Pleasant Hill, Saskatoon: Best for First-Time Buyers and Investors Looking for Saskatoon's Most Affordable Entry Point

Pleasant Hill is a central-west Saskatoon inner-city neighbourhood that suits first-time buyers and investors looking for one of the city’s most affordable entry points, alongside ongoing City revitalization investment in the area.

Pleasant Hill at a Glance

Pleasant Hill is an older, central-west Saskatoon neighbourhood with a housing mix dominated by multi-unit housing, a homeownership rate well below the city average, and one of the lowest median multiples of any Saskatoon neighbourhood. It may be a strong fit for first-time buyers and rental-property investors who want a low-cost entry point and are comfortable with an inner-city setting. It may be less suitable for buyers who want a high owner-occupied housing profile, newer construction, or a quiet suburban feel.

According to the City of Saskatoon neighbourhood profile, Pleasant Hill had a population of 5,521, a homeownership rate of 58.0 percent, and an average household size of 2.2. The same City profile shows a 2024 dwelling mix of 30 percent single-family dwellings, 10 percent two-unit dwellings, and 60 percent multi-unit housing.

Quick Facts

Category	Pleasant Hill Details
Area of Saskatoon	Central-west Saskatoon, within Ward 2
Population	5,521, City of Saskatoon neighbourhood profile (eHealth Saskatchewan source)
Homeownership Rate	58.0 percent owned, 42 percent rented (2021 Census)
Average Household Size	2.2
Main Housing Types	Multi-unit housing such as apartments, two-unit housing, and single-family homes
Dwelling Mix	30 percent single-family, 10 percent two-unit, 60 percent multi-unit housing (2024)
Neighbourhood Area	116.6 hectares, or 288.2 acres, at 19.6 dwelling units per hectare
Main Parks	Pleasant Hill Park, Fred Mendel Park, Grace Adam Metawewinihk Park (North and South), D.L. Hamilton Park, Steve Patola Park
Park Space	9.0 hectares, or 22.3 acres, according to the City profile
Schools in the Area	St. Mary School (Catholic). Pleasant Hill School (public) closed permanently in 2023; King George School currently serves the Pleasant Hill community
Nearby Amenities	St. Paul’s Hospital, Pleasant Hill Village (school, daycare, wellness centre, seniors and family housing), 20th Street West commercial strip
Transit and Road Access	Saskatoon Transit Route 2, plus 20th Street West and Avenue P access toward downtown
Buyer Fit	First-time buyers, rental-property investors, and budget-conscious buyers comfortable with an older inner-city neighbourhood

The City profile includes time-sensitive real estate sales data showing average sale prices by property type in Pleasant Hill. These figures should be treated as historical context, not a current pricing guarantee.

Where Is Pleasant Hill in Saskatoon?

Pleasant Hill sits in central-west Saskatoon, within Municipal Ward 2. Wikipedia describes the neighbourhood as triangular in shape, bounded by 23rd Street to the north, the Canadian Pacific Railway line running diagonally to the southwest, and Avenue W South to the west. The City’s neighbourhood map shows Pleasant Hill positioned around 20th Street West, with St. Paul’s Hospital and the Pleasant Hill Village development near its centre.

For buyers, the location offers proximity to downtown Saskatoon, just west of the central business district, along with direct access to St. Paul’s Hospital and the 20th Street West corridor. The neighbourhood is also adjacent to Riversdale and Meadowgreen, both inner-city areas with their own mix of older housing and ongoing change.

Pleasant Hill is one of Saskatoon’s older neighbourhoods. The City profile shows roughly two-thirds of the housing stock was built before 1980, which means buyers should expect an established streetscape and older building stock rather than recent construction.

What Is Pleasant Hill Known For?

Pleasant Hill is known as one of Saskatoon’s original inner-city neighbourhoods, with a long-standing residential grid, a multicultural population, and a history that includes early settlement from the 1880s. Wikipedia notes the area was originally known as Willoughby Hill and that Dr. J.H.C. Willoughby, the area’s first physician, had a homestead on the site where St. Paul’s Hospital now stands.

The neighbourhood is also known for Pleasant Hill Village, a multi-component redevelopment project on a 13-acre site along 20th Street West. The City of Saskatoon describes the project as combining a school, a wellness centre, a daycare, park space, a community garden, seniors’ housing, and affordable family housing, built through a partnership between federal, provincial, and municipal governments and the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Division. St. Mary’s Wellness and Education Centre, part of that development, opened in 2012 and includes a medical clinic, a daycare, an optometry clinic, and a pediatric clinic alongside the school itself.

Pleasant Hill is also known for being the focus of City of Saskatoon neighbourhood planning and safety work. The City’s Pleasant Hill Local Area Plan includes a dedicated neighbourhood safety section and recommends a Safety Audit using Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design principles, developed with input from the Pleasant Hill Community Association and other stakeholders.

Who Is Pleasant Hill a Good Fit For?

Pleasant Hill fits buyers who prioritize affordability and central location over newer construction or a high owner-occupied streetscape. With a homeownership rate of 58.0 percent and 42 percent of households renting in the 2021 Census, Pleasant Hill has more rental housing than many suburban Saskatoon neighbourhoods, which lines up with its large multi-unit housing share.

First-time buyers may find Pleasant Hill appealing because of its median multiple of 1.57 in 2024, well below the Saskatoon average of 3.96 and below the City’s own affordability threshold of 3.0. That said, the median personal income in Pleasant Hill was $42,400 according to the City profile, compared with a higher citywide figure, which is part of the context behind the area’s lower price point.

Families considering Pleasant Hill should know that Pleasant Hill School, the public elementary school that operated in the neighbourhood, closed permanently in 2023 and was later demolished. Saskatoon Public Schools says King George School currently serves the Pleasant Hill community, and a new consolidated school, misiwe-kisik | One Sky, is targeted to open at 210 Avenue H South in September 2027, serving King George, Pleasant Hill, and Riversdale. St. Mary School, a Greater Saskatoon Catholic school, continues to operate in the neighbourhood as part of St. Mary’s Wellness and Education Centre.

Pleasant Hill may be a better fit for buyers who are comfortable with an older, mixed-income inner-city neighbourhood and want to enter the Saskatoon market at a lower price point. It may be less suitable for buyers who want a newer subdivision, a high owner-occupied profile, or schools already fully built out and stable.

School availability, programs, transportation, and boundaries should always be confirmed directly with Saskatoon Public Schools or Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools before buying.

Schools And Childcare

St. Mary School, part of St. Mary’s Wellness and Education Centre at 327 Avenue N South, is a Greater Saskatoon Catholic school. The City neighbourhood profile shows enrolment growing from 272 students in 2022 and 2023 to 409 in 2024. Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools describes the Wellness and Education Centre as including a medical clinic, an optometry clinic, a daycare, and a pediatric clinic alongside the school.

Pleasant Hill School, the neighbourhood’s public elementary school, closed permanently at the end of June 2023 after Saskatoon Public Schools sold the site to the Government of Saskatchewan; the building was later demolished to make way for a new urgent care centre. The City profile’s enrolment table shows the school’s count as “N/A” for 2023 and 2024, consistent with the closure. Saskatoon Public Schools says King George School, located at 721 Avenue K South, now serves the communities of King George, Pleasant Hill, and Riversdale.

A new consolidated Prekindergarten to Grade 8 school, named misiwe-kisik | One Sky, is being built at 210 Avenue H South, the former Princess Alexandra School site, with a target opening date of September 2027 and capacity for 400 students plus 74 licensed childcare spaces. Buyers with school-aged children should confirm current attendance areas, busing, and timelines directly with Saskatoon Public Schools before purchasing, since this is an active, multi-year transition.

Parks And Outdoor Space

Pleasant Hill has 9.0 hectares, or 22.3 acres, of total park space according to the City profile. Named parks include Pleasant Hill Park, Fred Mendel Park, Grace Adam Metawewinihk Park North and South, D.L. Hamilton Park, and Steve Patola Park, ranging from small pocket parks like Steve Patola Park at 0.4 hectares to the larger Fred Mendel Park at 5.2 hectares.

Pleasant Hill Village, on 20th Street West, adds a community garden and additional green space alongside its school, daycare, wellness centre, and housing components.

Daily errands depend on the exact address. The 20th Street West corridor has long-standing commercial activity, and St. Paul’s Hospital is located within the neighbourhood. Buyers wanting larger-format shopping are a short drive from downtown Saskatoon and other west-side commercial areas.

Housing Types And Price Reality

Pleasant Hill is dominated by multi-unit housing. The City’s 2024 dwelling unit count shows 679 single-family dwellings, 225 two-unit dwellings, and 1,382 multi-unit dwellings, out of 2,286 total dwellings. In percentage terms, that is 30 percent single-family, 10 percent two-unit, and 60 percent multi-unit housing.

The age of housing is mostly older construction. The City profile’s 2021 Census figures show 31 percent of dwellings built before 1960 and 35 percent built between 1961 and 1980, with smaller shares from later decades, including 9 percent from 2011 to 2016 and 3 percent from 2016 to 2021. For buyers, that means inspections matter. Important review items may include foundation condition, sewer line age, electrical panel capacity, windows, roofing, and any past renovation work.

The City profile’s 2024 real estate sales data shows 76 single-family dwelling sales at an average price of $173,210, and 16 low-rise apartment condo sales at an average price of $57,813. Two semi-detached sales were recorded at an average price of $279,750. No condo townhouse, high-rise apartment condo, or semi-detached two-titles sales were recorded in that period. These figures are historical context from the City profile, not a current pricing guarantee, and buyers should review current comparable sales before making decisions.

Housing affordability data in the same City profile shows a median multiple of 1.57 in 2024 for Pleasant Hill, compared with 3.96 for Saskatoon overall. The City profile notes that a median multiple of 3.0 or under is rated as affordable, which places Pleasant Hill well inside that range and among the more affordable neighbourhoods in the city by this measure. Average owner’s major payments were reported at $1,108 and average gross rent at $906 in the 2021 Census data cited in the profile.

To turn these prices into a real budget, read how much cash you need to buy a home in Saskatoon, which goes well beyond the down payment.

Buying in Pleasant Hill

Pleasant Hill is worth considering if you want one of Saskatoon’s lower-cost entry points, a central-west location near downtown and St. Paul’s Hospital, and a long-standing inner-city community with active City investment through Pleasant Hill Village. The City’s housing data shows a mixed tenure profile, with 58.0 percent owned and 42 percent rented in 2021, and a housing stock weighted heavily toward multi-unit buildings.

Buyers should pay attention to the micro-location and the school transition currently underway. A home near Pleasant Hill Village, a park, or a quieter residential pocket may feel different from a property closer to the rail line or busier commercial sections of 20th Street West.

Best Fit for Buyers Who Want:

• One of Saskatoon’s most affordable entry points by the City’s own median multiple measure
• Central-west access near downtown and St. Paul’s Hospital
• A mix of apartment, two-unit, and single-family housing
• Comfort with an older, established inner-city neighbourhood
• Investment or rental-property possibilities
• Proximity to Pleasant Hill Village’s school, daycare, and wellness services

May Not Be the Best Fit for Buyers Who Need:

• A high owner-occupied housing profile
• Newer construction throughout the neighbourhood
• A stable, already-built-out public school in the neighbourhood, given the multi-year wait for misiwe-kisik | One Sky
• A quiet suburban feel
• Minimal exposure to rental housing or higher-density properties
• A location with no nearby rail-line influence

Selling in Pleasant Hill

Sellers in Pleasant Hill need to understand what buyers are comparing against. A buyer may also be looking at Riversdale, Meadowgreen, King George, or Westmount, depending on budget and how much they prioritize central-west access versus other inner-city options. That means the listing should make the home’s exact fit clear, including proximity to St. Mary School, Pleasant Hill Village, and St. Paul’s Hospital if that matters to the buyer.

For single-family and two-unit homes, buyers will likely focus on the age of major systems, foundation condition, basement usability, and renovation history given that most of the housing stock predates 1980. For apartment or condo units, buyers will want to review condo fees, reserve fund information, bylaws, and building condition.

Sellers should be careful not to overstate the property. In Pleasant Hill, honest positioning works better, particularly around the current status of the public school transition and the age of the building. A well-priced, accurately described home can attract first-time buyers and investors, while overstating school stability or condition can create problems during showings and negotiations.

Investor Notes for Pleasant Hill

Pleasant Hill deserves investor attention because of its low median multiple, large multi-unit housing share, and rental tenure of 42 percent in the 2021 Census. The City profile’s median multiple of 1.57 in 2024 suggests purchase prices are low relative to local incomes, which can be a starting point for yield calculations, though investors should not assume any particular rental return from neighbourhood averages.

Potential investor options may include low-rise apartment condos, which the City profile shows as an active sales category, along with two-unit properties and single-family homes with suite potential. Investors should not assume every basement can legally or safely become a suite. Zoning, permits, ceiling height, egress, parking, fire separation, electrical capacity, and building-code requirements must all be confirmed.

Pleasant Hill may appeal to tenants who want central-west access, proximity to St. Paul’s Hospital, and one of the lower average rent levels in the city. The City profile’s average gross rent figure of $906 is 2021 Census data and should be treated as historical context rather than a current market rate.

Investor risks include older-home maintenance, the neighbourhood’s lower median income relative to the city average, the multi-year wait for the area’s replacement public school, and block-by-block perception differences. The City’s continued investment through Pleasant Hill Village and its Local Area Plan and Neighbourhood Safety Program are factors worth watching, but they should be confirmed with the City of Saskatoon directly before relying on them for investment decisions.

Commute And Daily Convenience

Pleasant Hill has road access through 20th Street West and Avenue P, connecting the neighbourhood toward downtown Saskatoon, which sits just east of the area. Exact drive times depend on the specific address and should be tested directly during actual commute times.

Transit should be confirmed by address. Saskatoon Transit’s official routes and schedules page lists Route 2 serving the Pleasant Hill and Meadowgreen area along 20th Street, connecting toward downtown. Riders should check the current Saskatoon Transit routes and schedules page or the Transit mobile app for any service changes since this guide was written.

Winter driving, snow clearing, and parking may vary by location and by housing type. Older streets and multi-unit buildings can have different parking patterns than newer subdivisions, so buyers should look at the specific property’s parking setup when viewing homes.

Safety And Neighbourhood Perception

Pleasant Hill has a public reputation in Saskatoon that includes safety concerns, and the City of Saskatoon has formally recognized this through dedicated planning work. The Pleasant Hill Local Area Plan includes a Neighbourhood Safety section and recommends that the Pleasant Hill Community Association and other stakeholders coordinate a Safety Audit using Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design principles. The City also operates an ongoing Neighbourhood Safety Program, which works with community groups and civic administration on risk assessments, safety audits, and CPTED reviews across Saskatoon’s core neighbourhoods.

No independently verified, current crime statistics for Pleasant Hill are cited here, none were available from an official source as part of this draft. What can be said directly from City sources is that Pleasant Hill is the focus of real, sourced revitalization investment, including the Pleasant Hill Village redevelopment, and that the City has named neighbourhood safety as a specific planning priority for the area. Buyers who weigh safety perception heavily should walk the specific blocks they are considering at different times of day rather than judging the neighbourhood as a whole, and can request current crime statistics from the Saskatoon Police Service directly.

Pros and Cons of Living in Pleasant Hill

Pros	Cons
One of Saskatoon’s most affordable neighbourhoods by the City’s median multiple measure	Lower median personal income and homeownership rate than the city average
Central-west location near downtown and St. Paul’s Hospital	Public elementary school closed in 2023; replacement not expected until 2027
Pleasant Hill Village adds a school, daycare, wellness centre, and housing	Most of the housing stock predates 1980, so inspections matter
Large multi-unit housing share may suit investors	Smaller share of detached, owner-occupied housing than suburban areas
City-recognized neighbourhood safety planning and CPTED work underway	Public reputation includes safety concerns that buyers should assess directly
Saskatoon Transit Route 2 connects the area to downtown	Not as established or quiet in feel as many suburban neighbourhoods
Long-standing community association and identity	Buyers must confirm current school boundaries directly with the divisions

Compared To Nearby Areas

• Riversdale is another central-west inner-city neighbourhood with a similar age of housing stock and a more developed commercial strip along 20th Street, which may suit buyers comparing retail access alongside affordability.
• Meadowgreen sits just southwest of Pleasant Hill and offers a somewhat newer housing profile in parts, which may appeal to buyers who want a similar price range with slightly different building stock.
• King George shares a school connection with Pleasant Hill through the current attendance area and the upcoming consolidated school, which may matter to families comparing the two areas during the multi-year school transition.
• Westmount is a nearby west-side neighbourhood that may suit buyers comparing other lower-cost, older Saskatoon neighbourhoods outside the immediate downtown core.

Best Fit By Buyer Type

Pleasant Hill is worth considering if you want one of Saskatoon’s most affordable entry points, central-west access near downtown and St. Paul’s Hospital, and a long-standing inner-city community with active City investment through Pleasant Hill Village. It may not be the right fit if you want a high owner-occupied profile, newer construction, or a public school already operating and stable in the neighbourhood.

For many buyers, the decision comes down to comfort with an older inner-city setting, the multi-year wait for the area’s replacement public school, and whether the City’s own affordability data outweighs the trade-offs of a lower-income, lower-homeownership neighbourhood.