Saskatoon has a growing population, now well over 273,000 people according to Statistics Canada, spread across dozens of neighbourhoods on both sides of the river, and a southeast neighbourhood like Lakeridge sits a normal in-city drive from downtown, the university area, or the retail nodes on the west side, not a separate commute the way driving in from Warman or Martensville would be.
That last distinction matters more than the drive time itself. Lakeridge pays Saskatoon's mill rate and follows City of Saskatoon rules because it is inside city limits, unlike Warman or Martensville, which are their own municipalities with their own tax rate and their own rules entirely.
For a downsizer weighing a Lakeridge home against something more central, the honest driver of daily life is which bridge you use and when, not the label on the neighbourhood. Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.