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  A city of boom-and-bust that grows in spurts, Edmonton is currently experiencing a period of substantial development, economic prosperity, and population swell, spurred by the soaring prices of crude oil the last few years. Although proud of its role as Canada's oil center, the city is not wholly dependent on this one commodity. It is also the handling and supply center for the rich agricultural area that surrounds it. Its situation also makes it the main distribution center for the mineral-rich North Alberta, and for northern Canada as a whole. History In the late 18th century, two fur trading posts were established in the area, one belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company and the other to its rival the North West Trading Company. When the two companies merged in 1821 the fort that had been established in 1795 by the Hudson's Bay Company, known as Edmonton House, became the trading and administrative center of the northwest and the jewel in the company's crown. The fort traded with the Blackfoot confederacy of warrior tribes who together with the Cree then inhabited the land. In 1870, the Hudson's Bay Company sold the land to the Canadian government and the area opened to settlers. Here as elsewhere in Alberta there followed a very wild and lawless period during which the town of 600 inhabitants was incorporated. Law and order finally arrived with the North West Mounted Police in 1875. In 1891 the railroad reached Edmonton, increasing its importance as a transportation center and triggering an influx of settlers. The discovery of gold in the Klondike in 1898 brought Edmonton its first boom period as prospectors flooded to the town to prepare for the long trek, increasing the population to around 4,000 and bringing prosperity to the merchants. This period of Edmonton's history is affectionately remembered every year in the town's annual Klondike Days celebrations. When the province of Alberta was created in 1905, Edmonton, then with a population of 8,000, was elected its capital, much to the disappointment of the rival town of Calgary. It continued to grow in size with a further surge of immigration during the construction of the Alaska Highway. The biggest boom of all started with the discovery of oil in 1947 at Leduc, to the south of Edmonton. The discovery of further oil fields followed and by 1965 the population had quadrupled. The 1960's and '70's brought a period of great prosperity and frantic urban development, which in the 1980s declined with the drop in oil prices. This past decade has witnessed a resurgence in the city with the soaring oil prices; the population has doubled, the skyline has mushroomed with steel-and-glass towers, a rapid-transit system has been built, and a $150 million civic center constructed. Voted recently as having the “best economic potential” of any North American city by the Financial Times of London, things are definitely looking up for Edmonton these days. Attractions Vista 33 The North Saskatchewan River snakes its way east-west through the city with a long green belt of parkland running along both banks. This is Canada's largest stretch of city parkland, one long recreation area strewn with cycling paths and trails. To get your bearings and an excellent view of the region take a trip up to Vista 33, an observation deck on the 33rd floor of the Alberta Telephone Tower building at 10020 100th Street. While you're there, take a look at the small museum of telecommunications equipment which is also on the 33rd floor and features some interesting hands-on displays. Aviation Hall of Fame Close to the tower the modern steel and glass Convention Centre steps down the riverbank on four levels. It houses the Aviation Hall of Fame, where exhibits include a flight simulator, films, and displays about people who have contributed to the advancement of Canadian aviation. The Convention Centre is at 9797 Jasper Avenue. It is open daily and admission is free. Edmonton Art Gallery In the heart of the downtown area lies Sir Winston Churchill Square, site of the Civic Centre which contains the Edmonton Art Gallery. The gallery holds temporary exhibitions of works from its own collection or visiting exhibitions, usually of quite a high standard. The gallery is at 2 Sir Winston Churchill Square, and is open daily. Legislature Building The Legislature Building, home of the provincial government, is a dignified building of yellow sandstone, fronted with a columned portico and capped with a stately dome. Built between 1907 and 1912, it occupies the site of the original Fort Edmonton, overlooking the river and surrounded by landscaped grounds with fountains, pools, formal gardens, and lawns. Below ground, the Government Centre Pedway links the Legislature Building to other government buildings and has an exhibition area where there are displays on various aspects of Alberta. The Legislature Building is at 109th Street and 97th Avenue, and there are free tours daily throughout the year. Muttart Conservatory Over on the south side of the river close to Macdonald Bridge is the unmistakable Muttart Conservatory, 9626 96A Street, a group of four striking glass pyramids. Three of the structures simulate different climatic zones — tropical, arid, and temperate — and contain plants indigenous to each particular climate. The fourth pyramid houses changing displays. Provincial Museum West of downtown the Provincial Museum, 12845 102nd Avenue, is pleasantly situated in parkland that overlooks the riverbank. This modern building contains four galleries, each devoted to a different aspect of Alberta's natural and cultural heritage. The Habitat gallery has displays that re-create the various aspects of Albertan countryside such as the mountains, the forests of the north, and the grasslands, complete with animal and plant life. The Natural History gallery deals with the geology of the area, its fossils, and the days of the dinosaurs, while the History gallery looks at the white settlement of the province. The Indian gallery describes the life and rituals of the Plains Indians, with a particularly interesting section devoted to the Sun Dance Ritual. Fort Edmonton Park For a particularly enjoyable history lesson visit one of Edmonton's top attractions, the Fort Edmonton Park on the south bank of the river just west of Whitemud Freeway and close to Quesnel Bridge. This is an ambitious project that aims to recount the history of the white settlement of Edmonton in the most vivid terms. It has a detailed reconstruction of the palisaded Fort Edmonton, the 1846 Hudson's Bay Company trading post complete with "inhabitants" who are happy to chat to you about their life in the employ of the company. Outside the fort there is a re-creation of village life in Edmonton during 1885 before the coming of the railroad, an Edmonton street in 1905 when the town was an expanding capital city, and a 1920 street scene showing Edmonton as a prosperous business city. Meticulous attention is given to detail, and there are shops that carry stock appropriate for the period as well as schools, churches, and offices. To complete the experience you can ride in a restored streetcar, a steam train, a stagecoach, or a horse wagon. Special events are held here throughout the year. The park is open daily. Old Strathcona Historic Area Local history will tell you that to the south of the river lies an area that was once the town of Strathcona, which joined with Edmonton in 1912. In the Old Strathcona Historic Area between 101st and 106th Streets, and Saskatchewan Drive and 80th Avenue, many of the buildings predate the union and have been restored. Pick up a walking tour brochure from an Information Centre and enjoy a stroll along these Victorian streets. West Edmonton Mall Coming back to modern times with a jolt, over at 170th Street and 87th Avenue lies the West Edmonton Mall, the world’s largest mall from 1981 to 2004. Today, while it remains the largest mall in North America, it ranks third in the world. The complex covers a staggering 500,000 square meters (five and a half million square feet). Devoted to shopping and recreation, it holds about 800 stores, over 100 restaurants, 34 cinemas, a vast water park, a large amusement park with roller coaster, and a mini-golf course. There are caged animals and performing dolphins for your entertainment, and much more besides. Like it or hate it, it's there and worth a visit for the experience alone. Space and Sciences Centre The Space and Sciences Centre northwest of the city center in Coronation Park, 11211142nd Street, C (403) 452-9100, is a suitably spaceship-like building containing Canada's largest planetarium, an IMAX theatre, displays on astronomy and science, and a nearby observatory. Open daily except for Mondays between September and June, admission is free but a charge is made for the star and laser shows. Strathcona Archaeological Centre Over to the east of the city, the Strathcona Archaeological Centre in the Strathcona Science Park off 17th Street just south of Highway 16, offers a fascinating insight into native Indian life 5,000 years ago. Recent archaeological excavation has unearthed a settlement that dates from around 3,000 BC and an interpretive center has been set up to explain the history of the site. Festivals and Events Edmonton really lets its hair down every year around mid-July when it celebrates Klondike Days. Not to be outdone by Calgary's successful Stampede celebration, Edmonton introduced this 10-day knees-up in honor of the 1898 gold rush that brought prospectors to the city on their way to Dawson City. There are parades, silly competitions, music, dancing, parties, and breakfasting in the open air. Northlands Park becomes Klondike Village, and everyone from the bank manager to the shopkeeper joins in by dressing up in period costume, making this one of Canada's favorite festivals. Sports The National Hockey League Edmonton Oilers, five time winners of the Stanley Cup, play at the Rexall Place at 7424 118th Avenue N.W. from October to May. Baseball fans can see the Northern League Edmonton Cracker-Cats play at TELUS Field, close to the city center, and the Edmonton Eskimos play their Canadian Football League opponents at the Commonwealth Stadium, 11000 Stadium Road, a structure that is part of the legacy left by the 1988 Winter Olympics. The Edmonton Northlands is also the site of a racetrack where you can watch thoroughbred and harness racing. The City Recreation Park that stretches along both banks of the North Saskatchewan River has all kinds of facilities, including networks of jogging, running, and cycling trails. In the winter there are cross-country skiing trails here and also at Elk Island Park, which is located approximately 35 kilometers (22 miles) east of town along Highway 16. In the summer Elk Island National Park is also a pleasant spot for swimming. There are both private and public tennis courts throughout the city, some of which can be found at the city's recreation centers. These centers also offer racquetball, volleyball, and squash courts, skating rinks, and gyms. They include the Kinsmen Sports & Aquatic Centre, 9100 Walterdale Road, Mill Wood's Recreation Centre, 7207 28th Avenue, and the Commonwealth Stadium, 11000 Stadium Road. Golf enthusiasts have a choice of 30 municipal and private courses. Among the best of the municipal courses are the Riverside Golf Course at Rowland Road and 86th Street, the Victoria Golf Course and Driving Range, River Road and 120th Street, and Rundle Park, 2902 118th Avenue, all of which are 18-hole courses. Shopping Edmonton's downtown area is a major shopping district under which walkways link malls with the railway station, hotels, and major buildings. At the center of this district lies the Edmonton Centre at 100th Street and 102nd Avenue. Just west of downtown along 124th Street is a rather upmarket shopping district, and to the southwest of downtown lies the West Edmonton Mall, the world's largest shopping complex, containing over 800 shops and 11 department stores. This is situated at 170th Street and 87th Avenue, but you have to brace yourself for a visit here as it's also a vast amusement park. Nightlife The city has dozens of bars and eateries that double as nightclubs and feature a wide range of music. You'll find Edmonton to be particularly well-endowed with theaters and theatrical companies. The Citadel Theatre, 9828 101A Avenue, is a major Canadian performing arts center. This impressive glass-and-brick complex houses five theaters where a variety of first-rate stage and musical productions are performed, and there is also a pleasant indoor garden where you can while away some time. The Jubilee Auditorium, 1415 14th Street, is another venue for theater, ballet, and concerts, and is home to the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Edmonton Opera. There are also many other theater venues scattered throughout Edmonton. Yuk-Yuk's at The Point, 7103 78th Avenue, is part of a Canadian chain of stand-up comedy venues, and there are a couple of theater-restaurants in town. Edmonton holds a Fringe Theatre Festival for 10 days in late August when alternative theater productions crop up all over the city, both indoors and outdoors. There's no shortage of cinemas either, with 34 of them situated in West Mall alone and some more in the Calgary Tower complex. But if you want to see something other than mainstream, go to the excellent Princess Theatre, 10337 82nd (Whyte) Avenue, or the National Film Theatre situated within the Citadel. For jazz music, there's the Yardbird Suite, 10203 86th Avenue, and there are occasional jazz concerts at the Jubilee Auditorium, 1415 14th Street. You can hear rhythm and blues at Blues on Whyte in the Commercial Hotel, 10329 Whyte Avenue, and at the Sidetrack Cafe 10333 112th Street, where you can also enjoy some excellent food, and sometimes there's jazz or rock music playing. Edmonton's Jazz City festival is held for ten days during late June/early July, and in August there is a Folk Music Festival. Food Edmonton's cultural mix makes for a healthy restaurant scene with a wide choice of cuisines, but as a prairie town it has its own specialty: some of the best beef in Canada. You will find concentrations of restaurants in the Old Strathcona district between 101st and 106th Streets, the downtown area, and the Boardwalk Market at 103rd Street. How to Get There The Edmonton International Airport is served by several major airlines and also by some regional carriers. It is 16 kilometers (10 miles) south of the city along Highway 2 and the drive takes about 45 minutes. A Grey Goose Airporter bus runs between some of the big downtown hotels and the airport. The Municipal Airport is slightly north of downtown and is used by smaller craft that tend to run to other Albertan destinations. Edmonton is very well served by rail services, lying at the center of the network and along the C.N.R. (Canadian National Railway) transcontinental line. The VIA Rail Station is at 10004 104th Avenue at 100th Street. The Greyhound bus terminal is at 10324 103rd Street at 103rd Avenue, and operates services that run to the west and to the east of Edmonton, toYellowknife in the Northwest Territories, and south to Calgary. Coachways operates from the same terminal and runs a daily service to Whitehorse in the Yukon and on to the Alaskan border. Motorists will find that the inter-provincial Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16), which runs from east to west and passes through Edmonton is easy to join, whatever direction you're coming from. Highway 2 runs from the U.S. Montana border via Calgary to Edmonton and continues northwards. | |
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Article Contributors Anonymous user updated 1 year ago |
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