Charleswood is a residential community within the city of Winnipeg

Winnipeg

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...

, Manitoba

Manitoba

Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It is located in the southwestern part of the city, and is bordered by the Assiniboine River

Assiniboine River

The Assiniboine River is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked within a flat, shallow valley in some places and a steep valley in...

 to the north, the Rural Municipality of Macdonald

Macdonald, Manitoba

Macdonald is a rural municipality lying adjacent to the southwest side of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is part of the Winnipeg Capital Region, but is not part of the smaller Winnipeg census metropolitan area. Macdonald's population as of the 2006 census was 5,653.-External links:**...

 to the south, the Rural Municipality of Headingley

Headingley, Manitoba

Headingley is a rural municipality in Manitoba, Canada. It is located directly west of Winnipeg and has a population of 2,726 people as of the 2006 census. The Trans-Canada Highway and the Assiniboine River run through the municipality. The portion located on the south bank of the Assiniboine is...

 on the west and the Assiniboine Park

Assiniboine Park

Assiniboine Park is a park in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was established in 1904 and is located north of the Assiniboine Forest. Today, it covers , of these are designed in the English landscape style....

 and Forest to the east. Until it joined with the City of Winnipeg in 1972 it was a separate municipality known as the Rural Municipality of Charleswood. The population is 26,440 (Source: Statistics Canada Census 2001).

History

Before European settlement, the region was home to an ancient ford across the Assiniboine River. A ferry service was in operation in the region as late as 1958, and a trail leading to the ford was visible until fairly recently.

Patrick H. Kelly (1847-1940) a Farmer and municipal official moved from Perth County, Ontario

Perth County, Ontario

Perth County is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is Stratford and is located in Southwestern Ontario, west of Toronto. It encompasses , 90% of which is classified as prime agricultural land...

 in 1906 and settled in the then Rural Municipality of Assiniboia, taking over 500 acres of land in what is now the Charleswood suburb of Winnipeg. He is widely regarded as the founder of Charleswood. He built a general store and was key in establishing Charleswood's first post office. He also persuaded the Winnipeg Electric Railway Company to extend the street railway so that Charleswood had a connection with the city. He also was responsible for persuading residents of the community to apply for the creation of Charleswood as a separate municipality. This was successful and the first four meetings of the new municipal council were held in a room in his store. He also was instrumental in developing the Charleswood school.

There was little housing in Charleswood before 1920 and only limited growth between 1920 and 1946. Following World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, it became popular with immigrants from Europe who wanted to avoid living too close to the centre of Winnipeg. Development of the area increased, and new houses were constructed in the Roblin Park, Marlton, and Varsity View neighbourhoods. The area experienced particularly strong growth in the 1970s, with at least 7,500 homes built during that decade.

In 1995 the Charleswood Bridge opened over the Assiniboine River connecting Charleswood with the suburb of St. James-Assiniboia

St. James-Assiniboia

St. James-Assiniboia is a major district in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Located in the far western part of the city, it is bounded on the north by the Rural Municipality of Rosser and the Canadian National Railway's Oak Point line, on the south by the Assiniboine River, on the west by the Rural...

. Charleswood is unique among Winnipeg's suburban areas in that it retains a semi-rural atmosphere. Many streets remain unpaved, do not have sidewalks and are lined with ditches.

Charleswood will soon expand south to form Charleswood Part 2.

Sports

Charleswood is home to the Charleswood Hawks hockey team playing out of the MMJHL

Team	Founded	League	Arena	Championships
Charleswood Hawks	1970	MMJHL	Eric Coy Arena	12

Charleswood is also home to the Charleswood Curling Club

Charleswood Curling Club

Charleswood Curling Club is located in the southwestern area of Winnipeg, in the community of Charleswood. The current club is a 5 sheet rink, construction was completed in 1956 although the club was founded in 1946 as a three sheet rink. It is the current home club of the Jeff Stoughton...

, home club of 6 time provincial, 2 times national, and 1996 world curling champion Jeff Stoughton

Jeff Stoughton

Jeff Stoughton is a Canadian curler. Stoughton is a three-time Brier champion and two-time World champion as skip.-Career:...

.