Mel's Insights:

The Masonville neighbourhood is home to one of London's major shopping districts: Masonville Place. The large shopping area is located in the Richmond Street and Fanshawe Park Road area and is home to more than 150 stores, including Forever 21, H&M (opening soon), Silver City Cinemas and more. Major renovations to the mall have been attracting more big-name retailers, like the Disney Store, which celebrated its grand opening in August 2016.

The intersection of Richmond Street and Fanshawe Park Road was once nicknamed "Calamity Corners" as a result of two catastrophic accidents that occurred in its early years. Like many areas in London, the neighbourhood of Masonville started as a small village, which was known as McMartin's Corner. It was later renamed after the local postmaster and hotel owner, Robert Mason.*

On the real estate side of things, the Masonville neighbourhood has everything from single family homes to condo apartments, ranging from 60 year old structures to new developments. Masonville is located within an easy distance to Western University, which means there that a certain percentage of students who are scattered throughout the neighbourhood. The main roads that run through the Masonville area are subject to heavy congestion during rush hour, especially with Richmond Street being one of the most direct routes in and out of the downtown core and Fanshawe Park Road being one of the major options for getting from east to west in the north end of the city.