Oak Bluff
Oak Bluff is an established, incorporated community in the Rural Municipality of McDonald that is still experiencing heavy development today.
It is located just minutes away from Winnipeg and its major shopping areas along McGillivray Boulevard and Kenaston Boulevard. This family-friendly neighbourhood has everything you could ask for: larger lot sizes, reduced property taxes (compared to the City), schools and recreational facilities all within walking distance from your home.
Real Estate Trends
Oak Bluff developed as an agricultural community with construction starting in the early 1900’s and still ongoing today, heavily in the Oak Bluff West subdivision. The community is made up of mostly single-detached family homes with a variety of layouts such as bungalows and multi-level structures. You can find some townhouse and bungalow-style condominiums as well.
The newer subarea of Oak Bluff West is still under development with the majority of the floor plans being substantial bungalows and two-storeys on larger than normal sized lots, when compared with the City of Winnipeg lots. Many of these homes are backing onto lakes or open, naturalized green spaces.
Schools & Services
Oak Bluff is within the Red River Valley School Division and is home to one elementary school.
Oak Bluff Community School is an English, Kindergarten to Grade Eight multi-age school. High school students will be sent beyond the borders of Oak Bluff. Sanford Collegiate offers English academics from Grade Nine to Grade Twelve in the neighbouring community of Sanford.
Students wishing to attend French Immersion Programming will go to Ecole Heritage Immersion which is a Kindergarten to Grade Twelve school in St Pierre-Jolys.
You can also apply for schools located closer to the community by completing the Out-of-Division School of Choice Form provided by your preferred school. There are no guarantees you will get in though, as you are out of catchment area.
Post Secondary Programs
There is no post-secondary institution in the immediate area, but Oak Bluff is less than a 30-minute drive from many of Winnipeg’s post-secondary options.
The Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology offers over 30 diploma programs, certificate and post-graduate programs and is only a 13-minute commute.
Red River College Polytech Stevenson Campus is an 18-minute while the Main Campus on Notre Dame Avenue is about a 25-minute drive.
If you are interested in attending one of the programs offered by the University of Manitoba, the East Fort Gary Campus will be the closest campus and about an 18-minute drive.
University de Saint-Boniface and the University of Winnipeg are further from the community, but still within a 30-minute commute.
Hospitals
There are no hospitals or health care services within the community of Oak Bluff. The closest options are all within Winnipeg. The Victoria General Hospital and Grace Hospital are both about a 15-minute drive from Oak Bluff.
Shopping
Shopping is limited within the borders of Oak Bluff. If you are searching for grocery options, De Luca’s South Landing is your closest option and it can be found within the City of Winnipeg limits on McGillivray Boulevard.
Oak Bluff is conveniently close to Kenaston Boulevard in Winnipeg and all of the conveniences that come with city living. Kenaston Common, Kenaston Crossing, Linden Ridge Shopping Centre and Smart Centre Winnipeg Southwest have everything from big box stores, restaurants and services. You can find retailers here such as Walmart, Safeway, Sobeys, Rona, the Home Depot, the Brick, Canadian Tire, Marshalls, HomeSense just to name a few. The area also includes Costco on McGillivray Boulevard. Driving a little bit further you have more variety at Seasons of Tuxedo and the Outlet Collection. Red River Co-op Food Store, Cabela’s, Ikea and a selection of clothing and specialty stores are all situated in these shopping venues.
Oak Bluff is only 15-minute drive from le Marche St Norbert Farmers’ Market where you can buy fresh and local vegetables, fruits among other locally created products. This market is open Saturdays throughout the year, and Wednesdays and Saturdays during the summer months.
Entertainment & Recreation
Oak Bluff is a quiet community offering plenty of parks with wetlands, native grasses and walking paths. Oak Bluff Trail offers a scenic walk or bike ride throughout the community providing an easy and safe way for students to get to school. Most of the parks are open green spaces with benches and paths, however there is a tot lot on Horizon Drive, and a playground for older children surrounded by the houses on Parkside Drive.
If you are looking for a more immersive nature experience, we can’t recommend Fort Whyte Alive enough! Fort Whyte Alive is just on the border of Winnipeg and Oak Bluff. This 640-acre environmental, educational and recreation centre offers the Tipi encampment, bison enclosure, floating marsh boardwalks, wildlife watching, mountain biking, farmers market, cross country skiing, tobogganing and a wide selection of programs. You can also buy annual memberships if you intend on visiting regularly. We have found that no matter how many times we visit Fort Whyte Alive, we always find something new to explore!
Oak Bluff is also a short drive from Beaudry Provincial Park, a 953.4-hectare park located along the Assiniboine River. Multi-use trails, picnic and BBQ areas attract many people from Winnipeg and the surrounding areas. It is a great place for hiking, biking, snowshoeing or cross-country skiing. This park consists of the largest maple, basswood and cottonwood trees in the area, and many species of wild animals such as white-tailed deer, foxes, owls, racoons, muskrats, beavers, coyotes, eagles just to name a few.
For more organized activities, we recommend the Oak Bluff Recreation Club. This facility has an indoor rink with artificial ice that was once used by the Winnipeg Jets in 1988. The Centre consists of a hall and manages outdoor facilities around the community. There is also a 4-plex of baseball diamonds located at Oak Bluff Community School and the soccer pitch located at Oak Bluff Estates.
The Rink Training Centre is situated on South Landing Drive. It provides skating, hockey, ringette and figure skating training throughout the year and specialized camps for athletes or burgeoning athletes.
Altea Active, an over 80,000 square foot family-friendly fitness complex is a 15-minute drive from Oak Bluff in Bridgwater, Winnipeg. Altea Active has a variety of cardio and conditioning equipment, saltwater pools and even a skating lab. It offers an assortment of training and therapies. We highly recommend a membership if you have been battling the lines to get your children into swimming lessons with 311! While it is still a battle to register, it is slightly less competitive than the offerings with the City of Winnipeg and the swimming lessons here are second-to-none.
Winnipeg Gymnastics Centre is a family-oriented facility that offers programs from 18 months to adult. They also have camp programs and host birthday parties!
H2O Academy is Manitoba’s first private swim school, providing lessons from 4 months to adult.
If you are a serious golfer or even just a beginner, there are many fairways in the surrounding areas – most of which are within a 15-minute drive. Kingswood Golf and Country Club is located in the Kingswood subdivision of La Salle. It is an 18-hole challenging course that spreads on both sides of the La Salle River and connects with a small bridge. The Golf course also has the Kingswood Wedding and Event Centre and the Fairways Restaurant and Lounge. River Oaks Golf Course is situated between La Salle and La Barriere Park. It is a challenging 18-hole golf course with bunkers and water hazards.
Memberships are also available at Southwood Golf and Country Club, the 18-hole fairways can be found in St Norbert.
Nearby Starbuck also has Bridges Golf Course, which is an 18-hole course and it plays host to one of Winnipeg’s finest charity golf tournaments. It offers a restaurant with a patio and a banquet and event facility for year-round wedding services.
Headingley is also in close proximity to Oak Bluff and is home to two golf courses. John Blumberg Golf Course is technically the combination of a 9-hole, 34 par and an 18-hole, 71 par course. Breezy Bend Golf Course is a private country club, with an 18-hole course and a banquet hall available for weddings and private events.
Hide-n-Seek is a fun indoor playground close to the Winnipeg/Oak Bluff border. The facility can be booked for private events and birthday parties and has fun activities for children of all ages and a restaurant offering cafeteria-style food.
Oak Bluff is also expanded the opportunities within its borders for children to enjoy the outdoors. The area has seen an influx of young families, so we think this is a great idea! A splashpad opened close to the community school in summer of 2023.
Planning a family or date night? Cineplex Odeon McGillivray Cinemas and VIP Theatre brings you all the new release movies. It offers 3D, UltraAVX, IMAX, D-BOX, ScreenX, and 4DX experience. It is also a licensed facility where you can order food and drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) direct to your seats!
Why We Think This Is a Great Neighbourhood to Live In?
Oak Bluff is a quiet, family-friendly neighbourhood with great parks and paths. The large lots offer privacy and plenty of sunlight exposure with great space between houses. It is conveniently close to the city providing a rural feel of living but with all the amenities you need. The community has seen a heavy influx of young families over the last few years, thanks to the Oak Bluff West development. As a result, much of the surrounding areas have developed to offer services for the residents such as the aforementioned Gymnastics Centre, H20 Academy and the Rink. We expect these trends and family-friendly offerings to continue in the coming years as the community continues to grow.
Thoughts From Our Neighbours…
"It's a great family community. There's lots of lots of kids, a real sense of community. Kids all play sports and everybody knows everyone on the streets and it's just a really good community for families."
"I love living in Oak Bluff. We've been here for over ten years. We're one of the first residents that was developed here and is a very open space. There's lots of room between the homes, and the people are so friendly. It's a wonderful community to live in and the walking paths are fantastic. And the nice ponds around the walking paths makes it so pretty because of the birds and the different wild animals that come in, birds and different things. It's a wonderful area to live in and I highly would recommend anyone who want to come out here. It's a little bit further out of the city, but it's worth the drive."
Talk to Our Team
If you would like more information about this neighbourhood, please fill out the form or give Jennifer a call at (204) 797-7945.
