The land of present-day River Heights was once part of the Parish of St. Boniface. It was annexed by the City of Winnipeg in 1882, though substantial development did not occur in the area until after World War I.
Some streets at the eastern end of River Heights are named after types of deciduous trees, Oak, Elm, Ash, while others are named after places, Waterloo (1881), Montrose, Oxford.[2]
River Heights, along with West Fort Rouge, comprised the South End of the old City of Winnipeg. It was these areas that contributed the majority of the men and the money to form the Citizens Committee of 1000, the group that broke the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919.[citation needed]
In 2016, the population of River Heights was 57,375,[4] (18,995 not including "East River Heights from Census definition) has been constantly going down since 1971 when the population was 70,650, other than the 0.5% increase from 2001 to 2006. The median household income in River Heights is $47,646, slightly lower than the city-average at $49,790.
Though the neighbourhood was traditionally an Anglo-SaxonProtestant area, today the area has a more diverse population, featuring a significant Jewish presence, which makes up 11% of the neighbourhood's population.
Racial demographics
River Heights community area population by race, 2016[5]
River Heights is divided into two neighbourhood clusters: River Heights West and River Heights East, which encompass 17 neighbourhoods in Winnipeg in total.[1][6]
River Heights is known to be one of the safer urban areas of Winnipeg. The table below shows the crime rates of various crimes in each of the River Heights neighbourhoods. The crime data spans 5 years from the year 2017 to the year 2021. The rates are crimes per 100,000 residents per year.
Crime Rates per 100,000 people in River Heights Neighbourhoods, 2017-2021[8]
^Rate per 100,000 people per year: Figure is calculated by dividing the total incidences of a crime by the neighbourhood population, then multiplying by 100,000, and then dividing by 5, as the data spans 5 years
^Aggravated assault: Includes assaults which cause bodily harm or utilize weapons; includes the following categories given on Winnipeg CrimeMaps: aggravated assault, aggravated sexual assault, assault against peace officer, assault with weapon or causing bodily harm, attempted murder, firearms offences, sexual assault with a weapon.
^Common assault: Excludes assaults which cause bodily harm or utilize weapons; includes the following categories given on Winnipeg CrimeMaps: assault against peace officer, common assault, other assaults, sexual assault.