The community of Bridgeland/Riverside is located immediately northeast of downtown Calgary. The community of Riverside was established by Russian-German immigrants during Calgary's first population boom in the 1880s, when Riverside was known as Germantown. At the beginning of the 20th century, immigrants were mostly of Italian and Ukrainian origin. Riverside incorporated as a village on July 6, 1903, and was subsequently annexed by the City of Calgary in 1910. In 1908, the Bridgeland - Riverside Community Association was founded. A Red Light District survived in the neighbourhood until the First World War. In 1910, the Calgary General Hospital was built in this area. It was closed in 1997 and was demolished in 1998. Parts of lower Bridgeland were popularly known as "Little Italy" in emulation of similarly named enclaves in other cities with immigrants of Italian stock. The concentration of Italian bakeries, restaurants, and groceries has diminished over time but the strip along 1st Avenue NE is sometimes still referred to by this name. The community is ideally located within walking distance to downtown Calgary and conveniently situated on the LRT line.
The community is bounded to the north by 7 Avenue, 9A Street, and 8 Avenue, Nose Creek to the east, the Bow River to the south, and 1 Street to the west.