Portage and Main

Portage and Main is an intersection in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the heart of downtown Winnipeg at the place where Portage Avenue (Route 85) and Main Street (Route 52) intersect. It was once the centre for the banking industry in Western Canada. It is also the site of the famous Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. Portage and Main is the brunt of popular jokes referring to it as the 'coldest and windiest intersection in Canada'. The phrase 'Portage and Main' has come to refer to city of Winnipeg as a whole. It is one of Canada's most well-known intersections.

There are countless cultural references to the intersection, including the 1992 Randy Bachman and Neil Young hit song "Prairie Town", with the chorus repeating the line "Portage and Main, 50 below." The British band Blurt have a song named 'Portage & Main" on their album "The Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hit"The intersection is also featured as a property on the Canadian Monopoly board. The city of Winnipeg is currently looking at various proposals to reopen the intersection to pedestrian traffic — pedestrians currently being forced to cross the busy intersection through underground tunnels.

Myths and Legends: A long-standing cold weather legend is that the coldest corner in Canada is at Portage Ave and Main St in downtown Winnipeg truth is, there are no official temperature measurements at any street corner in Canada to confirm the coldest intersection. Winnipeg's city centre is usually 3-4° warmer than the airport, owing to the urban heat island effect. The lowest reading at the airport was -45.0° C on 18 February 1966.

Downtown Winnipeg