Queen Alexandra

The entire community of Queen Alexandra is comprised of the land between 104 Street and 109 Street, and 70 Avenue and Whyte Avenue. The area north of University Avenue was part of the original South Edmonton. When the town incorporated in 1899 and changed its name to Strathcona, this community was subdivided and named Queen Alexandra in honour of the wife of King Edward VII, likely around the time of his accession in 1901. The town,  then city of Strathcona, grew rapidly prior to the First World War and much of Queen Alexandra’s northern section was filled with single-family dwellings except for the commercial areas on and approaching Whyte Avenue and 104 Street. The elementary school on 106 Street was constructed in 1906, named Duggan Elementary after the former mayor of Strathcona. In 1910 it was renamed, Queen Alexandra. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School was built across the street in 1925.

The area south of University Avenue was developed in the 1940s and later primarily as a low-density single-family home neighbourhood. Strathcona High School was built in 1953 during this time of local population growth. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, demand for housing skyrocketed in the city, and because the community is relatively close to the University of Alberta many students were looking to rent in the Queen Alexandra area. Although contested by local residents, most of the homes north of University Avenue were torn down and replaced by low-rise apartments. Queen Alexandra continues to have a significantly high proportion of student residents.