Experience West Brant in the City of Brantford, Ontario. The differences between West Brant and New West Brant, the essence and the neighbourhood. Brantford’s West Brant is a mixture of century homes and new builds nestled in the middle of beautiful trails and crystal clear Grand River. New West Brant is a new subdivision in the middle of lovely trails and well-manicured lawns. A Brant resident, Alice Black, Calls New West Brant “My bubble of happiness.”
Brantford/West Brant
I have been to West Brant multiple times, almost every week, and every time I cross the Lorne Bridge, the thought of exploring the City of Brantford intensifies. I live in Brantford, and I have lived here for about 7 years. But like a typical resident of a place, we love our the cities and then assume everyone knows. Some of us procrastinate about touring our cities, “No problem. It is just ten minutes from my house,” and years later, we are still procrastinating.
As I embark on this journey, I realized that my earlier exploration was not intended to inform readers about Brantford but an exploration to satisfy my need for family entertainment. So I am more aware of
West Brant.
As I crossed the famous Lorne Bridge into one of Brantford’s neighbourhoods, West Brant, I let my intrigue and the excitement of “what I would find today” take over. I turned Right unto Oak Street, and in front of me stood the Red Sox Stadium. In and around the arena were several family-oriented spaces—playgrounds, trails, dog parks and, of course, a baseball field.
With the excitement of my find, I decided to take a walk around the area. There I was, walking down the different streets and experiencing the quiet and interesting buildings flanking both sides of the street. With each different style of the building came another. The mixture of older and newer homes flooded my visuals.
West Brant Homes
The older homes stood out to me. The visible age spots in dark bricks, red bricks and brown bricks, of beautiful homes, told tales that have withstood the test of time. Imageries of old movies played in my head as I imagined the lives of the first residents of the homes; were they happy? I imagined they were, or at least I hoped they were.
The mix of old and new was like a dream of sweet reality and old nostalgia. Brantford’s West Brant residents are seasoned and have a long history. The friendly residents make West Brant in Brantford worthwhile. Always expect the welcoming feeling of home when you drive into West Brant.
Brantford: New West Brant/New builds
Unlike West Brant, as I discovered, New West Brant in Brantford is West Brant extended. It is in the foreground of West Brant when you come through downtown. As I drove down the long street of Blackburn, the difference between West Brant and New West Brant was stark. New West Brant is a new-home development that started twenty years ago and is still ongoing.
The design of both the houses and streets encourages a close neat atmosphere that nurtures family friendliness. The designed contemporary large brick houses with a mixture of townhouses, detached and row houses line the streets. Greetings of residents echos as young families walked past me to the playgrounds and others bike-riding towards the trails.
New West Brant Residents
The conversations I have had with friends that live in New West Brant began to replay in my head during my excursions, which sometimes included droving and walking the newly installed streets. New West Brant is a “commuter’s nest” consisting of residents who moved from bigger cities like Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Burlington and others, looking for the comfort of new build homes at reasonable prices in a beautiful city.
Residents who live in New West Brant commute to their previous cities for work and sometimes for shopping and entertainment. Even though they commute, I found it very interesting that the New West Brant residents seem to step into their cocoon with comfort and have created a community of like minds and carefree attitudes. You can really feel the calm, easy and safe lifestyle as children ride bicycles and play street hockey—the simplicity of life in West Brantford.
Brantford Elevated Water Storage Tank
When I drove across Conklin Road down to Andrson Street, the new buildings, dusty roads and brand new playground tells the ongoing development of New West Brant and the New Elevated Water Storage Tank installed by the City of Brantford speaks volume as it looms over the new development
Finally, West Brant is a combination of both halves that create a great neighbourhood. Residents’ lifestyle compliments the city. In general, West Brant is a family-friendly neighbourhood with beautiful parks, walking/hiking trails, good schools, shops and restaurants. These two places have their different vibes and flavour, but they make the whole sum of West Brant.
Brantford: Lorne Bridge in West Brant
Lorne Bridge is named after The Marquis of Lorne, the Governor-General of Canada from 1878-1883, the Marquis who was also married to Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at the time, attended the opening of the Whipple truss in 1879.
