Most of the land within the present neighbourhood was at one time part of the University of Alberta research farm. The soils in the area were of a type known as malmo and hence the name for the neighbourhood.
Malmo Plains is mostly residential, was developed during the 1960s primarily with single-family homes. The University of Alberta's married student multi-family complex is located at the western end of the neighbourhood. Civic ward: papastew. District: Scona. City boundary records effective 1981-10-01.