This site is an experiment in creating a place to showcase a community. Cedar Hill was my home for over 10 years and when I learned that it was the oldest neighbourhood in Kitchener, I thought it deserved more attention than a few pages on a municipal site where politics and bylaws dominate the discussions.
As an anthropologist and multimedia designer, I imagined an interactive arena where people with stories to tell about a place they love, could share them.
I lived on Eby St. for over 10 years and love the mix of housing. Most of the homes are older and yes, some are in less than perfect shape, but others are amazing.
The street is pretty quiet for a downtown neighbourhood, with lots of trees and plenty of character. When I garden, people stop to say hello and checkout what’s growing, pass the time of day.
Looking up the hill along Eby Street
Cedar Hill is the oldest neighbourhood in Kitchener. It’s reputation has slipped in the last half century, but its elegant homes, mature landscapes and long-standing sense of community make it a terrific place to live. This website is dedicated to renewing the reputation of an undervalued part of the city.
Although just steps away from downtown Kitchener, restaurants, theatres, galleries and the Market, Cedar Hill contains stately older homes, modern highrise apartments, green spaces, mature tree-lined streets, and a community that is richly diverse.
We are a neighbourhood whose residents include people born and raised here, immigrants from around the world, and young urban couples starting out on life’s adventures. Some of us are poor, in need of social assistance to survive, while others are landlords, artists, entrepreneurs, and technology workers connected to the pulse of the city.
Cedar Hill is a community that combines the spice of downtown living with the friendliness of a small town. People say hello as they pass their neighbours shoveling snow or laying in a new garden. Strangers stop to chat about the weather and comment on the day. We are a reflection of the city that surrounds us: concerned with the problems that face people anywhere, always trying to improve, not always sure of our own splendour.
In this website, we set out to capture the personality of Cedar Hill, to chat with its residents, photograph the landscape, and research our shared history. We invite you email us at info @ kwcedarhill.com, with your stories and recollections, photos and thoughts about the area. If you have ever lived in Cedar Hill or if you live here now, if you have ever taken advantage of the Sandhill Trail or street parking, share your story with us.
The goal of this site is simple: everyone with a story to tell about Cedar Hill should feel free to contribute. Together we can create a “community museum” that shows the history and diversity of what was one of the earliest settled parts of Kitchener.
