Central Park (Winnipeg)

Central Park is a large urban park located in Downtown Winnipeg, and forms the heart of the neighbourhood of the same name. The area is bound by Notre Dame Ave. to the north, Ellice Ave. to the south, Donald St. to the east and Balmoral St. to the west. Everything within the neighbourhood's one-kilometre loop can be reached within eight minutes on foot.70 per cent of all refugees coming to Winnipeg live downtown, in and around the Central Park area.It's one of Winnipeg's most densely populated neighbourhoods with around 13,755 people per square km according to Statistics Canada's 2001 Census.Culture and EntertainmentCentral Park is home to many different ethnicities including Vietnamese, Arabs, Chinese, First Nations, Filipinos, with a majority from Africa.Because of the growing African population, the area has been transforming in recent years, giving it a new sense of community and culture. Its Central Market for Global Families is a summer outdoor market that sells handmade and imported African clothing, beadwork, handicrafts, weavings, art, as well as organic produceLive entertainment fills the air in Central Park on warm Friday nights throughout the summer and are a significant aspect to the markets on Saturday. Special events attract hundreds of people to the park on World Refugee Day in June, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in July and Central Park Revival.Demographics and CrimeIn 2006, the population of Central Park was 3,555 people. Central Park does not have a majority racial group; it is 24.8% White, 21.5% Aboriginal and 53.7% visible minorities; 20.0% Black, 16.6% Southeast Asian, 6.2% Arab/West Asian, 5.4% East Asian and the rest made up of other groups in lower populations. Central Park is 0.2 km squared, which has a population density of 15,277.3 people per square km.