Downtown Peterborough and Lift Lock

[wyliepoon]

Part 2 of my Peterborough photo tour. A few photos of George Street in downtown Peterborough on Saturday afternoon, and then some of the Peterborough Lift Lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Downtown

Peterborough Lift Lock

 

[Hydrogen]

Thanks for the pictures.

The Trent-Severn waterway looks like a fantastic trip by boat. I've done the Rideau system, and one day I will have to do the Trent as well.

Both these waterways are real gems.

 

[billy corgan]

The Trent is still a nice trip but the lakes on the system are filled with weeds and have record low water levels.

 

[Softee]

Peterborough is a great little city, one of the best in the Country IMO.

 

[FAW]

lift locks are cool

great pics of the lift locks. they use strictly hydraulic pressure, no electricity to operate.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

i love those main streets!

great pictures!

 

[MisterF]

Great pics of my hometown, wylie! It's amazing what a difference it makes when the street is closed to traffic - it looks so much emptier than I'm used to seeing. A good example of how pedestrianizing streets only works in certain circumstances.

 

[JasonParis]

I sometimes think of Peterborough as the "Guelph of the east" or Guelph as the "Peterborough of the west." Not a perfect analogy by any means, but both mid-size Ontario towns with good universities that have done surprisingly well in a generation that has -- until recently -- turned its back on downtowns.

 

[jn_12]

I wouldn't say Peterborough has done well. It's a depressed city for the most part. Having lived there for 4 years, I got to see first hand the result of factory after factory closing and its trickle effect. If I'm not mistaken it's actually the homeless capital of Canada, with the highest per capita rate in the country. The north end is pretty much the extent of the "done well" and that's because it's filled with Trent profs (at least the ones that don't live in Toronto and commute daily because Peterborough isn't the nicest place to live in) and GM workers.

However, it does have some good things going for it. Just to name a couple... Bluestreak (which Emily Haines' brother owns) is a top notch record shop and the downtown has some excellent pubs like McThirsty's Pint.

 

[Softee]

^ Overly harsh IMO.

 

[jn_12]

uhh ok, care to elaborate?

I lived there for 4 years, and I guess I've seen first hand the conditions there. It's not pretty in many spots, especially in the residential areas near the downtown. It's not the safest city either and there's been a number violent racist and homophobic attacks right in the downtown. I know of half a dozen crack houses masqueraded as stores and community service buildings, and there are even more residential houses that provide these services. Ya, you can find these in any city, but for a city of 75,000 people, the level its reached in Peterborough isn't normal. I'm 6'1, 210lbs and a hockey player and there are streets that I won't walk down. That should say something I think.

Mind you, I guess to the east of the Otonobee it's not that bad, but that makes up 10% of the city really.

 

[MisterF]

Oh come on, Peterborough doesn't have any "no-go" zones. I'm a lot smaller than you and I've never felt intimidated anywhere. The median income in Peterborough is lower than Ontario as a whole, but that hasn't translated into a lot of negatives. The crime rate is average for Ontario and low for Canada as a whole - the media hypes what crime there is but you can't take that seriously or you'd be living in fear no matter where you are. Downtown is thriving for the most part, there's a strong arts scene, and the city's growing despite manufacturing setbacks. Some neighbourhoods west and south of downtown are a little sketchy but others are doing really well, like south of Little Lake, East City, and the area north of Sherbrooke and west of Park. The richest sector of the city is the west end, not the north or east.

 

[Hipster Duck]

If you read the Peterborough This Week Court Docket (which is amusing), you will realize that the majority of the crime that happens is generally theft under $500 and the occasional fist fight at a house party - hardly the stuff that ought to scare a relatively burly man.

By the way, it's spelled "Otonabee".

 

[jn_12]

Well, I guess it's a matter of opinion then. I'm not basing this on stats, because we all know that not every crime is reported, nor does the crime rate in Flin Flon matter. Fact is I've seen gay and black kids come back to rez beaten, and I've seen groups of people chased down the street by cars, only nearly avoiding getting hit. Shots have been fired at parties too. No, there aren't (m)any murders, but these things aren't even close to what I experienced where I grew up in Welland, which is only slightly smaller.

I agree wholeheartedly that there are many positives to Peterborough. I enjoyed my time in the city, but I've seen enough of what goes on there to know that I didn't want to put my roots down there after graduating.

duck: As for "Otonabee", whatever. We strictly wrote OC (Otonabee College) for the 4 years I was at Trent, so if you're trying to dispel my opinion by pointing out a spelling error, give yourself a pat on the back. well done.

 

[Hipster Duck]

you're right, that part was probably uncalled for.

Anyway, I dunno, crime just never seems to faze me wherever I've lived although if I were a victim I'd probably change my view.