Edmonton - City of Canada

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. The city is located 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, with a population of 752,412 (2008), and is the hub of Canada's sixth-largest census metropolitan area, 1,081,300[4] making it the northernmost North American city with a metropolitan population over one million.

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.

The first inhabitants settled in the area that 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.

Incorporated as a city in 1904 with a population of 8,350, Edmonton became the capital of Alberta as the province joined Confederation a year later, on September 1, 1905. In November 1905, the Canadian Northern Railway arrived in Edmonton, accelerating growth.

The first licensed airfield in Canada, Blatchford Field , commenced operation in 1929. Pioneering aviators such as Wilfrid R. "Wop" May and Max Ward used Blatchford Field as a major base for the distribution of mail, food, and medicine to Northern Canada; hence Edmonton's role as the "Gateway to the North" was strengthened.

World War II saw Edmonton's becoming a major base for the construction of the Alaska Highway and the Northwest Staging Route.

In 1981, West Edmonton Mall, the world's largest at the time, 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 800 shops and services.

Also in the outskirts, new subdivisions are being built. These include Tamarack, Lewis Estates, Cameron Heights, Windermere, Ellerslie and many more, as well as new power centres such as The Meadows and Windermere. There is also a boom of warehouses and high-tech industry jobs in the south, and west sides of the city; some are being considered for offices.

This economic prosperity is bringing in large numbers of workers from all over 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.

Edmonton has a northern continental climate, with extreme seasonal temperatures—although the city has milder winters than either Regina or Winnipeg, both located at a more southerly latitude. It has warm summers and cold winters.

Edmonton has become one of Canada's major educational centres, with more than 60,000 full time postsecondary students spread over several institutions and campuses .

The University of Alberta , whose main campus is situated on the south side of Edmonton's river valley, is a board-governed public institution with annual revenue of one billion dollars. About 35,000 students are served in more than 200 undergraduate programs and 170 graduate programs. The main campus consists of more than ninety buildings on 890,000 square metres 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 and subscriptions to 13,000 full-text electronic journals and 500 electronic databases.

Edmonton is also home to the Antarctic Institute of Canada.

Some private schools exist as well, including Edmonton Academy and Tempo School. The Edmonton Society for Christian Education used to be a private school; however, it has 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 homeschool their children.

Many events are anchored in the downtown Arts District, centred around the recently renovated Churchill Square . On the south side of the river, the University district and Whyte Avenue contain theatres, concert halls, and various live music venues.

Old Strathcona is home to the Theatre District, which holds the Transalta Arts Barns , The Walterdale Playhouse, Catalyst Theatre, and the Varscona Theatre . Edmonton was named cultural capital of Canada in 2007.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton, archbishop responsible for the Roman Catholic Church in central Alberta between the Saskatchewan and British Columbia borders.

The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton, responsible for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Alberta.

The Archbishop of Edmonton and Western Canada, responsible for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada in all of western Canada.

The bishop responsible for Eastern Rite Orthodox Churches in North America.
The Anglican Diocese of Edmonton, responsible for the Anglican Church of Canada in central Alberta, between the Saskatchewan and British Columbia borders.

Edmonton also hosts a Maronite Catholic church, on 76th Avenue/98th Street, with services in English on Saturdays and Arabic on Sundays.

Another sign of the Lebanese community's visibility is the existence of a Druze Community Centre, on the north side of the city.

The Edmonton Alberta Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was dedicated on December 11, 1999.

The Hindu Community in Edmonton is served by the Hindu Society of Alberta and the Maha Gahapathy Society of Alberta.