The History of the Welcome to Charleswood Sign
In the late 1930’s Charleswood was known as “The Suburb Beautiful”, a slogan which was proudly displayed on the sign that greeted entrants to the community. The original sign was erected, along the area’s main street Roblin Boulevard, to entice newcomers to settle in the area and advertised municipality features that included City Water, Light, Power and Low Taxes!
The first “Welcome to Charleswood” sign circa 1938
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The origin of the slogan, “Welcome to Charleswood – The Suburb Beautiful”, remains a bit of mystery. The slogan may have been derived from the neighbouring Tuxedo area which was supposed to be one of Canada’s first major “planned communities”. Charleswood was a little less “planned” with its development, “less controlled”, but none the less and became a collection of new homes, mixed farming and commercial businesses. It was also home to the development of several areas during the post war years such as Varsity View and Roblin Park which were settled by many veterans. A “Beautiful Suburb”!
The second “Welcome to Charleswood” sign circa 1940
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Sometime during the Second World War, a remodelled version of the sign, featuring the slogan “Charleswood Pays Tribute to Our Boys & Girls On Active Service” paid tribute to members from the community serving their country in WWII. This version listed the names of hundreds of veterans from the area.
The origin of the slogan, “Welcome to Charleswood – The Suburb Beautiful”, remains a bit of mystery. The slogan may have been derived from the neighbouring Tuxedo area which was supposed to be one of Canada’s first major “planned communities”. Charleswood was a little less “planned” with its development, “less controlled”, but none the less and became a collection of new homes, mixed farming and commercial businesses. It was also home to the development of several areas during the post war years such as Varsity View and Roblin Park which were settled by many veterans. A “Beautiful Suburb”!
The third “Welcome to Charleswood” sign circa 2000
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A third version of the sign was erected, in the year 2000, as part of the Charleswood Historical Society’s Millenium project to honour the previous signs. The sign was designed and built by Gary Hewitt, a Winnipeg resident, at an estimated cost of $8,000. The organization solicited funds for the sign through local businesses, Charleswood service organizations, private donors and a grant from the City of Winnipeg Community Incentives Program. Volunteers from the Charleswood Historical Society put in many hours of work to obtain the rezoning agreements and permits needed to erect the sign.
This version of the sign retained the ‘Suburb Beautiful” slogan and displayed the logos of the service organizations that contributed funding for the sign including: the Rotary Club, the Charleswood Legion, the Garden Club, the Lions Club and of course the Historical Society. This version of the sign served the greeted residents and visitors for more than 20 years.
The fourth “Welcome to Charleswood” sign 2025
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The Historical Society initiated a renewal of the sign in 2023, contacting Evan Duncan, the City of Winnipeg Councillor for the Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood ward, with a proposal to refurbish or replace the existing sign. Through the City of Winnipeg Land Dedication Reserve Grant, the sign was replaced in 2024.
This fourth version (current) of the sign retains for overall shape of previous signs and replaces the “Suburb Beautiful” slogan with the updated “The Beautiful Suburb”. The background and colour palette are inspired by Charleswood’s many trees and ubiquitous deer population. This newest version of the sign reflects the community’s rural past while pointing towards a bright future.