St James is nestled between the Airport and the Assiniboine River, and between Century St in the east and Sturgeon Rd in the West. St. James is a large community in the western section of Winnipeg. It is most often referred to as simply "St. James" and consists of the neighbourhoods of Old St. James, Deer Lodge, Silver Heights, Birchwood, Booth and Woodhaven. It is primarily residential, and is mainly a middle class area with wealthier areas along the Assiniboine River, just south of Portage Ave. There is some industrial development in the Murray Industrial Park in the north central part of the neighbourhood and near the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport which is located in St. James. There is substantial commercial development along Portage Avenue, the area's main thoroughfare.

St. James makes up a community of 7,600 single family residential homes that typically sell in a price range from $100,000  to $400,000

For the lifestyle choice of condominiums, St. James offers many condo community choices, with styles to suit every taste and budget. They are located throughout the area with easy access to all the amenities and transportation offered in this neighbourhood.

St. James schools are managed by the St. James-Assiniboia School Division. There are five elementary schools; Athlone School (K-5), Ecole Assiniboine School (M-5), Ecole Banatyne School (M-5),  Linwoood School (K-5), Strathmillan School (K-5) three middle schools; Bruce Middle School (6-8),  George Waters Middle School (6-8), Golden Gate Middle School (6-8) and three high schools; Jameswood Alternative School (9-12), St. James Collegiate (9-12), College Sturgeon Heights Collegiate (9-12).

There is an abundance of shopping along Portage Avenue, with Polo Park Shopping Centre to the east, which includes over 200 stores with anchors such as Sears, The Bay, Zellers, Silver City, The Gap/Gap Kids, Sport Chek, Apple Store (opened 2009), Hollister Co. (opened December 18, 2010) and Forever 21 (opened March 2011, largest in Canada at 38,000 sq. ft.) and Unicity Mall to the west.

The area is rich in recreation, with Bourkevale Park to the east, Assiniboine Golf Club bordering on the airport, Living Prairie Museum/Park to the west, and Assiniboine Park accessed by pedestrian bridge across the Assiniboine River. The area has 4 outdoor rinks, 2 indoor ice arenas, 4 tennis courts, 2 indoor pools, 1 outdoor pool, 2 running tracks, and Assiniboine Zoo just across the River. The community is also home to Grant’s Old Mill Museum, Air Force Heritage Park, and the Western Canada Aviation Museum.