Whether you’re a long-time Guelph resident or new to the area, downtown Guelph is quickly becoming the place to live. Stunning architecture, quaint shops, local food and much more make it an interesting and exciting place to live.
1) Local food
Any Guelphite will tell you how important local food is to the city, and that’s one of the main attractions of living downtown. With the Grain, Cornerstone Cafe, Bread Bar, Buon Gusto, and La Cucina are just a few of the restaurants offering up locally-sourced food and the freshest ingredients for a delightful dining experience – whether you consider yourself a foodie or not!
2) Walkability
Downtown Guelph is a pedestrian’s paradise. Carden Street is currently one of the busiest streets for pedestrians with its recently-renovated larger sidewalks, and there are more plans to make the downtown area even more pedestrian-friendly in the future with footpaths and pedestrian islands.
3) Parks
Living in downtown Guelph means you are close to not one, but three of Guelph’s biggest and most beautiful parks. Exhibition Park dates back to 1871, and is situated in one of the most beautiful parts of the city, surrounded by historic homes and complete with a baseball diamond. Royal City Park sits on the Speed River and is a popular place for grabbing an ice cream or renting a canoe from the Boathouse Tea Room. Finally, Riverside Park is a popular location for large community events like the annual Ribfest and Canada Day celebrations.
4) Arts & Culture
One of the things that sets downtown Guelph aside from most cities is the arts and culture scene. From live music seemingly every night, to comedy shows, an independent movie theatre, art galleries and regular festivals, there is something for every medium.
5) Shopping
Unlike a lot of cities’ downtown areas, downtown Guelph is a bustling centre for shopping. Down almost every street in the downtown core are little boutiques and niche stores. Old Quebec Street Mall houses a handful of lovely shops, and Carden Street, Wyndham, Quebec St and Macdonell are main thoroughfares for clothing, jewelry, housewares, spas and more.
6) Architecture & History
Guelph was founded in 1827, and many of its most famous and beautiful buildings date back to the 1850s. There are close to 100 designated heritage properties in Guelph, most of which are concentrated in the downtown core. The Guelph Civic Museum hosts a number of events celebrating Guelph’s history.
7) Close to Everything
Downtown Guelph’s location makes it easy to access other parts of Guelph like the south and north ends and all of the amenities spread across the city, as well as the rest of southern Ontario. Living downtown makes it convenient to work anywhere in the city, and is conveniently located near the University of Guelph. The train station with GO Train and Via Rail services makes getting to other main urban areas a breeze.
Interested in living downtown? Check out the Metalworks, a vibrant Fusion Homes community located in the heart of downtown Guelph.
