Spruce Grove: On the crossroads of growth and opportunity

There are many intangibles involved for communities to provide a high quality of life to its residents, but in Spruce Grove those intangibles are easy to see.

This young, dynamic city just west of Edmonton has become an epicentre of growth in the region, as it provides all the ingredients for residents to enjoy a balanced lifestyle.

It has rapidly growing employment opportunities with continued expansion of its commercial and industrial areas, as well as, continued development of the nearby Acheson Industrial Park. Residents enjoy convenient access to Edmonton on the Yellowhead Highway and on Highway 16A.

The City features exemplary schools and exceptional recreation, sports, arts and culture facilities and activities. The City also offers diverse choices in shopping and dining as well as a full range of personal and health services.

No wonder its population has grown at an average annual rate of 4.2 per cent over the past 10 years, making Spruce Grove one of the fastest growing mid-size cities in western Canada.

Growing young

Located just 11 kilometers west of Edmonton, the City of Spruce Grove is home to more than 39,000 residents. With easy connections to major highways, and just a short 30-minute drive to the Edmonton International Airport (EIA), its potential for growth seems as boundless as Alberta’s prairie horizon.

“We are a young City, and many families now call Spruce Grove home,” says Dave Walker, Director, Economic & Business Development for the City of Spruce Grove.

“We have great schools, plenty of parks and trails, and a mix of arts, culture, sports and recreation. We offer quality employment opportunities close to home. Commuter transit gets you around our city and to Edmonton and back,” he tells Edmonton New Home + Condo Guide.

“Spruce Grove has a young demographic with the largest cohort in the 30 to 39 age group followed by the next largest cohort in the 0 to 9 age group,” says Walker. Young families are attracted by the affordable housing, plentiful amenities and easy-living lifestyle Spruce Grove offers.

New communities

Spruce Grove has a range of diverse neighbourhoods where homebuyers can find their dream home. This includes a full range of housing options from single-family homes, duplexes, townhouses, condominiums as well as rental accommodation with over 40 active show homes.

With the average cost of a single-family home lower than west Edmonton, Spruce Grove offers more value for individuals and families looking to put down roots.

Coventry Homes is one of Edmonton’s biggest homebuilders and they couldn’t be happier with the opportunity to add their award-winning home designs to the mix in Spruce Grove.

Coventry Homes started building homes in Spruce Grove in 2017, says Coventry Homes Director of Marketing & Design, Tara Van Horn.

“As one of the fastest growing cities in Alberta, Spruce Grove was a great fit for Coventry; providing homes designed for growing families.” Coventry offers homes in Copperhaven on the west side of the city, but Van Horn says that this year, they have also begun to build in the new east Spruce Grove communities of Easton and Fenwyck.

Spruce Grove advantage

Van Horn says that Spruce Grove combines the very best of small-town living with all the amenities of a modern city. “Copperhaven allows for active lifestyles; with 1.4 km of trails which connect to over Spruce Grove’s all-season regional trails, it is also close access to the TransAlta Tri-Leisure Centre, multiple ball parks and outdoor ice rinks.”

She notes that homebuyers can enjoy huge savings when they buy a home in this city. “Typically buying in Spruce is more affordable than Edmonton. On average homeowners can expect to save tens of thousands of dollars just by living 15 minutes outside of the City in Spruce Grove,” she says.

Cantiro also believes in Spruce Grove’s potential for growth and has the communities of Greenbury, Kenton Village, Prescott, and the Woods at Kenton already in various stages of development here.

Greenbury is particularly stunning with its beautiful brownstone architecture. It is close to the K–9 Prescott Learning Centre, and Jubilee Park. Greenbury has also made it a point to include sustainable features in its design including windspires to generate wind power, LED streetlamps, and a green rating program for residents.

According to real estate tracking website, Zolo, average housing price in Spruce Grove is in the low $400,0000s. Buyers also generally get a whole lot more home for that price here compared to Edmonton.

The appealing price difference isn’t the only thing attracting new homeowners to the city. The balanced, wholesome and active lifestyle that it promotes also plays an important factor.

An active, vibrant lifestyle

The City has encouraged an active lifestyle through its many recreational amenities including the Heritage Grove Park Trail System that spans over 40 kilometres of all-weather, mixed-use trails. Jubilee Park offers over 60 acres of passive and recreational green space – the ideal spot for fresh air activities, including the new spray park as well as picnic facilities and play structures.

The TransAlta Tri-Leisure Centre along Jennifer Heil Way in Spruce Grove is the crown jewel for recreation activities in the Tri-Municipal Region, serving the residents of Spruce Grove, Stony Plain and Parkland County since 2002. The complex includes a swimming pool, two ice rinks, two indoor soccer pitches and fitness facilities. Next door you will find the Fuhr Sports Park with two artificial fields for soccer and football and the Border Paving Athletic Centre which hosts the Aerials Gymnastic Club.

Edmonton Oiler icon, Grant Fuhr, is one of the City’s most famous sons, and the Grant Fuhr Arena which is part of the Agrena facility was renamed in his honour. That is the home rink for the Spruce Grove Saints in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

With all this growth comes diversity that is seen best in the growing foodie scene in the City. Walker says there is an astonishing array of restaurants, diners and eateries serving a delectable array of international dishes. “We have Italian, Greek, Mexican, Thai, East Indian, Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants, in addition to traditional Canadian fare,” Walker says of the thriving gastronomic scene.

There is Barbacoa that serves authentic Caribbean open-flame barbecue, Porta Romana is the home-grown, family-run Italian restaurant that has won several culinary awards. Of note too are the two local micro-breweries – Talking Dog Brewing and RavenWolf Brewing Co. – that add to Spruce Grove’s burgeoning reputation as an entertainment destination.

Sense of community

But it is the abiding sense of community that has made Spruce Grove truly special – it is a spirit that can be readily seen in the locals’ love for community festivals such as the Canada Day celebration in Jubilee Park, or the Light Up event in Central Park and Spruce Grove Farmers Market and Public Market.

“We offer all the benefits of a mid-sized urban centre,” Walker says. “There remains a strong sense of community spirit that has made it such a place that everyone wants to call home.”