The community of Eau Claire, although very beautiful, is having a rough first quarter. Now that we are a few weeks into our second quarter, it would appear things are not looking up. The quiet activity is not a good sign for those listings, as it would appear that no one is looking to buy down by the river.
Unfortunately, the stats don’t lie. The Days on Market are long and there is about 8 or 9 months’ worth of inventory in this community. The homes are very lovely and if the sellers are patient their spectacular riverfront properties will sell. The right buyer with exceptional taste will not be disappointed with their choice to live in this oasis in the middle of the city.
The community of Eau Claire is a wonderful area to both live in and visit. It is nestled south of the Bow River and north of 4th Avenue SW. It is a neat area of town because of its eclectic mix of riverside condo living, restaurants, hotels, little boutiques and a great public plaza that hosts a fabulous water playground. It draws many different types of people to the area, as it is also known as Calgary’s “Festival District”. This is home to the Calgary Folk Festival and many other festivals that happen, including Shakespeare in the Park.
Within Eau Claire is the Eau Claire Market that has many neat boutiques, restaurants, and coffee shops. If the weather isn’t great, Cineplex Odeon has a theatre upstairs in the market. Because of the many bike and pedestrian pathways that converge on this area for easy access to the riverfront, there is a great bike and inline skate rental shop in the market as well.
If you are taking a stroll down one of the paths and decide you are hungry, head over to Prince’s Island park just North of Eau Claire and have a delicious lunch at the famous River Café all while watching people go by at the river’s edge.
For those of you curious as to how this community gained its name, it is interesting. Eau Claire actually was a sawmill plant based out of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. In 1886, the area on the Bow, now known as Eau Claire, was chosen for its easy access to the fallen timber in the area.
If you decide to head down there to check out the housing market you can stop in and get a small history lesson about the Eau Claire Lumber Company. The name stuck, and the community is now known as beautiful Eau Claire. Once you see it, you will understand how the name actually fits this stunning community.
