50 Street Beaumont
Edmonton, Alberta
Overview
50 Street is the main street of Beaumont, one of the peripheral municipalities that make up the Edmonton Metropolitan Area. As one of the few officially bilingual cities in the province, signs along the street display both English and French.
Beaumont is known for the brick St. Vital Church at the top of the hill marking the city's centre. The original church, built in 1895 and burnt to the ground in 1918, was replaced by the current structure in 1919. From the church, one can enjoy a quintessentially prairie view to the south without obstruction and point out the borders of the small city.
Beaumont's 50 Street hosts many businesses and services, managing to create spaces for pedestrians while maintaining the street as a major traffic artery.
Built Form
Although the placard at the gateway of 50 Street states that the community was established in 1895, none of the buildings appear to be built from that time. The structures along the 50 Street, save for St. Vital Church, appear to be from within the last couple of decades.
Seeing as Beaumont is a relatively small city of appoximately 21,000 residents, it has the feel of a small town. The overhead power lines, low-rises, and aesthetic contribute to this character.
The streetscape between 50 Ave and 52 Ave features a tree-lined sidewalks, benches, areas for pedestrians to linger, and calmer traffic. The rest of the study area has businesses and homes set back from the road, featuring greenways on both sides and faster moving traffic. There are a few strip malls set up both parallel and perpendicular to 50 Street.
Green Space %
Civic Infrastructure
50 Street is in close proximity to several key amenities. Of note, there's a firehall, public library, recreation centre, skatepark, tennis courts, and three greenspaces. There are a number of heath and care facilities within a 10-minute walk. The density of amenities adds to the overall walkability of the neighbourhood.
Between 50 Ave and 52 Ave, there's additional street furniture: bollards at intersections, decorative signs lining establishments, benches, and planters. During the field visit, the trees were wrapped with lights and one restaurants strung up outdoor lights.
According to the Civic Infrastructure Index, 50 Street in Beaumont ranks last out of 20 Edmonton Main Streets and 10th out of 12 Small Town Main Streets.
Civic Infrastructure Mix (%)
Business Profile
The businesses along 50 Street offer selections of retail and dining, and a mix of local and chain businesses. Even on a cold, grey October day, Jet's Cafe, Sea Change, and Chartier were relatively bustling, emanating warm light out onto the quiet street with scenes of people through the windows.
50 Street in Beaumont ranks 15th out of 20 Edmonton Main Streets for business density, and 11th out of 12th for Small Town Main Streets.
According to the Independent Business Index, 50 Street Beaumont ranks 16th out of 20 Edmon Main Streets and 11th out of 12th for Small Town Main Streets.
Chartier is a French restaurant that was set to close down permanently in September 2023 due to pandemic-induced financial strains. The restaurant was saved by a community member's donation allowing them to continue operating.
Business Mix (%)
Employment Profile
The southern portion of the 50 Street study area, which is the most pedestrian friendly, hosts a significant concentration of small businesses with zero to five employees.
Just outside the study area to the north, one can find a significant concentration of slightly larger businesses in the suburban style strip malls and plaza edging the western side of 50 Street.
Reflective of its small town character, 50 Street in Beaumont ranks 19th out of 20 Edmonton Main Streets for employment density, and 8th out of 12 Small Town Main Streets.
Housing
Over three quarters of housing in Beaumont are single-detached dwellings and this was visible from 50 Street and at a rate higher than the Edmonton CMA. There are a couple of multi-use structures on 50 Street, and also a couple of multi-unit apartment buildings located just off the street.
These apartment buildings appear to be new and in good condition. The single-detached stock seems to be a bit older but still in good condition, with the styles of both the homes and neighbourhood layout being typical to that of an Edmonton suburb. This means two-storey homes with attached garages sprawling out on winding streets and cul de sacs. According to the City of Beaumont, the economic driver of the community is the housing industry.
Housing Construction Year (%)
Housing Type (%)
Local Characteristics
Of residents in the study area, only 12% are recent immigrants and 15% are visible minorities revealing that the Beaumont community is less diverse than the rest of the region.
Visitors
Year
50 Street in Beaumont's Resiliency Score ranks it at the top of 20 Edmonton Main Streets and 12 Small Town Main Streets.
The level of visitors surpassed relative pre-pandemic 2019 levels in the first half of 2022. While infrequent visitors have decreased since 2019, resident visits have remained steady between 2021 and 2022, surpassing local patronage in 2019.
While visits by day of week are relatively steady, analysis reveals an uptick on Thursdays and Fridays. By time of day, 3pm to 6pm is the busiest period.