Edmonton

This article is about the city in Canada. For the town in England, seeEdmonton, London.For other uses, seeEdmonton (disambiguation).

Edmonton
City
City of Edmonton
Walterdale BridgeandDowntown Edmontonskyline Legislature Building Art Gallery of Alberta Fort Edmonton Park Muttart Conservatory Law Courts Building West Edmonton Mall
Flag Coat of arms Logo
Nicknames: Canada's Festival City, City of Champions, The Oil Capital of Canadamore...
Motto(s): Industry, integrity, progress
Edmonton Location of Edmonton inAlberta Edmonton Edmonton (Alberta)
Coordinates:53°32′04″N113°29′25″W
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Edmonton Metropolitan Region
Census division	11
AdjacentSpecialized municipality	Strathcona County
Adjacentmunicipal districts	Leduc County,Parkland CountyandSturgeon County
Founded	1795
Incorporated
•Town	January 9, 1892
•City	October 8, 1904
Amalgamated	February 12, 1912
Named for	Edmonton, London
Government
• Body	Edmonton City Council
•Mayor	Amarjeet Sohi
•Manager	Andre Corbould
Area (2021)
• Land	765.61 km2(295.60 sq mi)
• Urban	627.20 km2(242.16 sq mi)
• Metro	9,416.19 km2(3,635.61 sq mi)
Elevation	645 m (2,116 ft)
Population (2021)
•City	1,010,899 (5th)
• Estimate (2023)	1,128,811
• Density	1,320.4/km2(3,420/sq mi)
•Urban	1,151,635 (5th)
• Urban density	1,836.2/km2(4,756/sq mi)
•Metro	1,418,118 (6th)
• Metro density	150.6/km2(390/sq mi)
•Municipal census(2019)	972,223
Demonym	Edmontonian
Time zone	UTC−07:00(MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00(MDT)
FSAs	T5A – T6Y
Area codes	780,587, 825, 368
NTSMap	83H5Leduc,83H6Cooking Lake,83H11Edmonton,83H12St. Albert
GNBCCode	IACMP
GDP(EdmontonCMA)	CA$87.48 billion (2020)
GDP per capita (EdmontonCMA)	CA$63,601 (2022)
Website	edmonton.ca

Edmonton(/ˈɛdməntən/ED-mən-tən) is thecapital cityof theCanadian provinceofAlberta.Edmonton is situated on theNorth Saskatchewan Riverand is the centre of theEdmonton Metropolitan Region,which is surrounded byAlberta's central region.The city anchors the northern end of whatStatistics Canadadefines as the "Calgary–Edmonton Corridor",a region spanning between Edmonton and the city ofCalgary,Alberta's largest city, which includes the many smaller municipalities between the two.

As of2021,Edmonton had a city population of 1,010,899 and ametropolitanpopulation of 1,418,118, making it thefifth-largestcityandsixth-largestmetropolitan area (CMA) in Canada.Edmonton is both the northernmost city and metropolitan area inNorth Americato have a population of over one million.A resident of Edmonton is known as anEdmontonian.

Edmonton was first inhabited byFirst Nationspeoples ofAlgonquian,Athabaskan,andSiouanorigin. These peoples and their ancestors inhabited the area of the modern city intermittently beginning at the close of thelast glacial period,perhaps as early as 12,000 BC.The city was also a historic site for theMétis,who held many narrow lots along the North Saskatchewan which gave access to resources in the area. By 1882, these lots numbered about 44, after which they were displaced and integrated into the expanding city of Edmonton.

Anthony Hendaymay have been the firstEuropeanto enter the area of modern-day Edmonton while exploring theprairiesofRupert's Landfor theHudson's Bay Companyin the autumn of 1754.

By 1795, manytrading postshad been established around the present metropolitan area, and by 1801 they had all moved to the current site of the city of Edmonton."Fort Edmonton", as it was known, became the main centre for trade in the area after the 1821 merger of theHBCand theNWC.Edmonton remained sparsely populated until the Canadian acquisition of Rupert's Land in 1870, followed eventually by the arrival of theCanadian Pacific Railwayin 1891, its inauguration as acityin 1904, and its designation as the capital of the new province of Alberta in 1906.Edmonton's growth as a city has been facilitated through the absorption of five adjacent urban municipalities (Strathcona,North Edmonton,West Edmonton,BeverlyandJasper Place)in addition to a series of annexations through 1982,and the annexation of 8,260 ha (82.6 km²;31.9 sq mi) of land fromLeduc Countyand the City ofBeaumonton January 1, 2019.

Known as the "Gateway to the North",the city is now a staging point for large-scaleoil sandsprojects occurring innorthern Albertaand large-scalediamondmining operations in theNorthwest Territories.

Edmonton is a cultural, governmental and educational centre. It hosts festivals year-round, reflected in the nickname "Canada's Festival City".It is home to Canada's largest mall,West Edmonton Mall(the world's largest mall from 1981 until 2004);andFort Edmonton Park,Canada's largestliving historymuseum.

Etymology

Established as the first permanent settlement in the area of what is now Edmonton, theHudson's Bay Companytrading post ofFort Edmonton(also known as Edmonton House) was named afterEdmonton,Middlesex,England.The fort's name was chosen byWilliam Tomison,who was in charge of its construction, taking the fort's namesake from the hometown of the Lake family – at least five of whom were influential members of the Hudson's Bay Company between 1696 and 1807.In turn, the name of Edmonton derives from Adelmetone, meaning 'farmstead/estate of Ēadhelm' (from Ēadhelm, anOld Englishpersonal name, andtūn); this earlier form of the name appears in theDomesday Bookof 1086.Fort Edmonton was also calledFort-des-PrairiesbyFrench-Canadians,trappers,andcoureurs des bois.

Indigenous languages refer to the Edmonton area by multiple names which reference the presence of fur trading posts.InCree,the area is known asᐊᒥᐢᑿᒌᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣamiskwacîwâskahikan,which translates to "Beaver Hills House" and references the location's proximity to theBeaver Hillseast of Edmonton. InBlackfoot,the area is known asOmahkoyis;inNakota Sioux,the area is known asTitâga;inTsuutʼina,the area is known asNââsʔágháàchú(anglicised asNasagachoo).The Blackfoot name translates to 'big lodge',while the Nakota Sioux and Tsuutʼina names translate to 'big house'.InDenesuline,the area is known asKuę́ Nedhé,ametonymictoponym which also generally means 'city'.

History

Further information:History of Edmonton

For a chronological guide, seeTimeline of Edmonton history.

The earliest known inhabitants arrived in the area that is now Edmonton around 3,000 BC and perhaps as early as 12,000 BC when an ice-free corridor opened as thelast glacial periodended and timber, water, and wildlife became available in the region.

The site of present-day Edmonton was home to severalFirst Nationspeoples, including theCree,Nakota Sioux,Blackfoot,Tsuut'ina,Ojibwe,andDenesuline.The valley of theNorth Saskatchewan River,in particular the area of Edmonton, was settled to varying degrees for thousands of years, and provided many essential resources, including fish, medicine, and materials for tool making, such aschertorquartzite,which are abundant in the area around the modern city and which can be easilyknappedinto tools such asaxes,knives,andarrowheads.

The last of fiveFort Edmontonswas constructed in 1830. It was the third to be built within present-day Edmonton.

In 1754,Anthony Henday,an explorer for theHudson's Bay Company(HBC), may have been the first European to enter the Edmonton area.His expeditions across the Prairies ofRupert's Landwere mainly to seek contact with theIndigenous populationfor establishing thefur trade,as the competition was fierce between the HBC and theNorth West Company(NWC).

By 1795, Fort Edmonton was established on the river's north bank as a majortrading postfor the HBC, near the mouth of the Sturgeon River close to present-dayFort Saskatchewan.Fort Edmonton was built within "musket-shot range" of the rival NWC's Fort Augustus.Although both forts were initially successful, declines in beaver pelt hauls and firewood stocks forced both HBC and NWC to move their forts upstream.

By 1813, after some changes in location, Fort Edmonton was established in the area of what is nowRossdale,beginning Edmonton's start as a permanent population centre.The fort was located on the border of territory that was disputed by the Blackfoot and Cree nations.Furthermore, the fort intersected territory patrolled by the Blackfoot Confederacy to the South, and the Cree,Dene,and Nakoda nations to the north.After the NWC merged with the HBC, Fort Augustus was closed in favour of Fort Edmonton.

In 1876,Treaty 6,which includes what is now Edmonton, was signed betweenFirst Nationsandthe Crown,as part of theNumbered Treaties.The agreement includes the Plains and Woods Cree,Assiniboine,and otherband governmentsof First Nations atFort Carlton,Fort Pitt,andBattle River.The area covered by the treaty represents most of the central area of the current provinces ofSaskatchewanand Alberta.

The coming of theCanadian Pacific Railway(CPR) to southern Alberta in 1885 helped the Edmonton economy, and the 1891 building of theCalgary and Edmonton (C&E) Railwayresulted in the emergence of a railway townsite (South Edmonton/Strathcona) on the river's south side, across from Edmonton. The arrival of the CPR and the C&E Railway helped bring settlers and entrepreneurs from eastern Canada, Europe, the U.S. and other parts of the world. The Edmonton area's fertile soil and cheap land attracted settlers, further establishing Edmonton as a major regional commercial and agricultural centre. Some people participating in theKlondike Gold Rushpassed through South Edmonton/Strathcona in 1897. Strathcona was North America's northernmost railway point, but travel to the Klondike was still very difficult for the "Klondikers", and a majority of them took asteamshipnorth to theYukonfromVancouver,British Columbia.

The completedAlberta Legislature Buildingin 1914, just above the last Fort Edmonton. The city was selected as Alberta's capital in 1905.

Incorporated as a town in 1892 with a population of 700 and then as a city in 1904 with a population of 8,350,Edmonton became the capital of Alberta when the province was formed a year later, on September 1, 1905.In November 1905, theCanadian Northern Railway(CNR) arrived in Edmonton, accelerating growth.

During the early 1900s, Edmonton's rapid growth led to speculation in real estate. In 1912, Edmontonamalgamatedwith the City ofStrathconasouth of theNorth Saskatchewan River;as a result, the city held land on both banks of the North Saskatchewan River for the first time.

Just beforeWorld War I,the boom ended, and the city's population declined from more than 72,000 in 1914 to less than 54,000 only two years later.Many impoverished families moved to subsistence farms outside the city, while others fled to greener pastures in other provinces.Recruitment to the army during the war also contributed to the drop in population.Afterwards, the city slowly recovered in population and economy during the 1920s and 1930s and took off again during and afterWorld War II.

TheEdmonton City Centre Airportopened in 1929,becoming Canada's first licensed airfield.Originally named Blatchford Field in honour of former mayorKenny Blatchford,pioneering aviators such asWilfrid R. "Wop" MayandMax Wardused Blatchford Field as a major base for distributing mail, food, and medicine toNorthern Canada;hence Edmonton's emergence as the "Gateway to the North". World War II saw Edmonton become a major base for the construction of theAlaska Highwayand theNorthwest Staging Route.The airport was closed in November 2013.

On July 31, 1987, anF4 tornado hit the cityand killed 27 people.The storm hit the areas of Beaumont,Mill Woods,Bannerman,Fraser,andEvergreen.The day became known as "Black Friday" and earned the city the moniker "City of Champions".

History of municipal governance

Edmonton City Hallis the home of themunicipal governmentfor Edmonton.

In 1892, Edmonton was incorporated as a town. The first mayor wasMatthew McCauley,who established the first school board in Edmonton and Board of Trade (later Chamber of Commerce) and a municipal police service.Due to McCauley's good relationship with the federal Liberals, Edmonton maintained economic and political prominence over Strathcona, a rival town on the south side of the North Saskatchewan River.Edmonton was incorporated as a city in 1904 and became Alberta's capital in 1905.

In 1904, the City of Edmonton purchased theEdmonton District Telephone Companyfor $17,000 fromAlex Taylor,a Canadian entrepreneur, inventor, and politician. Amalgamated into a city department as City of Edmonton Telephone Department, City Telephone System (CTS), 'Edmonton telephones'. In 1989, City Council voted to createEdmonton Telephones Corporation(Ed Tel) to operate as an autonomous organization under a board of directors appointed by the city. In 1995, City of Edmonton ownership of its telephone service ended when Ed Tel was sold to theTeluscorporation. City Bylaw 11713 created The Ed Tel Endowment Fund whereas the shares owned by Edmonton Telephones Corporation in Ed Tel Inc. were sold by the City of Edmonton to Telus on March 10, 1995, for $470,221,872 to be invested for the perpetual benefit of Edmontonians.

Unions such as theIndustrial Workers of the Worldstruggled for progressive social change through the early years, with the first reformer,James East,elected in 1912, followed by the first official Labour alderman,James Kinney,the following year. Many thousands of workers participated in the Edmonton general strike of 1919 and a strong block of Labour representatives were on council after the next election: East, Kinney, Sam McCoppen,Rice SheppardandJoe Clarke.

Labour representation on city council became a near-majority in 1929, and a full majority from 1932 to 1934, during the Great Depression.Jan Reimerbecame the city's first female mayor when she was elected in 1989.

In 2021,Amarjeet Sohibecame the first person of colour to be elected as mayor of Edmonton.

Geography

TheNorth Saskatchewan Riveris aglacier-fed river that bisects the city.

Edmonton is on the North Saskatchewan River, at an elevation of 671 m (2,201 ft).It is North America's northernmost city with a population over one million. It is south of Alberta's geographic centre, which is near the Hamlet ofFort Assiniboine.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.TheCanadian Rockiesare west of Edmonton and about 220 km (140 mi) to the southwest.

The North Saskatchewan River originates at theColumbia IcefieldinJasper National Parkand bisects the city. It sometimes floods Edmonton's river valley, most notably in theNorth Saskatchewan River flood of 1915.It empties via theSaskatchewan River,Lake Winnipeg,and theNelson RiverintoHudson Bay.It runs from the southwest to the northeast and is fed by numerous creeks throughout the city, includingMill Creek,Whitemud CreekandBlackmud Creek;these creeks have created ravines, some of which are used forurban parkland.Edmonton is within the CanadianPrairies Ecozone.

Aspen parklandsurrounds the city and is a transitional area from the prairies to the south andboreal forestin the north.The aspen woods and forests in and around Edmonton have long since been reduced by farming and residential and commercial developments including oil andnatural gasexploration.

Climate

Main article:Climate of Edmonton

Winters in Edmonton are typically cold and dry.

Edmonton has ahumid continental climate(KöppenDfb) with typically freezing, dry winters and warm, sunny summers, prone to extremes and large swings at all times of the year. It falls into theNRC4aPlant Hardiness Zone.

Summer in Edmonton lasts from June until early September, while winter lasts from November until March and in common with all of Albertavaries greatly in length and severity. Spring and autumn are both short and highly variable. Edmonton'sgrowing seasonon average lasts from May 9 to September 22;having an average 135–140 frost-free days each year,resulting in one of the longest growing seasons on theCanadian Prairies.At thesummer solstice,Edmonton receives 17 hours and three minutes of daylight, with an hour and 46 minutes ofcivil twilight,and on average receives 2,344 hours of bright sunshineper year, making it one of Canada's sunniest cities.

The city is known for having cold winters, though its weather is milder thanRegina,SaskatoonorWinnipeg,all of which are on a more southerly latitude than Edmonton. Its average daily temperatures range from a low of −10.4 °C (13.3 °F) in January to a summer peak of 17.7 °C (63.9 °F) in July,with average maximum of 23.1 °C (73.6 °F) in July and minimum of −14.8 °C (5.4 °F) in January.Temperatures can exceed 30 °C (86 °F) for an average of four to five afternoons anytime from late April to mid-September and fall below −20 °C (−4 °F) for an average of 24.6 days in the winter. The highest temperature recorded in Edmonton was 37.2 °C (99.0 °F) on June 29, 1937and on July 2, 2013, a record highhumidexof 44 was recorded due to an unusually humid day with a temperature of 33.9 °C (93.0 °F) and a record highdew pointof 23 °C (73 °F).The lowest temperature ever recorded in Edmonton was −49.4 °C (−56.9 °F) on January 19 and 21, 1886.

Edmonton has a fairly dry climate, receiving 455.7 mm (17.94 in) of precipitation per year, of which 347.8 mm (13.69 in) is rain and 111.2 mm (4.38 in) is the melt from 123.5 cm (48.6 in) from snowfall.Over 75% of the average annual precipitation falls in the late spring, summer, and early autumn, with the wettest month being July, having a mean precipitation of 93.8 mm (3.69 in),and the driest months being February, March, October, November and December.Significant snowfall accumulation typically begins in late October and tapers off by late March. Dry spells are not uncommon and may occur at any time of the year. Extremes do occur, such as the 114 mm (4.49 in) of rainfall that fell on July 31, 1953.Much of the precipitation that Edmonton receives in the summer comes from late-day thunderstorms,which are frequent and occasionally severe enough to produce large hail, damaging winds, funnel clouds, and tornadoes.

The summer of 2006 was particularly warm for Edmonton, as temperatures reached 29 °C (84 °F) or higher more than 20 times from mid-May to early September. Later, the summer of 2021 saw the temperature rise above 29 °C (84 °F) on 23 days between June and August, while nearly breaking the record high temperature on June 30 with a temperature of 37.0 °C (98.6 °F).The winter of 2011–12 was particularly warm: from December 22 through March 20 there were 53 occasions when Edmonton saw temperatures at or above 0.0 °C (32.0 °F) at the City Centre Airport, and even warmer in the city proper.

A massive cluster of thunderstorms swept through Edmonton on July 11, 2004, with large hail and over 100 mm (3.9 in) of rain reported within an hour in many places.This "1-in-200 year event" flooded major intersections and underpasses and damaged both residential and commercial properties. The storm caused extensive damage to West Edmonton Mall; a small glass section of the roof collapsed under the weight of the rainwater, causing water to drain onto the mall's indoor ice rink. As a result, the mall was evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Twelve tornadoes had been recorded in Edmonton between 1890 and 1989,and eight since 1990.AnF4 tornadothat struck Edmonton on July 31, 1987, killing 27, was unusual in many respects, including severity, duration, damage, and casualties.It is commonly referred to asBlack Fridaydue both to its aberrant characteristics and the emotional shock it generated.Then-mayorLaurence Decorecited the community's response to the tornado as evidence that Edmonton was a "city of champions," which later became an unofficial slogan of the city.

Climate data for Edmonton (Edmonton City Centre Airport). Climate ID: 3012208; coordinates53°34′24″N113°31′06″W;elevation: 670.6 m (2,200 ft); 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1880–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record highhumidex	11.0	16.1	23.5	29.2	33.4	35.9	44.0	39.6	34.1	28.3	19.4	16.0	44.0
Record high °C (°F)	13.9 (57.0)	16.7 (62.1)	23.9 (75.0)	32.2 (90.0)	34.4 (93.9)	37.2 (99.0)	36.7 (98.1)	35.6 (96.1)	33.9 (93.0)	28.6 (83.5)	23.3 (73.9)	16.7 (62.1)	37.2 (99.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−5.8 (21.6)	−3.0 (26.6)	1.7 (35.1)	10.4 (50.7)	17.5 (63.5)	21.0 (69.8)	23.5 (74.3)	22.6 (72.7)	17.6 (63.7)	10.0 (50.0)	0.6 (33.1)	−4.7 (23.5)	9.3 (48.7)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−10.3 (13.5)	−7.9 (17.8)	−3.1 (26.4)	4.9 (40.8)	11.6 (52.9)	15.6 (60.1)	18.1 (64.6)	17.0 (62.6)	11.9 (53.4)	5.0 (41.0)	−3.5 (25.7)	−9.0 (15.8)	4.2 (39.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−14.7 (5.5)	−12.7 (9.1)	−7.8 (18.0)	−0.7 (30.7)	5.6 (42.1)	10.2 (50.4)	12.6 (54.7)	11.3 (52.3)	6.2 (43.2)	−0.1 (31.8)	−7.5 (18.5)	−13.2 (8.2)	−0.9 (30.4)
Record low °C (°F)	−49.4 (−56.9)	−49.4 (−56.9)	−40.0 (−40.0)	−26.1 (−15.0)	−12.2 (10.0)	−3.9 (25.0)	−1.7 (28.9)	−3.3 (26.1)	−11.7 (10.9)	−26.1 (−15.0)	−42.2 (−44.0)	−48.3 (−54.9)	−49.4 (−56.9)
Record lowwind chill	−52.8	−50.7	−44.6	−37.5	−14.5	0.0	0.0	−3.7	−13.3	−34.3	−50.2	−55.5	−55.5
Averageprecipitationmm (inches)	19.6 (0.77)	11.8 (0.46)	16.8 (0.66)	28.6 (1.13)	44.2 (1.74)	69.9 (2.75)	82.7 (3.26)	60.7 (2.39)	38.5 (1.52)	20.5 (0.81)	17.5 (0.69)	11.8 (0.46)	422.5 (16.63)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	0.9 (0.04)	0.6 (0.02)	1.9 (0.07)	15.8 (0.62)	43.9 (1.73)	69.9 (2.75)	78.2 (3.08)	66.6 (2.62)	38.4 (1.51)	11.4 (0.45)	1.3 (0.05)	0.6 (0.02)	329.3 (12.96)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	25.6 (10.1)	12.7 (5.0)	19.1 (7.5)	15.0 (5.9)	4.9 (1.9)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.1 (0.0)	0.7 (0.3)	11.0 (4.3)	19.8 (7.8)	15.1 (5.9)	123.9 (48.8)
Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm)	11.2	8.0	8.1	8.9	10.2	14.4	15.1	12.2	10.6	8.7	8.8	8.3	124.4
Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm)	1.1	0.82	1.4	6.7	11.0	14.7	15.1	12.1	10.4	6.8	1.6	0.75	82.4
Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm)	10.6	6.9	7.5	4.1	1.1	0.0	0.0	0.06	0.29	2.9	7.2	8.4	49.0
Averagerelative humidity(%)(at 1500 LST)	65.2	59.5	53.9	43.5	39.3	47.8	50.6	49.3	48.2	51.0	63.8	65.4	53.1
Mean monthlysunshine hours	100.8	121.7	176.3	244.2	279.9	285.9	307.5	282.3	192.7	170.8	98.4	84.5	2,344.8
Mean dailysunshine hours	3.3	4.3	5.7	8.1	9.0	9.5	9.9	9.1	6.4	5.5	3.3	2.7	6.4
Percentpossible sunshine	40.2	44.1	48.1	58.2	56.8	56.2	60.2	61.5	50.4	52.0	37.8	36.0	50.1
Averageultraviolet index	0.0	1.0	2.0	4.0	5.0	6.0	6.0	5.0	4.0	2.0	1.0	0.0	3.0
Source:Environment and Climate Change Canada(sun, UV 1981–2010),(July record high humidex),Extremes (1880–1943)and Weather Atlas Note: climate data was collected neardowntown Edmontonfrom July 1880 to June 1943, and at Edmonton City Centre Airport (Blatchford Field) from October 1937 to present.

Climate data forLeduc-Edmonton(Edmonton International Airport) WMO ID:71123; coordinates53°19′N113°35′W;elevation: 723.3 m (2,373 ft); 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1959–2020
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record highhumidex	9.2	12.8	23.5	30.0	33.6	37.3	44.0	38.7	33.9	28.4	20.8	14.6	44.0
Record high °C (°F)	9.9 (49.8)	13.3 (55.9)	24.2 (75.6)	30.5 (86.9)	32.8 (91.0)	34.4 (93.9)	35.0 (95.0)	35.6 (96.1)	34.9 (94.8)	29.1 (84.4)	18.8 (65.8)	15.9 (60.6)	35.6 (96.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−6.5 (20.3)	−4.1 (24.6)	0.5 (32.9)	10.1 (50.2)	17.6 (63.7)	20.7 (69.3)	23.0 (73.4)	22.4 (72.3)	17.8 (64.0)	10.0 (50.0)	0.2 (32.4)	−5.3 (22.5)	8.9 (48.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−12.3 (9.9)	−10.4 (13.3)	−5.3 (22.5)	3.5 (38.3)	10.1 (50.2)	14.1 (57.4)	16.2 (61.2)	15.1 (59.2)	10.3 (50.5)	3.4 (38.1)	−5.2 (22.6)	−11.0 (12.2)	2.4 (36.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−18.1 (−0.6)	−16.6 (2.1)	−11.2 (11.8)	−3.2 (26.2)	2.7 (36.9)	7.5 (45.5)	9.4 (48.9)	7.8 (46.0)	2.8 (37.0)	−3.3 (26.1)	−10.6 (12.9)	−16.7 (1.9)	−4.1 (24.6)
Record low °C (°F)	−48.3 (−54.9)	−43.9 (−47.0)	−42.7 (−44.9)	−28.3 (−18.9)	−11.6 (11.1)	−6.1 (21.0)	−1.0 (30.2)	−3.8 (25.2)	−9.6 (14.7)	−26.5 (−15.7)	−36.4 (−33.5)	−46.1 (−51.0)	−48.3 (−54.9)
Record lowwind chill	−61.1	−53.5	−50.7	−33.7	−16.3	−7.3	−3.9	−5.8	−14.3	−34.9	−51.5	−58.3	−61.1
Averageprecipitationmm (inches)	21.5 (0.85)	12.4 (0.49)	17.3 (0.68)	29.8 (1.17)	47.0 (1.85)	74.7 (2.94)	87.2 (3.43)	52.6 (2.07)	34.7 (1.37)	22.3 (0.88)	20.0 (0.79)	14.6 (0.57)	434.0 (17.09)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	1.1 (0.04)	0.5 (0.02)	0.8 (0.03)	14.9 (0.59)	41.6 (1.64)	75.2 (2.96)	88.0 (3.46)	53.2 (2.09)	34.5 (1.36)	12.4 (0.49)	1.5 (0.06)	0.5 (0.02)	324.1 (12.76)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	24.2 (9.5)	14.4 (5.7)	19.2 (7.6)	16.3 (6.4)	6.4 (2.5)	0.1 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.1 (0.0)	0.6 (0.2)	10.1 (4.0)	19.1 (7.5)	16.3 (6.4)	126.7 (49.9)
Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm)	10.9	8.2	9.8	8.9	11.4	14.7	16.2	12.1	10.5	10.2	10.1	9.8	132.8
Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm)	1.0	0.6	1.0	5.9	10.3	14.4	15.5	11.9	9.5	6.1	1.7	0.4	78.3
Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm)	10.7	8.5	8.5	4.4	1.8	0.04	0.0	0.04	0.29	3.4	7.7	9.3	54.7
Averagerelative humidity(%)(at 1500 LST)	69.7	66.7	62.8	46.9	40.1	49.9	54.5	51.9	48.4	52.3	67.9	70.2	56.8
Mean monthlysunshine hours	101.1	127.0	174.7	233.3	271.0	275.9	302.2	279.4	196.1	160.4	97.2	92.0	2,310.3
Percentpossible sunshine	40.1	45.9	47.6	55.7	55.1	54.4	59.3	61.0	51.3	48.7	37.3	39.0	49.6
Source:Environment and Climate Change Canada

Metropolitan area

Main article:Edmonton Metropolitan Region

Downtown Edmonton is the centre of theEdmonton Metropolitan Region.

Edmonton is at the centre of Canada's sixth-largest census metropolitan area (CMA),which includes Edmonton and 34 other municipalities in the surrounding area.Larger urban communities includeSherwood Park(anurban service areawithinStrathcona County), the cities ofSt. Albert,Beaumont,Leduc,Spruce GroveandFort Saskatchewan,and the towns ofStony Plain,Morinville,andDevon.Major employment areas outside Edmonton but within the CMA include theNisku Industrial Business Parkand theEdmonton International Airport(including a plannedinland portlogistics support facility in support of thePort Albertainitiative)in Leduc County, theAcheson Industrial AreainParkland County,Refinery Rowin Strathcona County andAlberta's Industrial Heartlandwithin portions of Fort Saskatchewan, Strathcona County andSturgeon County.Alberta's Industrial Heartland also extends beyond the CMA's northeastern boundaryintoLamont County.

The individual economic development interests and costs of service delivery in certain municipalities within the region have led to intermunicipal competition, strained intermunicipal relationships and overall fragmentation of the region. Although several attempts have been made by the City of Edmonton to absorb surrounding municipalitiesor annex portions of its neighbours,the city has not absorbed another municipality since the Town of Jasper Place joined Edmonton on August 17, 1964,and the city has not annexed land from any of its neighbours since January 1, 1982.After years of mounting pressure in the early 21st century, the Province of Alberta formed theCapital Region Board(CRB) on April 15, 2008.The CRB consists of 24member municipalities– 22 of which are within theEdmonton CMAand two of which are outside the CMA. The City of Edmonton announced in March 2013 its intent to annex 156 square kilometres of land (including the Edmonton International Airport) from Leduc County.

On November 30, 2016, the City of Edmonton and Leduc County came to an agreement on Edmonton's annexation proposal. The City of Edmonton was poised to annex 12,100 ha (121 km²;47 sq mi) of land from Leduc County and Beaumont, including the Edmonton International Airport, as a result.

On January 1, 2019, the City of Edmonton officially annexed 8,260 ha (82.6 km²;31.9 sq mi) from Leduc County and the City of Beaumont, increasing the city's area to 767.85 km²(296.47 sq mi), with discussions of anne xing an additional 2,830 ha (28.3 km²;10.9 sq mi) of Edmonton International Airport land still ongoing.

Neighbourhoods

See also:List of neighbourhoods in Edmonton

Victoria Promenade in the residential neighbourhood ofOliver.The neighbourhood borders downtown Edmonton.

Edmonton is divided into 375 neighbourhoodswithin seven geographic sectors – a mature area sector, which includes neighbourhoods that were essentially built out before 1970,and six surrounding suburban sectors.

Edmonton'sDowntownis within the city's mature area or inner city.It and the surroundingBoyle Street,Central McDougall,Cloverdale,Garneau,McCauley,Oliver,Queen Mary Park,Riverdale,Rossdale,Strathconaand University of Alberta form Edmonton's Central Core.Oliver and Garneau are the city'smost populated and most densely populatedneighbourhoods respectively. The mature area sector also contains the five formerurban municipalitiesannexed by the city over its history: Beverly, Jasper Place, North Edmonton, Strathcona and West Edmonton (Calder).

Larger residential areas within Edmonton's six suburban sectors,each comprising multiple neighbourhoods,includeHeritage Valley,Kaskitayo,Riverbend,Terwillegar HeightsandWindermere(southwest sector);The Grange,Lewis FarmsandWest Jasper Place(west sector);Big Lake(northwest sector);Castle Downs,Lake DistrictandThe Palisades(north sector);Casselman-Steele Heights,Clareview,Hermitage,LondonderryandPilot Sound(northeast sector); andEllerslie,The Meadows,Mill Woods andSoutheast Edmonton(southeast sector).Mill Woods is divided into a town centre community (Mill Woods Town Centre)and eight surrounding communities:Burnewood,Knottwood,Lakewood,Millbourne,Millhurst,Ridgewood,Southwood,andWoodvale.Each has between two and four neighbourhoods.

Houses inCrestwood,a residential neighbourhood typical of most suburban areas of Edmonton

Severaltransit-oriented developments(TOD) have begun to appear along the LRT line at Clareview, with future developments planned atBelvedere(part of the Old Town Fort Road Redevelopment Project).Another TOD, Century Park,is being constructed at the site of what was once Heritage Mall, at the southern end of the LRT line. Century Park will eventually house up to 5,000 residents.

Row housing in Blatchford

The Edmonton City Centre Airport is being redeveloped into a sustainable community of 30,000 people calledBlatchford,comprising a transit-oriented mixed use town centre, townhouses, low, medium and high rise apartments, neighbourhood retail and service uses, renewable energy, district heating and cooling, and a major park.The first residents moved into Blatchford in November 2020.

Edmonton has four major industrial districts: the Northwest Industrial District, the Northeast Industrial District, the Southeast Industrial District, and the emerging Edmonton Energy and Technology Park,which is part of Alberta's Industrial Heartland.The northwest, northeast and southeast districts each have smaller industrial areas and neighbourhoods within them.

The city has established 12business revitalization zones:124 Street and Area,Alberta Avenue,Beverly, Downtown,Chinatown and Little Italy,Fort Road and Area, Inglewood, Kingsway, North Edge, Northwest Industrial,Old Strathconaand Stony Plain Road.

Demographics

City of Edmonton
Federal census
population history

Year	Pop.	±%
1901	2,626	—
1906	11,167	+325.2%
1911	24,900	+123.0%
1916	53,846	+116.2%
1921	58,821	+9.2%
1926	65,163	+10.8%
1931	79,197	+21.5%
1936	85,774	+8.3%
1941	93,817	+9.4%
1946	113,116	+20.6%
1951	159,631	+41.1%
1956	226,002	+41.6%
1961	281,027	+24.3%
1966	376,925	+34.1%
1971	438,152	+16.2%
1976	461,361	+5.3%
1981	532,246	+15.4%
1986	573,982	+7.8%
1991	616,741	+7.4%
1996	616,306	−0.1%
2001	666,104	+8.1%
2006	730,372	+9.6%
2011	812,201	+11.2%
2016	932,546	+14.8%
2021	1,010,899	+8.4%
Source:Statistics Canada

Main article:Demographics of Edmonton

In the2021 Census of Populationconducted byStatistics Canada,the City of Edmonton had a population of 1,010,899 living in 396,404 of its 428,857 total private dwellings, a change of8.3% from its 2016 population of 933,088. With a land area of 765.61 km²(295.60 sq mi), it had a population density of1,320.4/km²(3,419.8/sq mi) in 2021.

At thecensus metropolitan area(CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Edmonton CMA had a population of1,418,118living in548,624of its589,554total private dwellings, a change of7.3% from its 2016 population of1,321,441.With a land area of 9,416.19 km²(3,635.61 sq mi), it had a population density of150.6/km²(390.1/sq mi) in 2021.

The population of the City of Edmonton according to its2019 municipal censusis 972,223,a change of8.1% from its2016 municipal censuspopulation of 899,447.After factoring in dwellings that did not respond to the municipal census, Edmonton's population is further estimated to be 992,812.Per its municipal census policy,the city's next municipal census is scheduled for 2020.

In the2016 Census of Populationconducted by Statistics Canada, the City of Edmonton had a population of 932,546 living in 360,828 of its 387,950 total private dwellings, a change of14.8% from its 2011 population of 812,201. With a land area of 685.25 km²(264.58 sq mi), it had a population density of1,360.9/km²(3,524.7/sq mi) in 2016.

The 2016 municipal census captured more detailed demographic information on residents, including age and gender, marital status, employment status, length of residency, prior residence, employment transportation mode, citizenship, school residency, economic diversity, city resource access, highest educational attainment, household language and income, as well as dwellings and properties, including ownership, structure and status.

The 2011 Census reported that 50.2 percent of the population (407,325) was female while 49.8 percent (404,875) was male. The average age of the city's population was 36.0 years while there was an average 2.5 people per household.

The Edmonton census metropolitan area (CMA) has the fifth-greatest population of CMAs in Canada and the second-greatest in Alberta, but has the largest land area in Canada. It had a population of 1,159,869 in the 2011 Census compared to its 2006 population of 1,034,945. Its five-year population change of 12.1 percent was second only to theCalgary CMAbetween 2006 and 2011. With a land area of 9,426.73 km²(3,639.68 sq mi), the Edmonton CMA had a population density of123.0/km²(318.7/sq mi) in 2011.Statistics Canada's latest estimate of the Edmonton CMA population, as of July 1, 2016, is 1,363,300

The Edmontonpopulation centreis the coreof the Edmonton CMA. This core includes the cities of Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan and St. Albert, the Sherwood Park portion of Strathcona County, and portions of Parkland County and Sturgeon County.The Edmonton population centre, the fifth-largest in Canada, had a population of 960,015 in 2011, an 11.3 percent increase over its 2006 population of 862,544.

The2021 censusreported thatimmigrants(individuals born outside Canada) comprise 324,315 persons or 32.5% of the total population of Edmonton. Of the total immigrant population, the top countries of origin were Philippines (54,850 persons or 16.9%), India (50,435 persons or 15.6%), China (21,110 persons or 6.5%), Vietnam (10,280 persons or 3.2%), United Kingdom (9,990 persons or 3.1%), Pakistan (8,895 persons or 2.7%), Hong Kong (6,985 persons or 2.2%), Poland (6,470 persons or 2.0%), United States of America (6,295 persons or 1.9%), and Somalia (5,765 persons or 1.8%).

Ethnicity

See also:Demographics of Edmonton § City of Edmonton

Pan-ethnicbreakdown of Edmonton from the2021 census

European(51.39%)

South Asian (11.54%)

Southeast Asian(9.01%)

African (7.58%)

East Asian(7.02%)

Indigenous(5.84%)

Middle Eastern(3.83%)

Latin American (1.95%)

Other(1.84%)

According to the 2016 census,55.8% of Edmonton's population were ofEuropean ethnicities,the most frequent of which included theEnglish(16.8%),Scottish(13.8%),German(13.6%),Irish(12.5%),Ukrainian(10.8%),French(9.4%), andPolish(5.1%) origins.17.4% of the population identified their ethnic origin asCanadian,counted as non-visible minority in the census. Otherethnic groups and originsincluded, among others:

• East and Southeast Asian (15.9%) (7.4% Chinese,6.2% Filipino, and1.5% Vietnamese);
• South Asian (9.5%) (7.4% Indian);
• Aboriginal (6.4% (4% First Nations and2.7% Métis);
• African (6.1%);
• Latin, Central and South American (2.3%);
• West Central Asian and Middle Eastern (4% (1.5% Lebanese)); and
• Caribbean (1.4%).

The 2016 census also reported that37.1% of Edmonton's population identified themselves asvisible minorities.The most frequent visible minorities included South Asian (9.5%), Chinese (6.3%), Black (5.9%), Filipino (5.9%), and Arab (2.6%).

Religion

Main article:Religion in Edmonton

Edmonton religious affiliation (2021)

Christianity(44.6%)

Islam(8.3%)

Sikhism(4.2%)

Hinduism(3.4%)

Buddhism(1.5%)

Judaism(0.4%)

Indigenous spirituality(0.2%)

Other religion(1.0%)

Irreligion(36.4%)

Edmonton is home to members of a number of world religions. According to the2021 Census,44.6 percent of metropolitan Edmonton residents identify asChristian.Significant religious minorities includeMuslims(8.3 percent),Sikhs(4.1 percent),Buddhists(1.5 percent),Hindus(3.4 percent),Jewish people(0.4 percent), and practitioners of traditionalAboriginalspirituality (0.2 percent). Those belonging to smaller religions account for 1.1 percent, while 36.4 percent profess no religious affiliation.

Within Christianity, major denominations include theRoman Catholic Church(44.4 percent of self-identified Christians) and theUnited Church(10.5 percent).Edmonton is home to four major cathedrals, withSt. Joseph's Basilicaseating the Roman CatholicArchdiocese of Edmonton,All Saints' Cathedralseating theAnglican Diocese of Edmonton,St. Josaphat Cathedralseating theUkrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton,andSt. John Cathedralseating theUkrainian Orthodox Eparchy of Western Canada.Additionally, members ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintsare served by theEdmonton Alberta Temple.Edmonton also hosts aMaroniteCatholicchurch.

In the 1930s, the local Muslim community began organizing to build a mosque. A local Muslim woman,Hilwie Hamdon,met with the mayor to acquire the land, and campaigned to raise $5,000 for the building. In 1938,Abdullah Yusuf Aliwas present at the opening of the newAl-Rashid Mosque,which became the firstmosqueestablished in Canada and the third in North America.In the 1980s, Muslim students at the University of Alberta found it difficult to rent prayer rooms large enough to accommodate the local population, and opened the Muslim Community of Edmonton as a mosque and outreach centre in 1992.From these beginnings, Muslims now form the city's largest religious minority, with 83,015 members (2021)representing over 62 ethnic backgroundsat over 20 Edmonton-area mosques (2019).

Edmonton's Jewish community is represented by the Jewish Federation of Edmonton, operating the historic Edmonton Jewish Cemetery, purchased in 1907. The city contains sixsynagogues.The oldest,Beth Israel,was established in 1912 and served as home of Canada's firstJewish day school.OtherAbrahamic religionsactive in Edmonton include theBaháʼí Faith,operating a Baháʼí Centre inNorwood,andDruze,with its Canadian Druze Centre located in theNorthwest Industrial District.

St. Joseph's Basilicais the only Roman Catholic basilica inWestern Canada.In 2021, 21.0 percent of residents of Edmonton identified as Catholic.

TheHinducommunity of Edmonton is served by theHindu Society of Alberta(North Indian Temple) and theMaha Ganapathy Society of Alberta(South Indian Temple).TheSikhcommunity in Edmonton is served by fourgurdwaras.Edmonton is also home to two of Alberta's fiveUnitarian Universalistcongregations – the Unitarian Church of Edmontonand the Westwood Unitarian Congregation;the other three are located in Calgary,Lethbridge,andRed Deer.

Economy

See also:Economy of Alberta

Edmonton is home to Alberta Innovates, a provincially-funded applied research and development corporation based in Edmonton'sBell Tower.

Edmonton is the major economic centre for northern and central Alberta and a major centre for theoil and gas industry.As of 2014, the estimated value of major projects within the Edmonton Metropolitan Region was $57.8-billion, of which $34.4-billion are within the oil and gas, oil sands, and pipeline sectors.

Edmonton traditionally has been a hub for Albertanpetrochemicalindustries, 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, afterSaudi Arabia.

Much of the growth in technology sectors is due to Edmonton's reputation as one of Canada's premier research and education centres. Research initiatives are anchored by educational institutions such as the University of Alberta (U of A) as well as government initiatives underway at Alberta Innovates and Edmonton Research Park. The U of A campus is home to theNational Institute for Nanotechnology.

View of Edmonton'scentral business districtin 2018

During the 1970s and 1980s, Edmonton became a major financial centre, with both regional offices of Canada's major banks and locally based institutions opening.However, the turmoil of the late-1980s economy radically changed the situation. Locally based operations such as Principal Trust andCanadian Commercial Bankwould fail, and some regional offices were moved to other cities. The 1990s saw a solidification of the economy, and Edmonton is now home toCanadian Western Bank,the only publicly traded Schedule I chartered bank headquarters west of Toronto.Other major financial institutions includeAlberta Investment Management Corporation(AIMCo),ATB Financial,Servus Credit Union(formerly Capital City Savings),TD Canada TrustandManulife Financial.

Edmonton has been the birthplace of several companies that have grown to international stature.The local retail market has also seen the creation of many successful store concepts, such asThe Brick,Katz Group,AutoCanada,Boston Pizza,Pizza 73,Liquor Stores GP (which includes Liquor Depot, Liquor Barn, OK Liquor, and Grapes & Grains), Planet Organic,Shaw Communications,Empire Design, Running Room,Booster Juice,Earl's,Fountain TireandXS Cargo.

Edmonton's geographical location 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 ofPrince Rupert, British Columbia.In early 2020, CN Rail announced that it was closing its Montreal control centre and would eventually close its Vancouver control centre as well, with a goal to consolidate all of its control operations into Edmonton.

Retail

West Edmonton Mallis the second-largest shopping mallin theAmericas.

Edmonton is home to several shopping malls and the second largest mall in North America, West Edmonton Mall, which is also considered to be the 10th largest mall in the world.Other mentionable malls includeBonnie Doon Shopping Centre,Edmonton City Centre(a combination of the former Edmonton Centre andEaton Centremalls),Southgate Centre,Kingsway Mall,Northgate Centre,Riverview Crossing,Londonderry Mall,and Mill Woods Town Centre.

Edmonton also has manybig boxshopping centres andpower centres.Some of the major ones includeSouth Edmonton Common(one of North America's largest open air retail developments),RioCan Mayfield, Westpoint Centre, Skyview Centre, Terra Losa Centre, Unity Square, SouthPark Centre, The Meadows, Christy's Corner, Currents of Windermere, and Manning Village.

In contrast to suburban centres, Edmonton has many urban retail locations. The largest of them all, Old Strathcona, includes many independent stores between 99 Street and 109 Street, on Whyte Avenue and in the surrounding area.Old Strathcona also houses the city's largest indoor farmer's market with over 130 vendors selling local and regional produce, meat, crafts, and clothing year-round.In and around Downtown Edmonton, there are a few shopping districts, including the Edmonton City Centre mall, Jasper Avenue, and 104 Street. Near Oliver, 124 Street is home to a significant number of retail stores. Edmonton is the Canadian testing ground for many American retailers, such asBath & Body WorksandCalvin Klein.

Arts and culture

See also:List of attractions and landmarks in Edmonton

Many events are anchored in the downtown Arts District aroundChurchill Square(named in honour of SirWinston Churchill). On the south side of the river, the university district and Whyte Avenue contain theatres, concert halls, and various live music venues. The centrepiece of the square builds a life-size bronze statue of Churchill, unveiled byLady Soameson May 24, 1989. It is a copy of a statue byOscar Nemon.

Performing arts

Francis Winspear Centre for Musicis aperforming arts centrein downtown Edmonton. The centre is home to theEdmonton Symphony Orchestra.

TheFrancis Winspear Centre for Musicopened in 1997 after years of planning and fundraising.Described as one of the most acoustically perfect concert halls in Canada, it is home to theEdmonton Symphony Orchestraand hosts a wide variety of shows every year. It seats 1,932 patrons and houses the $3-million Davis Concert Organ, the largestconcert organin Canada.Across 102 Avenue is theCitadel Theatre,named afterThe Salvation ArmyCitadel in whichJoe Shoctorfirst 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.In 2015 the Citadel Theatre also became home toCatalyst Theatre.On the University of Alberta grounds is the 2,534-seatNorthern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium,which had over a year of heavy renovations as part of the province's 2005 centennial celebrations. Both it and itssouthern twinin Calgary were constructed in 1955 for the province's golden jubilee and have hosted many concerts, musicals, and ballets. On the front of the building is a quote fromSuetonius'Life of Augustus:"He found a city built of brick – left it built of marble."

The Old Strathcona neighbourhood is home to the Theatre District, which holds the ATB Financial Arts Barns (headquarters of theEdmonton International Fringe Festival),The Walterdale Playhouse,and theVarscona Theatre(base of operations for several theatre companies, including Teatro la Quindicina,Shadow Theatre,Die-Nasty,Plane Jane Theatre, and Grindstone Theatre!). TheUkrainian Dnipro Ensemble of Edmonton,along with other Ukrainian choirs such as theUkrainian Male Chorus of Edmonton,helps preserve theUkrainian musical culturewithin the parameters of the Canadian multicultural identity in Edmonton.

Festivals

Main article:List of festivals in Edmonton

Edmonton hosts several largefestivalseach year, contributing to its nickname, "Canada's Festival City".Downtown Edmonton's Churchill Square host numerous festivals each summer.The Works Art & Design Festival,which takes place from late June to early July, showcases Canadian and international art and design from well-known award-winning artists as well as emerging and student artists. TheEdmonton International Street Performer's Festivaltakes place in mid-July and is the biggest of its kind in North America.TheTD Edmonton International Jazz Festivaltakes place in late June and, along with Montreal, were the first jazz festivals in Canada.

TheEdmonton Folk Music Festival.Edmonton plays host to several large festivals each year.

Edmonton's main summer festival isK-Days,formerly Klondike Days, Capital Ex and originally the Edmonton Exhibition.Founded in 1879, the Edmonton Exhibition was originally an annual fair and exhibition that eventually adopted a gold rush theme, becoming Klondike Days in the 1960s.Northlands,the operators, renamed the festival "Edmonton's Capital Ex" or "Capital Ex" in 2006.In 2012 Edmonton Northlands conducted a poll to rename the festival that resulted in changing the name to "K-Days".TheCanadian Finals Rodeowas held in Edmonton from 1974 to 2017, but moved to Red Deer in 2018 due to the closure of the Coliseum.

The Edmonton International Fringe Festival, held in mid-August, is the largest fringe theatre festival in North America.Also in August Edmonton hosts theEdmonton Folk Music Festival,the fourth major folk festival in Canada.Other summer festivals in and around Edmonton include the Edmonton Heritage Festival, Taste of Edmonton, theEdmonton Pride Festival,Chaos Alberta Festival,Interstellar Rodeo,Big Valley Jamboree, Pigeon Lake Music Festival, Edmonton Rockfest, Edmonton International Reggae Jamboree Festival, Edmonton Blues Festival andCariwest.Edmonton also hosts a number of winter festivals, one of the oldest being the Silver Skate Festival.Others are Flying Canoe Volant,Ice on Whyte and the Ice Magic Festival.

Music

Further information:List of musicians from Edmonton

In the city's early days, music was performed in churches and community halls. Edmonton has a history of opera and classical music performance; both have been supported by a variety of clubs and associations. Edmonton's first major radio station,CKUA,began broadcasting music in 1927.The city is a centre for music instruction; the University of Alberta began its music department in 1945, and MacEwan University opened a jazz and musical theatre program in 1980. Festivals of jazz, folk, and classical music are popular entertainment events in the city.Edmonton is also hosts theGrand North American Old Time Fiddle Championshipeach summer in July, which showcases some of the best fiddlers in Canada, the United States, and Scotland.

The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra has existed under various incarnations since 1913. In 1952 the Edmonton Philharmonic and the Edmonton Pops orchestras amalgamated to form the 60-member modern version. The Orchestra performs at the Francis Winspear Centre for Music.

The city also has a vibrant popular music scene, across genres including hip-hop, reggae, R&B, rock, pop, metal, punk, country and electronic. Notable past and present local musicians includeRobert Goulet,Tommy Banks,Eleanor Collins,Stu Davis,Tim Feehan,Cadence Weapon,Kreesha Turner,the Smalls,SNFU,Social Code,Stereos,Ten Second Epic,Tupelo Honey,Mac DeMarco,Shout Out Out Out Out,Psyche,Purity Ring,The Wet Secrets,Nuela Charles,Celeigh Cardinal,andRuth B.

Nightlife

Opened in 1915, thePrincess Theatreis the oldestcinemain the city.

There are several key areas of nightlife in Edmonton. The most popular is theWhyte Avenue(82 Avenue) strip, between 109 Street and 99 Street; it has the highest number of heritage buildings in Edmonton,and bars, clubs, and restaurants throughout, but mostly west ofGateway Boulevard(103 Street). Once the heart of the town of Strathcona (annexed by Edmonton on February 1, 1912), it fell into disrepair during the middle of the 20th century.Beginning in the 1970s, a coordinated effort to revive the area through a business revitalization zone produced an area rich with restored historical buildings and pleasant streetscapes.Its proximity to theUniversity of Albertahas led to a high number of restaurants, pubs, trendy clubs, and retail and specialty shops. This area also has two independent movie theatres, theGarneauandPrincess,as well as several live theatre, music, and comedy venues.

Downtown Edmonton has undergone a continual process of renewal and growth since the mid-1990s. Many buildings were demolished during the oil boom, starting in the 1960s and continuing into the 1980s, to make way for office towers. There have always been numerous pub-type establishments, hotel lounges, and restaurants. The past decade has seen a strong resurgence in more mainstream venues. Edmonton also has a high demand for pub crawl tours in the city. Various clubs are found along Edmonton's main street, Jasper Avenue. The Edmonton City Centre mall also houses aLandmark Cinemasmovie theatre with nine screens. The nonprofitMetro Cinemashows a variety of alternative or otherwise unreleased films every week.

West Edmonton Mall holds several after-hour establishments in addition to its many stores and attractions. Bourbon Street has numerous eating establishments; clubs and casinos can also be found within the complex. Scotiabank Theatre (formerly known as Silver City), at the west end of the mall, is a theatre with 12 screens and anIMAX.

Attractions

Edmonton is known for its natural scenery, food, history and facilities. It is home to Fort Edmonton Park, Canada's largest living history museum, and West Edmonton Mall, North America's largest shopping mall. Other notable attractions include the Royal Alberta Museum, the Muttart Conservatory, Alberta Legislature Building, Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton Valley Zoo, Alberta Railway Museum, and many other natural and man-made attractions.

Parkland and environment

See also:North Saskatchewan River valley parks system

Edmonton River Valley and Dawson Bridge

Edmonton's river valley constitutes the longest stretch of connected urban parkland in North America, and Edmonton has the highest amount of parkland per capita of any Canadian city; the river valley is 22 times larger than New York City'sCentral Park.The river valley is home to various parks ranging from fully serviced urban parks to campsite-like facilities with few amenities. This main "Ribbon of Green" is supplemented by tributary creeks and ravines, particularly the Whitemud Creek, Blackmud Creek, and Mill Creek Ravine. There are also numerous neighbourhood parks located throughout the city, to give a total of 111 km²(27,400 acres) of parkland.Within the 7,400 ha (18,000 acres), 25 km (16 mi)-long river valley park system, there are 11 lakes, 14 ravines, and 22 major parks, and most of the city has accessible bike and walking trail connections.These trails are also part of the 235 km (146 mi)Waskahegan walking trail.The City of Edmonton has named five parks in its River Valley Parks System in honour of each of "The Famous Five".

A trail in theNorth Saskatchewan River valley parks system

Edmonton's streets and parklands also contain one of the largest remaining concentrations of healthyAmerican elmtrees in the world, unaffected byDutch elm disease,which has wiped out vast numbers of such trees in eastern North America.Jack pine,lodgepole pine,white spruce,white birch,aspen,mountain ash,Amur maple,Russian olive,green ash,basswood,variouspoplarsandwillows,flowering crabapple,Mayday treeandManitoba mapleare also abundant;bur oak,silver maple,hawthornandOhio buckeyeare increasingly popular. Other introduced tree species includewhite ash,blue spruce,Norway maple,red oak,sugar maple,common horse-chestnut,McIntosh apple,andEvans cherry.Three walnut species—butternut,Manchurian walnut,andblack walnut—have survived in Edmonton.

Severalgolf courses,both public and private, are also located in the river valley; the long summer daylight hours of this northern city provide for extended play from early morning well into the evening.Golf courses and the park system become a winter recreation area during this season, and cross-country skiing and skating are popular during the long winter. Fourdownhillski slopes are located in the river valley as well, two within the city and two immediately outside.

Entry to Larch Sanctuary

TheEdmonton & Area Land Trust(EALT) is a charity focused on conserving natural areas in Edmonton and surrounding municipalities. Its first project in Edmonton was conserving Larch Sanctuary,via a 0.24 km²(59 acres)conservation easementwith the city, straddling Whitemud Creek south of 23rd Avenue, and containing the onlyoxbow lakein the city. EALT works with many organizations in Edmonton, and is working to conserve the 0.94 km²(233 acres) of forest and farmlandin a loop of the river in northeast Edmonton.

A variety of volunteer opportunities exist for citizens to participate in the stewardship of Edmonton's parkland and river valley. Volunteer programs include River Valley Clean-up, Root for Trees, and Partner in Parks.River Valley Clean-up engages volunteers to pick up hundreds of bags of litter each year.

Museums and galleries

Interior entrance lobby to the new Royal Alberta Museum

There are many museums in Edmonton of various sizes.The largest is theRoyal Alberta Museum(RAM), which was formerly known as the Provincial Museum of Alberta until it was renamed in honour ofQueen Elizabeth II's 2005 Alberta centennial visit. The RAM houses over 10 million objects in its collection and showcases the culture and practices of the diverse aboriginal tribes of the region. In 2018, the building relocated from its location inGlenorato a new building in downtown on 103A Avenue and 97 Street. The museum held a grand opening event and gave out 40,000 free tickets for its first few days of operation.

TheTelus World of Scienceis located in theWoodcroftneighbourhood northwest of the city centre. It opened in 1984 and has since been expanded several times. It contains five permanent galleries, one additional gallery for temporary exhibits, an IMAX theatre, aplanetarium,anobservatory,and anamateur radio station.TheEdmonton Valley Zoois in the river valley to the southwest of the city centre.

TheAlberta Aviation Museum,located in a hangar at the City Centre Airport, was built for theBritish Commonwealth Air Training Plan.Its collection includes both civilian and militaryaircraft,the largest of which are aBoeing 737and twoCF-101 Voodoos.It also has one of only threeBOMARCmissiles in Canada.

Fort Edmonton Parkis Canada's largestliving museumby area.

ThePrince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centreis home to theLoyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum.The museum is dedicated to preserving the military heritage and the sacrifices made by the people of Edmonton and Alberta in general. The museum features two galleries and several smaller exhibits. The collection includes historic firearms, uniforms, souvenirs, memorabilia, military accoutrements, as well as a large photographic and archival collection spanning the pre-World War One period to the present. The museum features an exhibit on the role of the49th Battalion, CEFin Canada'sHundred Days Offensive.

TheTelephone Historical Centreis a telephone museum also located in the Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre. In addition to a collection of artifacts tracing the history of the telephone, the museum has its own theatre featuring a brief film led by the robot Xeldon.As of April 2019, the museum is permanently closed.

TheAlberta Railway Museumis located in the rural northeast portion of the city. It contains a variety oflocomotivesandrailroad carsfrom different periods, and includes a workingsteam locomotive.Since most of its exhibits are outdoors, it is only open betweenVictoria DayandLabour Day.

TheArt Gallery of Albertais Edmonton's largestart gallery.

Fort Edmonton Park, Canada's largest living history museum, is located in the river valley southwest of the city centre. Edmonton's heritage is displayed through historical buildings (many of which are originals moved to the park),costumed historical interpreters,and authentic artifacts. In total, it covers the region's history from approximately 1795 to 1929 (represented by Fort Edmonton), followed chronologically by 1885, 1905, and 1920 streets, and a recreation of a 1920smidway.A steam train, streetcars, automobiles and horse-drawn vehicles may be seen in operation (and utilized by the public) around the park. The John Walter Museum and Historical Area (c. 1875 to 1901) is on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.The University of Alberta operates its own internal Museums and Collections service.

TheArt Gallery of Alberta(AGA) is the city's largest single gallery. Formerly housed in an iconic 1970sBrutalistbuilding designed by Don Bittorf,the AGA collection had over 5,000 pieces of art. The former AGA building was demolished in July 2007 to make way for construction of a new facility designed byRandall Stout.It was estimated to cost over $88-million and the amount thatEdmonton City Councildonated towards its construction was met with some controversy. The AGA officially opened on January 31, 2010.Commercial art galleries can be found throughout the city, especially along the 124 Street/Jasper Avenue corridor, known as the "gallery walk".

Edmonton is home to four artist-run centres all located in the downtown coreHarcourt House,Latitude 53,Ociciwan Contemporary Art CollectiveandSociety of Northern Alberta Print-Artists(SNAP). The University of Alberta and MacEwan University also have galleries: the Fine Arts Building Galleryand the Mitchell Art Gallery,respectively. The University of Alberta Museums and Collections also has 17 million objects, 29 registered museum collections and occasional exhibitions.

Sports and recreation

Main article:Sport in Edmonton

Edmonton has a number of professional sports teams,including theEdmonton Elks,formerly referred to as the Edmonton Eskimos and, for a brief period, the Edmonton Football Team, of theCanadian Football League,Edmonton Oilersof theNational Hockey LeagueandEdmonton Stingersof theCanadian Elite Basketball League.Edmonton is the only city home to two teams in the semi-professionalNational Ringette League:theEdmonton WAM!and Edmonton Black Gold Rush. The city also hosts an amateur women's football team, theEdmonton Stormof theWestern Women's Canadian Football League.Junior sports clubs include theEdmonton HuskiesandEdmonton Wildcatsof theCanadian Junior Football League,theEdmonton Oil Kingsof theWestern Hockey League,and theEdmonton Riverhawksof theWest Coast League.Venues for Edmonton's professional and junior sports teams includeCommonwealth Stadium(Edmonton Elks),Argyll Velodrome,Rogers Place(Oilers and Oil Kings),RE/MAX Field(Riverhawks), theEdmonton Expo Centre(Stingers), andClarke Stadium(Huskies, Wildcats, and Storm).

Rogers Placeis a multi-use indoor arena, and the present home arena for theNHL'sEdmonton Oilers.

Edmonton's teams have rivalries with Calgary's teams and games between Edmonton and Calgary teams are often referred to as theBattle of Alberta.

Past notable hockey teams in Edmonton include: the original junior hockey incarnation of theEdmonton Oil Kings,with multiple league and nationalMemorial Cupchampionships playing in the Western Hockey League; theEdmonton Flyers,with multipleLester Patrick Cupsand one nationalAllan Cup,and; theEdmonton Roadrunnersof theAmerican Hockey League.Other past notable sports teams include; theEdmonton Grads,a women's basketball team with 108 local, provincial, national, and international titles and the world champions for 17 years in a row; theEdmonton Trappers,aTriple-Alevel baseball team with multiple division and league titles in thePacific Coast League,and; theEdmonton Rush,abox lacrosseteam with oneleaguechampionship.

Local university-level sports teams include the U of AGolden Bears,the U of APandas,theNAIT Ooks,and theMacEwan Griffins.Local amateur teams, among others, include theEdmonton Goldof theRugby Canada Super Leagueand two flat trackroller derbyleagues: Oil City Roller Derbyand E-Ville Roller Derby.

TheCastrol Racewayhosts regularsprint carand a nationalInternational Hot Rod Association(IHRA) events at their facility next to Edmonton International Airport.The airport also hosts horse racing at theCentury Mile Racetrack and Casino.TheEdmonton International Raceway,which hostsNASCAR Pinty's Seriesraces, is located about 50 km (31 mi) to the south nearWetaskiwin.

Commonwealth Stadiumis an open-airmulti-purpose stadium.Opened in 1978 for the1978 Commonwealth Games,the facility is also used as the home stadium forCFL'sEdmonton Elks.

From 2005 to 2012, Edmonton hosted an annual circuit on theIndy Racing Leagueknown as theEdmonton Indy.Other past sporting events hosted by Edmonton include:

• 1978 Commonwealth Games
• 1981U-18 Women's Softball World Cup,and 1981U-18 Men's Softball World Cup
• 1983 World University Games(Universiade)
• 1981 and 1985Intercontinental Cup
• 1990 Baseball World Cup
• 1990North American Indigenous Games
• 1996 World Figure Skating Championships
• 1999 World Taekwondo Championships
• 2001 World Championships in Athletics
• 2002 World Ringette Championships
• 2005World Masters Games
• 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup
• 2002and2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
• 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
• 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
• 2004and2012 Women's Baseball World Cup
• CNCanadian Women's Open
• 1995 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships(co-hosted with Red Deer and Calgary),2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships(co-hosted with Calgary),2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships(co-host with Red Deer)
• 2007 World Men's Curling Championshipand2017 World Men's Curling Championship
• 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
• 2022 World Dodgeball Championships

Despite submitting a bid, Edmonton was not selected as a host city for the2026 FIFA World Cup.

Professional sports teams

Club	Type	League	Venue	Established	Championships
Edmonton Elks	Canadian football	Canadian Football League	Commonwealth Stadium	1949	14
Edmonton Oilers	Ice hockey	National Hockey League	Rogers Place	1972	5
Edmonton Stingers	Basketball	Canadian Elite Basketball League	Edmonton Expo Centre	2018	2

Amateur and junior clubs

Club	Type	League	Venue	Established	Championships
Edmonton Huskies	Canadian football	Canadian Junior Football League	Clarke Stadium	1947	5
Edmonton Wildcats	Canadian football	Canadian Junior Football League	Clarke Stadium	1948	3
Edmonton Storm	Canadian football	Western Women's Canadian Football League	Clarke Stadium	2004	0
Edmonton Prospects	Baseball	Western Canadian Baseball League	Centennial Park Field, Sherwood Park	2005	0
Edmonton Riverhawks	Baseball	West Coast League	RE/MAX Field	2020	0
Edmonton Oil Kings	Ice hockey	Western Hockey League	Rogers Place	2007	3

Government

City council

Edmonton City Hall

The Edmonton City Council consists of a mayor and twelve councillors serving four-year terms. Each councillor is elected in a ward (electoral district); the mayor is elected at-large throughfirst-past-the-post voting.The elections are non-partisan. Council has the responsibility of approving the city's budget, and develops laws and policies intended to promote the health and safety of Edmonton residents. The council passes all legislation related to the city's police, firefighting, parks, and libraries, as well as its utilities – electricity, water supply, solid waste handling, and drainage.

On July 22, 2009, City Council adopted an electoral system that divides Edmonton into 12 wards, instead of the previous system where two councillors were elected in each of six wards. As of 2010, each ward would elect one councillor by first-past-the-post voting. This system came into effect with thefollowing electionin October 2010.Themost recent electionwas held in October 2021, and elected members to a four-year term.

On December 7, 2020, a bylaw approving new ward boundaries and Indigenous ward names was passed by city council.

Provincial politics

Edmonton is home to theAlberta Legislature Building,the meeting place for theLegislative Assembly of Alberta.

Edmonton is the capital of the province of Alberta and holds all main provincial areas of government such as theAlberta Legislature.The Edmonton Metropolitan Region is represented by 20MLAs,one for eachprovincial electoral district.Many of these boundaries have been changed, adjusted and renamed while the city has grown.In the current31st Alberta Legislatureall of Edmonton's districts are represented by members from the OppositionAlberta New Democratic Party.One of the MLAs,Rachel Notley,is theLeader of the Oppositionand was the17th premier of Albertafrom 2015 to 2019.

Edmonton provincial election results

Year		United Cons.		New Democratic
	2019	35%	140,672	53%	213,546
	2023	34%	127,773	63%	232,879

Federal politics

Edmonton is represented by nine Members of Parliament (MP), with one being elected to represent each of its federal electoral districts.In the43rd Canadian Parliament,which was in session from late 2019 to late 2021, eight MPs were members of theConservative Party of Canada,while the remaining MP was part of theNew Democratic Party.After the2019 federal election,Edmonton lacked elected representation in the federal government for the first time since 1980.Compared to the rest of Alberta, Edmonton tends to vote for more left of centre leaning parties. However, due to vote splitting, the Conservative Party dominates Edmonton, withEdmonton Strathconathe only electoral district not to have voted Conservative in the 2019 federal election. However, this changed in the2021 federal electionwith the NDP also flipping the seat ofEdmonton Griesbachalongside holding Edmonton Strathcona and the Liberals retaking the riding ofEdmonton Centre.

Edmonton federal election results

Year		Liberal		Conservative		New Democratic		Green
	2021	23%	94,886	39%	160,938	32%	133,984	0%	1,933
	2019	23%	100,759	52%	231,813	21%	92,733	2%	10,264

Fire department

Edmonton Fire Rescue Services Headquarters, Administration Offices, & Number 1 Station

Edmonton Fire Rescue,established in 1892, is a full-time professional firefighting department which provides a variety of services in Edmonton and the surrounding region.Some of the service's major tasks include fire suppression, assistance in medical emergencies, watercraft rescues on the North Saskatchewan River, and emergencies which involve hazardous materials.Edmonton Fire Rescue is one of nine Canadian fire departments which are accredited by the Centre for Public Safety Excellence.

Policing

The city's police force, theEdmonton Police Service,was founded in 1892, and had approximately 1,400 officers in 2012.

Military

Canadian Forces Base Edmontonis home to1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group(1 CMBG), theRegular Forcearmy brigade group of3rd Canadian Divisionof theCanadian Army.Units in 1 CMBG includeLord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians),1 Combat Engineer Regiment,two of the three battalions ofPrincess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry,and various headquarters, service, and support elements. Although not part of 1 CMBG,408 Tactical Helicopter Squadronand1 Field Ambulanceare located with the brigade group. All of these units are located at Lancaster Park, immediately north of the city. From 1943, as CFB Namao (now CFB Edmonton/Edmonton Garrison), it was a major air force base.In 1996, all fixed-wing aviation units were transferred toCFB Cold Lake.

The Canadian Parachute Centre was located in the city until 1996, when it was moved toCFB Trenton,Ontario, and renamed theCanadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre.The move of 1 CMBG and component units from Calgary occurred in 1996 in what was described as a cost-saving measure.The brigade had existed in Calgary since the 1950s, and Lord Strathcona's Horse had traditionally been a Calgary garrison unit dating back to before World War I.

Edmonton also has a large armyreserveelement from41 Canadian Brigade Group(41 CBG), includingThe Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4th Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry);41 Combat Engineer Regiment;HQ Battery,20th Field Artillery Regiment;and B Squadron ofThe South Alberta Light Horse,one of Alberta's oldest army reserve units. Despite being far from Canada's coasts, Edmonton is also the home ofHMCSNonsuch,a naval reserve division. There are numerouscadetcorpsof the different elements (naval,armyandair force) within Edmonton as well.

Crime

Edmonton experienced a decrease in crime in the 1990s, an increase in the early 2000s,and another downturn at the end of the decade.

Edmonton Police Service vehicle at Downtown Headquarters

The Edmonton census metropolitan area (CMA) had a crime severity index of 84.5 in 2013, which is higher than the national average of 68.7.Its crime severity index was the fifth-highest among CMAs in Canada behind Regina, Saskatoon, Kelowna and Vancouver.In 2011, the city set a record for the most homicides in a year with 53 murders, giving the city a homicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people.Edmonton had the fourth-most homicides in 2013 with 27, a 49% decrease from 2011. However, in 2017, Edmonton hit another peak in homicides with a slightly lower total of 49, giving a homicide rate of 5.2 per 100,000.There were 165 shootings reported in 2022.

Noteworthy events that have occurred in Edmonton include the 1965Edmonton aircraft bombing,the 2011murder of Johnny Altinger,the 2012University of Alberta shooting,the 2014Edmonton shooting,and the2017 Edmonton attack.Over $100,000 of property damage to Edmonton City Hall occurred in a shooting and firebombs attack on 23 January 2024, where no one was injured.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Main article:Transportation in Edmonton

Control tower forEdmonton International Airport.Theinternational airportis the primary air passenger and air cargo facility for the Edmonton Metropolitan Region.

Aviation

See also:List of airports in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region

Edmonton is a major air transportation gateway to northern Alberta and northern Canada.The Edmonton International Airport (EIA) is the main airport serving the city.

The airport provides passenger service to destinations in the United States, Europe, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The airport is located within Leduc County, adjacent to the City of Leduc and the Nisku Industrial Business Park. With direct air distances from Edmonton to places such asLondonin United Kingdom being shorter than to other main airports in western North America,Edmonton Airports is working to establish a major container shipping hub called Port Alberta.

Rail

Edmonton serves as a majortransportation hubforCanadian National Railway,whose North American operations management centre is located at their Edmonton offices. It is also tied into theCanadian Pacific Kansas Citynetwork, which provides service from Calgary to the south and extends northeast of Edmonton to serve Alberta's Industrial Heartland.

Inter-city railpassenger rail service is provided byVia Rail's premier train, theCanadian,as it travels between Vancouver, British Columbia, andToronto,Ontario. Passenger trains stop at theEdmonton railway stationtwo days a week in both directions. The train connects Edmonton to multiple stops in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario.

Public transit

Main article:Edmonton Transit Service

An ETS bus at theStadium Stationtransit centre

TheEdmonton Transit Service(ETS) is the city's public transit agency, operating theEdmonton Light Rail Transit(LRT) network as well as a fleet of buses.In 2017, ETS served approximately 86,997,466 people; the bus system saw 62,377,183 riders, while the LRT network served 24,620,283 passengers.

From the 1990s to early 2009, Edmonton was one of two cities in Canada still operatingtrolley buses,along withVancouver.On June 18, 2008, City Council decided to abandon theEdmonton trolley bus systemand the last trolley bus ran on May 2, 2009.

Scheduled LRT service began on April 23, 1978, with nine extensions of the network completed since.The original Edmonton line is considered to be the first "modern"light railline (i.e., built from scratch, rather than being an upgrade of an old system) in North America to be constructed in a city with a population of under one million people.It introduced the use of German-designed rolling stock that subsequently became the standard light rail vehicle of the United States.The Edmonton "proof-of-payment"fare collection system adopted in 1980 – modelled after European ticket systems – became the North American transit industry's preferred approach for subsequent light rail projects.The four-year South LRT extension was opened in full on April 24, 2010, which sees trains travelling toCentury Park(located at 23 Avenue and 111 Street), making stops atSouth CampusandSouthgate Centrealong the way.A line to the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in north-central Edmonton using the same high-floor technology of the existing system opened September 6, 2015. The southeast leg of theValley Line,which starts in Mill Woods and ends in the downtown core, opened on November 4, 2023, after experiencing significant delays.Construction on the second and final phase of the Valley Line, which will extend the line west to Lewis Farms, commenced in 2021.Unlike the Capital and Metro lines, trains on the Valley Line use low-floor technology.

Edmonton is a member of theEdmonton Metropolitan Transit Services Commission,which will begin service in mid-2022.The Edmonton Metropolitan Transit Services Commission is scheduled to be disestablished May 31, 2023, as a result of Edmonton's withdrawal.

Roads and highways

Anthony Henday Drivein Edmonton. The freeway is the mainring roadfor the city.

A largely gridded system forms most of Edmonton's street and road network.The address system is mostly numbered, with streets running south to north and avenues running east to west. In built-up areas built since the 1950s, local streets and major roadways generally do not conform to the grid system. Major roadways includeKingsway,Yellowhead Trail(Highway 16),Whitemud DriveandAnthony Henday Drive.

The major roads connecting to other communities elsewhere in Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan are theYellowhead Highwayto the west and east andHighway 2(Queen Elizabeth IIHighway) to the south.

Trail system

Edmonton maintains over 160 km (99 mi) of multi-use trails; however, most of this is within the river valley parkland system.

Electricity and water

Edmonton's first power company established itself in 1891 and installed streetlights 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 asEPCOR.Also in charge ofwater treatment,in 2002 EPCOR installed the world's largestultraviolet (UV) water treatment(ultraviolet disinfection) system at its E. L. Smith Water Treatment Plant.

Waste disposal

TheEdmonton Composting Facilitywas the largest co-compostingfacility in North America by volume and capacity.

Edmonton deliverssource-separated organicswaste collection to all single-unit, and some multi-unit homes.The city collects four streams of waste under this program: Garbage in black bins, organic waste in green bins, recycling in blue bags, and yard waste in large brown paper bags or clear plastic bags (four times per year).The rollout of the source-separated organics program began in March 2021, and was completed on September 3, 2021.During this period, Edmonton delivered approximately 10,000 new carts every week to a total of approximately 250,000 homes.City employees collect waste from half of these homes, and collection from the other homes is contracted to a private company.

Ananaerobic digesterbegan service in April 2021, and has the capacity to process 40,000 tonnes of organic waste annually.This facility produces high-quality compost and generates renewable heat and electricity.Edmonton signed contracts for private partners to process the remaining 28,000 tonnes of organic waste generated annually.In spring 2021, the city started selling compost produced at this facility.

The city will roll-out the new waste collection service to the remaining multi-unit households which receive curbside service, but were not included in the initial transition, in 2023.Meanwhile, the city has stopped offering curbside waste collection from commercial businesses, and has not yet said whether businesses will eventually be required to separate their organic waste.The rollout of the new waste collection system follows a successful two-year pilot program which began service in 2019, and included 8,000 households in 12 neighbourhoods.

TheEdmonton Composting Facilitywas the largest of its type in the world, and the largeststainless steelbuilding in North America.Among the innovative uses for the city's waste included aChristmas treerecycling program. The trees were collected each January and put through awoodchipper;this material was used as an addition to thecompostingprocess. In addition, the wood chips absorbed much of the odour produced by the compost by providing abiofilterelement to trap odour causing gaseous results of the process.The composting facility was permanently shut down in 2019 after an inspection found that the structural integrity of its roof was compromised.

Together, the Waste Management Centre and Wastewater Treatment plant are known as the Edmonton Waste Management Centre of Excellence. Research partners include the University of Alberta, the Alberta Research Council, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, andOlds College.

Health care

There are four main hospitals serving Edmonton:University of Alberta Hospital,Royal Alexandra Hospital,Misericordia Community Hospital,andGrey Nuns Community Hospital.Other area hospitals includeSturgeon Community Hospitalin St. Albert,Leduc Community Hospitalin Leduc,WestView Health Centrein Stony Plain, andFort Saskatchewan Community Hospitalin Fort Saskatchewan. Dedicated psychiatric care is provided at theAlberta Hospital.TheNortheast Community Health Centreoffers a 24-hour emergency room with no inpatient ward services. The University of Alberta Hospital is the centre of a larger complex of hospitals and clinics located adjacent to the university campus which comprises theStollery Children's Hospital,Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, Cross Cancer Institute, Zeidler Gastrointestinal Health Centre, Ledcor Clinical Training Centre, and Edmonton Clinic. Several health research institutes, including the Heritage Medical Research Centre, Medical Sciences Building, Katz Group Centre for Pharmacy and Health Research, and Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation, are also located at this site. A similar set-up is also evident at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, which is connected to the Lois Hole Hospital for Women and Orthopaedic Surgery Centre. All hospitals are under the administration ofAlberta Health Services,the single provincial health authority that plans and delivers health services to Albertans, on behalf of theMinistry of Health.The Misericordia and Grey Nuns are run separately by Covenant Health.

Education

Headquarters ofEdmonton Public Schools,one of three publicly fundedschool districtsin the city

Primary and secondary

Edmonton has three publicly funded school boards (districts) that provide kindergarten and grades 1–12. The vast majority of students attend schools in the two large English-language boards:Edmonton Public Schools,and the separateEdmonton Catholic School District.Since 1994, theFrancophoneminority community has had their own school board based in Edmonton, theGreater North Central Francophone Education Region No. 2,which includes surrounding communities. The city also has a number of publiccharter schoolsthat are independent of any board. All three school boards and public charter schools are funded through provincial grants andproperty taxes.

Some private schools exist as well, including Edmonton Academy,Progressive AcademyandTempo School.

Edmonton Public Schools is known for pioneering the concept of site-based decision making (decentralization) in Canada, which gives principals the authority, the financial resources and the flexibility to make decisions based on the individual needs of their schools.This initiative has led to Edmonton Public offering a school of choice model in which students have more options as to what school they want to attend to suit their interests, and has led to the creation of alternative programs such as Vimy Ridge Academy,Old Scona AcademicandVictoria School of the Arts.The Edmonton Society for Christian EducationandMillwoods Christian School(not part of the former) used to be private schools; however, have both also become part of Edmonton Public Schools as alternative programs.

Both the Edmonton Public Schools and the Edmonton Catholic School District provide support and resources for those wishing tohomeschooltheir children.

Post-secondary

Those post-secondary institutions based in Edmonton that are publicly funded includeConcordia University of Edmonton,MacEwan University,King's University,NorQuest College,theNorthern Alberta Institute of Technology(NAIT) and theUniversity of Alberta(U of A).The publicly fundedAthabasca Universityalso has a campus in Edmonton.

The U of A is a board-governed institutionthat has an annual revenue of over one billion dollars.In 2021/22, the university had over 40,000 students enrolled within over 700 undergraduate, graduate and professional programs, as well as over 7,000 students enrolled in its faculty of extension.The U of A is also home to the second-largest research library system in Canada.

In 2019/20, MacEwan University had a total student population of over 18,000 full-time and part-time students enrolled in programs offering bachelor's degrees, university transfers, diplomas and certificates.NAIT has an approximate total of 41,000 students enrolled in more than 200 programs,whileNorQuest Collegehas approximately 21,000 students enrolled in various full-time, part-time and continuing education programs.

Other post-secondary institutions within Edmonton includeNewman Theological College,Taylor College and Seminary,andYellowhead Tribal College(an Indigenous college).

Media

Main article:Media in Edmonton

Edmonton has seven local broadcast television stations shown on basic cable TV orover-the-air,with the oldest broadcasters in the city beingCTV Edmonton(1954) andCBC TV Edmonton(1961).Most of Edmonton's conventional television stations have made the switch to over-the-air digital broadcasting. Thecable televisionproviders in Edmonton are Telus (forIPTV) and Shaw Communications. Twenty-one FM and eight AM radio stations are based in Edmonton.

Edmonton has two large-circulation daily newspapers, theEdmonton Journaland theEdmonton Sun.TheJournal,established in 1903, has a daily circulation of 112,000. TheSun,established in 1978, has a circulation of 55,000. Both newspapers are owned by thePostmedia Network.TheJournalno longer publishes a Sunday edition as of July 2012.

Metro,Edmonton's only free daily newspaper, ceased printing on December 20, 2019.The magazineVue Weekly,a weekly publication which focused onalternative news,was published in Edmonton from 1995 to 2018.TheEdmonton Examineris a citywide community-based paper also published weekly.There are also a number of smaller weekly and community newspapers.

Sister cities

See also:List of sister cities in Canada

Edmonton has fivesister cities.

• Gatineau,Quebec, Canada (1967)
• Harbin,China (1985)
• Nashville, Tennessee,United States (1990)
• Wonju,South Korea (1998)
• Bergen op Zoom,the Netherlands (2013)

In the United States, American cities and their sisters are listed with that country'sSister Cities International.In 1990, Edmonton became the first sister city of Nashville. In 2015, Nashville MayorKarl Deanvisited Edmonton, addressing the crowd at theEdmonton Folk Music Festival,celebrating the 25th anniversary of becoming sister cities. That year, more than 150 Canadians visited Nashville to attend Alberta-bornBrett Kissel'sGrand Ole Oprydebut and to meet with Sister Cities representatives.In November 2015,Doug HoyerandJeremy Wittenrepresented Edmonton at World of Friendship, Nashville's annual sister cities celebration.

See also

• List of cities in Alberta
• List of communities in Alberta
• List of mayors of Edmonton
• List of municipalities in Alberta
• List of people from Edmonton
• List of tallest buildings in Edmonton
• Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues
• Make Something Edmonton
• Edmontosaurus annectens- a dinosaur, for "connected lizard from Edmonton"

Further reading

• Aubrey, Merrily K (2004).Naming Edmonton: from Ada to Zoie.(Edmonton Historical Board. Heritage Sites Committee) University of Alberta Press.ISBN0-88864-423-X.ASIN088864423X.RetrievedApril 13,2017.Edmonton.
• Cashman, Tony (2002).Edmonton: stories from the river city.University of Alberta Press.ISBN0-88864-392-6.ASIN0888643926.RetrievedMay 10,2012.Edmonton.
• Merrett, Kathryn Chase (2001).A history of the Edmonton City Market, 1900–2000.University of Calgary Press.ISBN1-55238-052-1.ASIN1552380521.RetrievedMay 10,2012.
• Rooke, Charlene (2001).Edmonton: secrets of the city.Arsenal Pulp Press.ISBN1-55152-103-2.ASIN1551521032.RetrievedApril 13,2017.
• Walls, Martha (2007).Edmonton Book of Everything.Maclntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.ISBN978-0-9738063-4-2.ASIN0973806346.RetrievedMay 3,2014.
• MacGregor, James G. (1975).Edmonton:a history.Hurtig.ISBN0-888301-00-6.ASIN0888301006.RetrievedApril 13,2017.

External links

• Official website