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Edmonton and St. Albert Information
About Edmonton and St. Albert area
Edmonton is the capital of the province of Alberta, making it the seat of the provincial Crown. St. Albert is a bedroom community on the northern border of Edmonton.
The Capital City is on the North Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province, an area with some of the most fertile farmland on the prairies.
It is the second largest city in Alberta after Calgary, with a population of 730,372 (2006), and is the hub of Canada's sixth largest census metropolitan area, with a metropolitan population of 1,034,945 (2006), making it the northernmost North American city with a metropolitan population over one million.
At 684 square kilometres (264 sq mi), the City of Edmonton covers an area larger than Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto or Montreal. Edmonton has one of the lowest population densities in North America, about 9.4% that of New York City.
A resident of Edmonton is known as an Edmontonian.
Edmonton serves as the northern anchor of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor (one of four regions that together comprise 50% of the Canadian population) and is a staging point for large-scale oilsands projects occurring in northern Alberta and large-scale diamond mining operations in the Northwest Territories.
Edmonton is Canada's second most populous provincial capital (after Toronto) and is a cultural, government and educational centre. It plays host to a year round slate of world-class festivals, earning it the title of "The Festival City".
It is home to North America's largest mall and Canada's largest historic park.
In 2004, Edmonton celebrated the centennial of its incorporation as a city.
GeographyEdmonton is located near the geographical centre of the province at an elevation of 668 metres (2,192 ft). The terrain in and around Edmonton is generally flat to gently rolling, with ravines and deep river valleys, such as the North Saskatchewan River valley.
Despite the Canadian Rockies lying as close to Edmonton as roughly 220 kilometres to the southwest (only a few hours' drive away), the city is too distant for any of its peaks to be seen from even its tallest buildings.
The North Saskatchewan River bisects the city and originates at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park. It empties, via the Saskatchewan River, Lake Winnipeg, and the Nelson River, into Hudson Bay. It runs from the southwest to the northeast and is fed by numerous creeks throughout the city, such as Mill Creek and Whitemud Creek. This creates numerous ravines, many of which have been incorporated into the urban parkland.
Edmonton is situated at the boundary between prairie to the south and boreal forest to the north, in a transitional area known as aspen parkland. However, the aspen parkland in and around Edmonton has long since been heavily altered by farming and other human activities, such as oil and natural gas exploration.
ClimateEdmonton has a northern continental climate with extreme seasonal temperatures, although the city has milder winters than either Regina or Winnipeg, which are both located at a more southerly latitude.
It has mild summers and chilly winters, with the average daily temperatures ranging from -11.7°C (10.9°F) in January to 17.5°C (63.5°F) in July.
Annually, temperatures exceed 30°C (86°F) on an average of three days [but can occur often in the months of May through early September] and fall below −20°C (−4°F) on an average of twenty-eight days.
Typically, summer lasts from late June until late August, and the humidity is rarely uncomfortably high. Winter lasts from November through March and varies greatly in length and severity. Spring and autumn are both short and highly variable.
Information from Wikipedia
HistoryExploration and settlementThe first inhabitants gathered in the area which is now Edmonton around 3,000 BC and perhaps as early as 10,000 BC, when an ice-free corridor opened up as the last ice age ended and timber, water and wildlife became available in the region.
In 1754, Anthony Henday, an explorer working for the Hudson's Bay Company, may have been the first European to enter the Edmonton area. His expeditions across the Canadian Prairies were mainly to seek contact with the aboriginal population for the purpose of establishing fur trade, as competition was fierce between the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company.
By 1795, Fort Edmonton was established as a major trading post for the Hudson's Bay Company. It was named after the English hometown, now a part of Greater London, of the HBC deputy governor Sir James Winter Lake.
In the late nineteenth century, the highly fertile soils surrounding Edmonton helped attract settlers, further establishing Edmonton as a major regional commercial and agricultural centre.
Edmonton was also a stopping point for people hoping to cash in on the Klondike Gold Rush in 1897, although the majority of people doing so chose to take a steamship north to the Yukon from Vancouver.
Incorporated as a city in 1904 with a population of 8,350, Edmonton became the capital of Alberta a year later on September 1, 1905.
The war yearsDuring the early 1910s, Edmonton grew very rapidly due to rising speculation in real estate prices.
In 1912, Edmonton amalgamated with the city of Strathcona south of the North Saskatchewan River. As a result, the city extended south of the river.
Just prior to World War I, the real estate boom ended suddenly, causing the city's population to decline sharply from over 72,500 in 1914 to under 54,000 only two years later.
Recruitment to the Canadian military during the war also contributed to the drop in population. Afterwards, the city was slow to recover in population and economy during the 1920s and 1930s, until World War II.
The oil boom yearsThe first major oil discovery in Alberta was made on February 13, 1947 near the town of Leduc to the south of Edmonton.
As early as 1914, oil reserves were known to exist in the southern parts of Alberta but they produced very little oil compared to those around Edmonton.
Additional oil reserves were discovered during the late 1940s and the 1950s near the town of Redwater. Because most of Alberta's oil reserves were concentrated in central and northern Alberta, Edmonton became home to most of Alberta's oil industry.
The subsequent oil boom gave Edmonton new status as the Oil Capital of Canada. During the 1950s, the city increased in population from 149,000 to 269,000.
After a relatively calm but still prosperous period in the 1960s, the city's growth took on renewed vigour with high world oil prices, triggered by the 1973 oil crisis and the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
The oil boom of the 1970s and 1980s ended abruptly with the sharp decline in oil prices on the international market and the introduction of the National Energy Program in 1981. The population had reached 521,000 that same year.
Although the National Energy Program was later scrapped by the federal government in the mid-1980s, the collapse of world oil prices in 1986 and massive government cutbacks kept the city from making a full economic recovery until the late 1990s.
Recent historyIn 1981, West Edmonton Mall, which was at the time the world's largest mall, opened. Still the biggest in North America, the mall is one of Alberta's most-visited tourist attractions, and contains an indoor amusement park, a large indoor waterpark, a skating rink, a New Orleans-themed bar district and a luxury hotel in addition to over eight hundred shops and services.
On July 31, 1987, a devastating tornado, ranked as an F4 on the Fujita scale, hit the city and killed twenty-seven people. The storm blew CN rail cars off a bridge crossing the North Saskatchewan River and hit the areas of Beaumont, Mill Woods, Bannerman, Fraser, and the Evergreen Trailer Park.
The day became known as "Black Friday". Then-mayor Laurence Decore cited the community's response to the tornado as evidence that Edmonton was a "city of champions", which later became the city's slogan.
The city entered its current period of economic recovery and prosperity by the late 1990s, helped by a strong recovery in oil prices and further economic diversification.
While oil production and refining remains the basis of many jobs in Edmonton, the city's economy has managed to diversify significantly. The downtown core and parts of the inner city, after years of extremely high office vacancy rates and neglect, have recovered to a great degree.
It is still undergoing a renaissance of its own, with further new projects underway or about to become reality, and more people choosing to live in or near the downtown core.
This economic prosperity is bringing in large numbers of workers from around Canada. It is forecast that 83,000 new residents will move to Edmonton between 2006 and 2010, twice the rate that city planners had expected. Many of the new workers moving to the city are young men.
Information from Wikipedia.
Economy
Edmonton is the major economic centre for northern and central Alberta and a major centre for the oil and gas industry.
Edmonton traditionally has been a hub for Albertan petrochemical industries, earning it the nickname "Oil Capital of Canada" in the 1940s. Supply and service industries drive the energy extraction engine while research develops new technologies and supports expanded value-added processing of Alberta's massive oil, gas and oil sands reserves. These are reported to be the second largest in the world after Saudi Arabia.
Despite the apparent focus on oil and gas, Edmonton's economy is now the second most diverse in Canada.
Much of the growth in technology sectors is due to Edmonton's reputation as one of Canada’s premiere research and education centres. Research initiatives are anchored by educational institutions such as the University of Alberta as well as government initiatives underway at the Alberta Research Council and Edmonton Research Park. Recently the National Institute for Nanotechnology was constructed on the University of Alberta campus.
The geographical location of Edmonton has made it an ideal spot for distribution and logistics. CN Rail's North American operational facility is located in the city as well as a major intermodal facility that handles all incoming freight from the port of Prince Rupert in British Columbia.
Edmonton is known for its exceptional environmental stewardship, strong life-science sector, and burgeoning high-tech industry economy.
Information from Wikipedia
Real Estate
Education
Post-secondaryEdmonton has become one of Canada's major educational centres with more than 60,000 full time post-secondary students spread over several institutions and campuses (total enrolment between the schools is as high as 170,000, which includes students enrolled in multiple institutions).
The University of Alberta (known colloquially as the "U of A"), whose main campus is situated on the south side of Edmonton's river valley, is a board-governed, public institution.
Main campus consists of more than ninety buildings on 890,000 square metres (220 acres) of land, with buildings dating back to the university's establishment in 1908.
It is also home to Canada's second largest research library which ranks first in volumes per student with over 10 million (in 2005) and subscriptions to 13,000 full-text electronic journals and 500 electronic databases.
Other universities within the borders of Edmonton include Athabasca University, Concordia University College of Alberta, the King's University College, Taylor University College and Seminary, and the Edmonton campus of the University of Lethbridge.
Other Edmonton post-secondary institutions include Grant MacEwan College, which enrolls 40,791 students in programs offering career diplomas, university transfers and bachelor degrees, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), with 48,500 students enrolled in 190 technical, vocational and apprenticeship programs and NorQuest College, with 11,300 students, specializing in short courses in skills and academic upgrading.
K-12Edmonton has three publicly funded school boards (districts), who provide kindergarten and grades one through twelve.
The vast majority of students attend schools in the two large English language boards: Edmonton Public Schools and the separate Edmonton Catholic School District.
Also, since 1994, the francophone minority community has had their own school board based in Edmonton, the North-Central Francophone School Authority, which includes surrounding communities.
Most recently the city has seen a small number of public charter schools open, independent of any board. All three school boards and public charter schools are funded through provincial grants and property taxes.
Some private schools exist as well. Included are the Edmonton Academy and Tempo School.
The Edmonton Society for Christian Education used to be a private school, however they became part of Edmonton Public Schools.
Both the Edmonton Public Schools and the Edmonton Catholic School District provide support and resources for those wishing to home school their children.
Information from Wikipedia.
Attractions
Many events are anchored in the downtown Arts District, centred around the newly renovated Churchill Square (named in honour of Sir Winston Churchill).
The Francis Winspear Centre for Music was opened in 1997 after years of planning and fundraising. Described as one of the most acoustically perfect concert halls in Canada, it is home to the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and hosts a wide variety of shows every year.
Across 102nd Avenue is the Citadel Theatre, so named after the Salvation Army Citadel in which Joe Shoctor first started the Citadel Theatre company in 1965. It is now one of the largest theatre complexes in Canada with five halls each specializing in different kinds of productions.
Old Strathcona is home to the Theatre District, which holds the Transalta Arts Barns (headquarters of the Edmonton International Fringe Festival), The Walterdale Playhouse, Catalyst Theatre, and the Varscona Theatre (base of operations for several theatre companies, including Teatro la Quindicina, Shadow Theatre, Rapid Fire Theatre, Die-Nasty, and Oh Susanna!). Edmonton was named cultural capital of Canada in 2007.
Museums and galleries
There are also over seventy museums in Edmonton of ranging sizes. The largest is the Royal Alberta Museum (formerly the Provincial Museum of Alberta until renamed by Queen Elizabeth II during her 2005 visit) which houses over 10 million objects in its collection. The museum showcases the culture and practices of the diverse aboriginal tribes of the region. The Art Gallery of Alberta was the city's largest single gallery. It was Housed in an inconspicuous production of 1970s architecture, the AGA collection has over 5,000 pieces of art.
The University of Alberta operates its own internal Museums and Collections service.
FestivalsEdmonton's main summer festival is Capital Ex (formerly Klondike Days.)
The Edmonton International Fringe Festival, which takes place in mid-August, is the largest Fringe Theatre Festival in North America, and second only to the Edinburgh Fringe festival in the world.
In August, Edmonton is also host to the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, one of the most successful and popular folk music festivals in North America.
Another major summer festival is the Edmonton Heritage Festival which is an ethnocultural festival that takes place in Hawrelak Park on the Heritage Day long weekend.
Many other festivals occur such as the River City Shakespeare Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, Edmonton Gay Pride and the Edmonton International Film Festival.
Others...
Information from Wikipedia.
Sports Teams
Edmonton has a proud heritage of very successful sports teams including the Edmonton Grads, Edmonton Eskimos, Edmonton Cracker Cats, Edmonton Oil Kings and Edmonton Oilers. The primary professional sports facilities are the Commonwealth Stadium, TELUS Field and Rexall Place.
Numerous minor-league teams in the City include the Edmonton Cracker-Cats, the city's thirteenth baseball franchise since 1884. Local rugby players compete in the Rugby Canada Super League with the Edmonton Gold. Also, the city hosts the Edmonton Rush national lacrosse team, which plays out of Rexall Place.
In addition to the minor-league teams, Edmonton also has very successful University-level sports teams including the U of A Golden Bears, the U of A Pandas, NAIT Ooks, and Grant MacEwan Griffins.
Current professional and Amateur franchises
Information from Wikipedia.
RecreationGive yourself a good workout. Ride your bicycle in safety along 225 kilometres (141 miles) of designated bikeways. Sharpen your game at one of the region's more than 70 golf courses and practice facilities. Learn to ski, downhill or cross-country. Join a slo-pitch league. Bowling, billiards or badminton - it's up to you. Edmonton has more than 1,000 facilities for recreation and amateur sports of every description.
Information from edmonton.com
Shopping
In 1981, West Edmonton Mall, which was at the time the world's largest mall, opened. Still the biggest in North America, the mall is one of Alberta's most-visited tourist attractions, and contains an indoor amusement park, a large indoor waterpark, a skating rink, a New Orleans-themed bar district and a luxury hotel in addition to over eight hundred shops and services.
For a list of all shopping malls in Edmonton and their locations, click here.
Information from Wikipedia
Transportation
Edmonton is a major transportation gateway to northern Alberta and northern Canada.
There is one airport in the city, Edmonton International Airport, flying passengers to destinations in the United States, Europe, Mexico, and the Caribbean, along with charters to Japan.
Interurban passenger rail service is operated by VIA Rail to Jasper National Park, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia. Edmonton serves as a major transportation hub for CN Rail, whose North American operation centre is located at their Edmonton offices.
Public Transportation
The Edmonton Transit System is the city's main public transit agency, operating a light rail transit (LRT) line as well as a large fleet of buses and trolley buses.
There is an extensive multi-use trail system for bicycles and pedestrians throughout the city; however, most of this is within the river valley parkland system.
Information from Wikipedia.
Utilities & ServicesHome Service ProvidersPHONE - INTERNET - CELL - TV
WATER - ENERGY
Edmonton's first power company established itself in 1891 and installed street lights along the city's main avenue, Jasper Avenue.
The power company was bought by the Town of Edmonton in 1902 and remains under municipal ownership today as EPCOR.
Also in charge of water treatment, in 2002, EPCOR installed the world's largest ultraviolet (UV) water treatment or Ultraviolet disinfection system at its E.L. Smith Water Treatment Plant
Information from Wikipedia.
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Local Media
NEWSPAPERS
Edmonton has 2 large-circulation daily newspapers:
Edmonton also has two free weekly papers focusing on the city's independent arts and entertainment.
The weekly Edmonton Examiner is also delivered free to households in Edmonton.
The Edmonton Senior is a monthly newspaper catering to a growing audience.
The University of Alberta has three regular publications: official student newspaper The Gateway, staff newspaper Folio and alumni magazine New Trail.
TELEVISION
* Channel 02: CFRN (CTV)
* Channel 04: CBXT (CBC) * Channel 09: CJAL (Access Alberta) * Channel 12: CBXFT (SRC) * Channel 08: CITV (Global) * Channel 07: CKEM (Citytv) The cable television provider in Edmonton is Shaw Cable. Network programming from the United States is received on cable via affiliates from Spokane, Washington, which is in the Pacific Time Zone despite the fact that Edmonton is in the Mountain Time Zone.
New services
On June 8, 2007, the CRTC licensed three new television services in the Edmonton market.
* 17 - CHCA-2 – rebroadcaster of CHCA (CH) Red Deer
* 45 - CKES (CTS) * 56 - CHXE (OMNI) RADIO
AM
* 580 AM - CKUA (public broadcasting)
* 630 AM - CHED ("630 CHED" news/talk) * 680 AM - CHFA (La Première Chaîne) * 740 AM - CBX (CBC Radio One) * 840 AM - CFCW ("790 CFCW", country) * 880 AM - CHQT ("Cool 880", oldies) * 930 AM - CJCA ("The Light", gospel music) * 1260 AM - CFRN ("The Team 1260", sports) FM * 88.5 FM - CJSR (University of Alberta campus radio)
* 89.3 FM - CJJE, Aboriginal Voices * 90.1 FM - CBCX (Espace musique) * 90.9 FM - CBX (CBC Radio Two) * 91.7 FM - CHBN ("KiSS" , CHR/urban) * 92.5 FM - CKNG ("Fresh Radio", adult hits) * 93.9 FM - CBX-2 (CBC Radio One) * 94.9 FM - CKUA (public broadcasting) * 96.3 FM - CKRA ("Capital FM", adult hits) * 97.3 FM - CIRK ("K-Rock", classic rock) * 99.3 FM - CHMC ("up!", adult hits) * 100.3 FM - CFBR ("The Bear", active rock) * 101.7 FM - CKER ("101.7 World FM", multilingual) * 102.3 FM- ("Now! Radio", adult hits)
* 102.9 FM - CHDI ("Sonic 102.9", modern rock) * 103.9 FM - CISN ("CISN Country 103.9", country music) * 104.9 FM - CFMG ("Virgin Radio", Top 40) * 105.9 FM - CJRY ("Shine FM", Christian music) * 162.400 MHz (FM) XLM 572 Environment Canada Weatheradio (English and French Broadcasts)
ON-LINE CITIZEN FORUMS * connect2edmonton is a new and growing citizen forum focusing on various aspects of the city and its people, including contemporary issues. This site is partnered with Edmonton Economic Development Corp., Edmonton Airports, the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce)
* The Community of St. Albert is a Facebook group comprised of citizens, where questions about local events and businesses are answered by community members themselves.
Information from Wikipedia.
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HospitalsThere are four main hospitals serving Edmonton: The University of Alberta Hospital, The Royal Alexandra Hospital, The Misercordia Hospital and The Grey Nuns Hospital.
Other area hospitals include the Sturgeon Community Hospital in St. Albert, the Leduc Community Hospital in Leduc, the Westview Health Centre in Stony Plain, and the Fort Saskatchewan Health Centre in Fort Saskatchewan.
Dedicated psychiatric care is also provided at the Alberta Hospital.
All hospitals are under the administration of the Capital Health Authority although the Misercordia and the Grey Nuns are run separately by the Caritas Health Group.
Information from Wikipedia.
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