One of Calgary's most popular destinations, Kensington features a large collection of trendy businesses including boutique shops, incredible restaurants, pubs with outdoor patios, some great coffee spots, very similar to Inglewood with it's own style and flavour.
~ Image Description: Much like every other trendy and emerging neighbourhood in North America, Kensington features some incredible street art. ~
Our neighbourhood guide is built to give you an idea of this revitalization zone, which primarily runs along 10th Street Northwest and throughout Kensington Road.
Kensington Neighbourhood Guide
- Kensington Introduction
- Real Estate in Kensington
- Lifestyle and Living in Kensington
- Schools in Kensington
- Events in Kensington
- Kensington Restaurants and Dining
- Why We Recommend Living Near This Community
- Kensington REALTOR®
Introduction to Kensington
Vibrant and cultural are some of the many ways to describe this area, if you're into supporting local and small businesses, this is your paradise!
Located beside the communities of Hillhurst and Sunnyside, you'll be hard pressed to not find plenty of things to do in and around Kensington. With over 250 shops, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, boutique stores, city staples including Crave Cupcakes, and close proximity to the downtown core and gorgeous river pathways. Access to Kensington is readily available via public transit, the closest stop is the Sunnyside Station.
Similar to Marda Loop, Kensington is known as a BRZ or business revitalization zone, a program that was established back in 1983 and is seen throughout many major cities in Canada including Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Edmonton that provides commercial areas to administer and run their respective zones by enhancing what the typical municipality may bring. For example, this could include individual marketing efforts for a community, via websites or social media, enhanced cleaning of the streets, extra security, and other capital improvements. In Calgary there are a total of nine BRZ's.
Restaurants in this area will keep you coming back on the regular, from live music to timeless pubs, Italian lunches, and delicious Crave Cupcake treats, there's plenty of action in Kensington for foodies.
Real Estate in Kensington
At the bottom of this article, we've curated a list of homes for sale that are nearby Kensington, you'll find a collection of homes for sale near Kensington. Typically you'll find homes in this area with prices ranging below $500,000 for original homes (Bungalows typically) built in the early 1900's on smaller lots. You can also find homes/lots well above the $600,000 mark for sale that offer the ability for infills to be built (teardowns). Infills are rapidly transforming inner city Calgary communities as supply dwindles in these areas and demand continues to press, many potential home buyers seek to live near the downtown core without sacrificing the offerings a new home has to offer, these established communities provide much more than great locations, typically you'll find mature tree lined streets, plenty of character and charm, access to great schools and much more. This in turn means we're seeing a large palette of infill homes for sale around Kensington, these properties can be priced from anywhere around the $750,000+ mark to the millions, with Luxury homes that can offer well over 3,000 square feet of developed luxury living space.
For example, an example of recently listed homes for sale near Kensington.
Kensington Luxury Home Listing
Price $2,349,000+
Bedrooms 5
Bathrooms 6.00
Square Footage 4,143
Year Built 2012
Zoning R-C1
Double Detached Garage
On the other end of the real estate spectrum, we see another recent listing here.
Kensington Detached Home For Sale
Price $589,000+
Bedrooms 1
Bathrooms 1.00
Square Footage 982
Year Built 1911
Zoning M-CG
Single Detached Garage
As you can see, the single family home offerings around Kensington are diverse. The listing above, priced at $589,000 demonstrates the charming history of this area with a beautiful original home, on the smaller side for most, but is definitely turn key and ready to move in, perfect for young professionals who work downtown that aren't planning on growing a family anytime soon. As the demand for this area increases, we'll also continue to see high density housing developments surrounding the area.
~ Image Description: Looking east just off of Kensington Road with one of Calgary's BEST restaurants - Hayden Block Smoke & Whiskey which presently has an incredible rating of 4.6 on Google with over 2,610 Google reviews located at 1136 Kensington Rd NW, Calgary, AB T2N 3P3 ~
Lifestyle and Living in Kensington
As mentioned in our introduction, the communities of Hillhurst and Sunnyside neighbour this area, these communities are established mature neighbourhoods that have plenty to offer residents including active community associations. You'll find a grocery store (Safeway) adjacent to the Sunnyside Train station which also serves as the closest stop for people looking for public transit access to Kensington.
Living near this zone means you'll be in close proximity to the river pathways and parks within the downtown, including Prince's Island Park and Eau Claire Park. Just north of Kensington you'll also find the popular Riley Park which offers everything from large outdoor green and garden spaces, a cricket pitch, playgrounds, and a family friendly outdoor water park.
Schools near Kensington
You'll find plenty of great schools nearby, residents and their children/teens surrounding this area can be served by numerous schools including the Queen Elizabeth Junior / High school which offers many great programs including advancement placement and honors programs. You'll find the Hillhurst school serving elementary students on the public side served at this school built in 1912 serving students from Kindergarten to grade six as well as the Sunnyside Community School.
SAIT and the U of C are just short commutes from this area as well, making it a hot spot for college students during the summer, taking in everything from outdoor rooftop patios to the board game cafe, or the internet gaming cafes.
Events in Kensington
You'll find a unique collection of various events always happening in Kensington, from food festivals, to outdoor movies, pop ups, fundraisers and charitable events/walks, it's always a popular hotspot and destination for many Calgarian's especially from Spring through Fall.
~ Image Description: Looking west in Kensington from Kensington Road with a view of the similarly flat 'iron' building in NYC. ~
Kensington Eats, Restaurants and Dining
Some of Calgary's best dining and quick bites can be found in this trendy area, from the aforementioned Hayden Block to quick eats at Calgary's famous Chicken on the Way. Here's a breakdown on some of the hottest spots in Kensington:
CRAVE COOKIES AND CUPCAKES
This very well known bakery with multiple locations throughout Calgary started their first bakery in Kensington back in 2004 with their grandmothers cake (chocolate) recipe along with her buttercream icing. If you've never experienced a crave cupcake, it's a must for any Calgarian foodie, and if you have, well, we're sorry! We know you're going to get one sometime this week now! They're simply irresistible!
CONTAINER BAR
Located in... An alley. Right off Kensington Road (1131 Kensington Road) dog friendly patio, it's a must visit in Calgary.
PEPPINO
Take a stroll through Kensington next time you're looking for a delicious lunch and stop by at Peppino! Imported Italian foods, sauces, pasta, and serves authentic Italian subs with homemade dressings.
KENSINGTON PUB
A favourite amongst locals this is a quaint pub in the heart of Kensington.
Why We Recommend Living near Kensington
Culture, diversity, amenities, a great sense of community, are just a few of the many things we've outlined above that check the box for many home buyers in Calgary, with an incredible and diverse mix of housing options from condominiums to historic homes, Kensington truly embodies some of the greatest elements that makes our city great.
Kensington REALTOR® Dusko Sremac
If you're thinking about buying or selling a home around Kensington or inner city Calgary, work with an experienced real estate agent who knows the complexities of buying and selling homes in communities where home values can differ widely from house to house, that knows the developers and builders who were and are active in the area, and can help navigate and negotiate this dynamic market.
Homes For Sale Near Kensington
Posted by Cody Tritter on
Enjoy this blog post? Click here to subscribe for updates
Leave A Comment