites and Guelph characters for them to encounter.
