Northwest Edmonton Homes for Sale

Northwest Edmonton Communities, Schools and Amenities

Northwest Edmonton is really six or seven different housing markets sharing one name. Here is how I break it down for buyers.

Westmount

Westmount is the oldest thing in this quadrant and the closest to downtown, about seven to ten minutes off peak. A large share of its homes went up in the 1912 land boom, and roughly one in four homes standing today was built before the end of the Second World War. The Westmount Architectural Heritage Area between 123 and 127 Street is full of Craftsman-inspired detached homes on tree-lined boulevards.

The draw is 124 Street on the east edge, one of the best walkable retail and restaurant corridors in the city. The catch is that apartments now make up close to half the dwellings here, mostly along the major roads, so what you get depends heavily on the block. Character home, postwar bungalow and new infill often share the same street.

The Valley Line West LRT is under construction along Stony Plain Road on the south edge, with a stop at 124 Street. Construction is anticipated to finish in 2028, followed by testing before the line opens. Short term that means roadwork. Long term it means direct low floor LRT into downtown and west to Lewis Farms, which is the strongest long horizon argument for buying here.

Schools nearby: Westmount School sits inside the neighbourhood and runs kindergarten through grade 9, unusual for a mature community this size.

Grovenor and North Glenora

Grovenor and North Glenora sit between Groat Road and 149 Street just north of Glenora, and they are the quiet value play in mature Edmonton. Grovenor was first settled in the early 1900s, runs from 142 to 149 Street between 107 Avenue and the MacKinnon Ravine, and is mostly single family, with close to 20 percent built before the war and most construction finished by the late 1980s. North Glenora sits east of it, wrapped around North Glenora Park with its rink, spray park and community hall.

You are next door to Glenora at a fraction of the price, on a ravine, minutes from downtown, with heavy infill activity and the Valley Line West coming in on Stony Plain Road. If you are buying to hold or to build, this is the part of the northwest I look at hardest.

Schools nearby: Grovenor School is in Grovenor and Coronation School is in North Glenora, both kindergarten to grade 6. Westmount School and Ross Sheppard are both a short distance east.

Sherbrooke

Sherbrooke filled in fast after the postwar oil boom, with more than 80 percent of its homes built in the 1950s under Noel Dant's neighbourhood unit planning. Mature trees, lots wider than anything built today, mostly bungalows. The low rise apartments along 118 Avenue and St. Albert Trail came a decade later. Close to downtown, which is the trade buyers make here: older house, better location, more yard.

Schools nearby: Prince Charles School and Inglewood School are the closest elementary options, both kindergarten to grade 6.

Wellington

Wellington sits between 132 and 137 Avenue, east of the McArthur industrial area and west of 127 Street. It was subdivided in the 1950s but most of the houses went up in the 1960s, with a median build year right around 1960. Almost all bungalows on full lots, and about as consistent a postwar neighbourhood as you will find. If you want a detached home in the northwest with room to add value, this is one of the first places I look.

Schools nearby: McArthur School at 13535 134 Street and Athlone School just east, both kindergarten to grade 6. Rosslyn School covers grades 7 to 9. On the Catholic side, St. Angela Catholic Elementary is at 13430 132A Street and Sir John Thompson Catholic Junior High is at 13525 132 Avenue.

Griesbach

Griesbach is the most unusual community in the northwest and the reason is its history. This was Griesbach Barracks, opened in 1950 and later part of CFB Edmonton, home to the PPCLI and the Canadian Parachute Training Centre. Operations consolidated at Lancaster Park by the end of 2000, Canada Lands Company bought the site in 2003, and redeveloped it as a 620 acre community built on new urbanism principles: pedestrian streets, front porches, back lanes, preserved mature trees and a town square at the centre. A section of it was the first project in Edmonton to earn LEED-ND Gold certification.

What you get living here: four lakes that double as stormwater management, a large central park, walking trails and a two acre community garden. Central Hill Park has a toboggan hill and downtown skyline views, and military monuments and street names run through the whole community. Shopping is Northgate Centre at 137 Avenue and 97 Street, with NAIT and downtown both a short drive.

Housing is newer than anything else in this part of the city: detached, townhomes and condos inside one master plan.

Schools nearby: Maj Gen Griesbach School sits inside the community and runs kindergarten to grade 9, in a building that opened in September 2012.

Castle Downs

Castle Downs is the biggest chunk of the northwest, roughly 18 neighbourhoods, and it is the answer for most buyers who want a detached home under the city average. It was established in 1971 and extended north in 1983, and it was the first area in Edmonton to name its neighbourhoods thematically, in this case after European castles, which is why Beaumaris, Caernarvon, Dunluce, Lorelei and Carlisle all sit within a few square kilometres.

Beaumaris Lake was Edmonton's first and largest stormwater lake, built in the late 1970s, with about 2.5 kilometres of shoreline trail. Castle Downs Park carries multi-use sports fields, ball diamonds, a cricket pitch and a winter skating oval alongside the recreation centre. Groceries and services are at Lakeside Landing on Castle Downs Road, anchored by Sobeys, with the Castle Downs library branch in the same complex.

The area was planned deliberately for a mix of housing types and income levels, which is exactly why it works today: bungalows and two storeys on generous lots alongside real supply of townhomes and low rise apartments. Chambery and Rapperswill fill in the north end with newer construction.

Downtown is about 18 to 22 minutes off peak from here, though the 127 Street and 97 Street corridors slow down considerably at rush hour.

Schools nearby: Castle Downs is well covered. Elementary schools include Lorelei, Baturyn, Dunluce and Caernarvon spread across the district, with Mary Butterworth for grades 7 to 9 and Queen Elizabeth for high school. Which one applies depends entirely on your address, since this district spans 18 neighbourhoods.

Big Lake: Starling, Trumpeter and Hawks Ridge

This is where the newest homes in the northwest are going up, in the far corner past the Anthony Henday next to Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park. The Big Lake Area Structure Plan was approved back in 1991 but development did not start until the late 2000s, with construction running since around 2010.

Six neighbourhoods sit under the Big Lake community league: Hawks Ridge, Kinokamau Plains, Kinglet Gardens, Pintail Landing, Starling and Trumpeter. All named after native bird species, which fits, since the lake is a recognized bird and biodiversity area. Hawks Ridge alone has a 105 acre natural area with ponds, a boardwalk and trails.

Housing is mostly new single family detached, with three storey townhomes in Starling and Trumpeter and half duplexes in Kinglet Gardens, Hawks Ridge and Starling.

Two honest trade offs. First, schools. No school has been built inside Big Lake yet, so students are bused. Second, downtown is a 22 to 26 minute drive off peak and considerably longer at rush hour. What you get in exchange is brand new construction, protected natural area at your back door, and quick access to both the Henday and St. Albert.

Schools nearby: no school has been built inside Big Lake yet. The closest public option is David Thomas King School in Secord, kindergarten to grade 9, with Jasper Place for high school. Pin this down before you commit, since it changes as the area grows.

A note on schools in Northwest Edmonton

The schools listed above are the ones physically located in or beside each community. They are not catchment assignments. Northwest catchments are set by address and they move, especially in Castle Downs where 18 neighbourhoods feed several different schools, and in Big Lake where no school has been built yet.

Run your address through the Edmonton Public Schools Find a School tool or the Edmonton Catholic Schools finder. Or send it to me and we will pull it up together.

School locations above current as of August 2026. Schools open, close and change grade configurations, so confirm before you make a decision.

Types of Homes for Sale in Northwest Edmonton

Character and infill

Westmount, Grovenor and North Glenora. Pre-war character homes, postwar bungalows and modern infill sharing the same blocks. Walkable, close to downtown, ravine access, LRT coming. This is where buyers go when they want architecture and location and will take on a project.

Postwar bungalows on big lots

Sherbrooke, Wellington and the older Castle Downs communities. Wide frontage, mature trees, and the best value per square foot of land in the quadrant. If you want a house you can improve rather than one already finished, start here.

New construction

Big Lake, meaning Starling, Trumpeter and Hawks Ridge, for brand new builds next to protected natural area. Griesbach for master planned newer construction with the amenities already in place.

Condos and townhomes

Castle Downs carries most of the northwest's townhome and low rise apartment supply, which is why a first time buyer can still get into this part of the city with a payment that competes with rent. Griesbach and Big Lake add newer, higher priced townhome and duplex options.

Common Questions About Northwest Edmonton

What are the boundaries of Northwest Edmonton?

WRITE YOUR DEFINITION HERE. Use the identical wording on all four quadrant pages so they do not compete with each other.

How long is the commute to downtown from Northwest Edmonton?

Depends where you start. Westmount is about seven to ten minutes off peak and twelve to eighteen at rush hour. Castle Downs runs eighteen to twenty-two off peak and can hit forty-five at rush hour through the 127 Street corridor. Hawks Ridge is twenty-two to twenty-six off peak, longer when the Henday backs up.

Where are the newest homes in Northwest Edmonton?

Big Lake, meaning Starling, Trumpeter, Hawks Ridge and Kinglet Gardens, past the Anthony Henday. Griesbach for newer construction closer in.

Which northwest communities have the biggest lots?

The postwar neighbourhoods. Sherbrooke and Wellington were platted before lot widths shrank, so you get frontage there that new construction cannot match at any price.

Where should a first time buyer look in Northwest Edmonton?

Castle Downs, usually. Deepest supply of townhomes and older detached homes in the quadrant, plus a recreation centre, library and lake within walking distance of most of it.

Which northwest neighbourhood is best for walkability?

Westmount, because of 124 Street. Griesbach is a close second, though it is walkable within itself rather than connected to a wider district.

Is there a school in the Big Lake communities?

Not yet. Public K to 9 students from Starling, Trumpeter and Hawks Ridge are bused to David Thomas King School in Secord, and high school students attend Jasper Place. Confirm current assignments before you buy, since this changes as the area grows.