Edmonton Information: Tickets, Venues, Events and More

‘Edmonton’ is the capital city of Alberta in Canadian province. Located on the North Saskatchewan River in the central region of this province, it is the second largest city in Alberta. It covers 264 sq mi area that is bigger than Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto and or Montreal.

This city is a major trade centre for large-scale oil sands projects and diamond mining operations in the Northwest Territories. It is the second most populous provincial capital of Canada after Toronto. As a cultural and educational hub, it is renowned for playing host to a year-round slate of world-class festivals. They earn it the title of ‘The Festival City.’ It is home to the biggest mall and park of North America called West Edmonton Mall and Fort Edmonton Park respectively.

Edmonton celebrated its centennial of incorporation as a city in 2004. Its first settlers inhabited here around 3,000 BC. Explorer Anthony Henday had worked for Hudson's Bay Company in 1754. He was the first European to enter in Edmonton. The fertile soils surrounding Edmonton attracted the settlers to establish here. It henceforth became a major regional commercial and agricultural centre in 19th century.

It was incorporated as a city in 1904, and made capital of Alberta on September 1, 1905. The Canadian Northern Railway arrived here in November 1905. Edmonton saw rapid development in the early 1910s. It amalgamated with the city of Strathcona in south of North Saskatchewan River in 1912. The first licensed airfield in Canada, Blatchford Field commenced operation here in 1929. First oil discovery was made in Alberta near Leduc town on February 13, 1947. Oil boom gave new status to Edmonton as an ‘Oil Capital of Canada. Its population increased from 149,000 to 269,000 during 1950.

As per the current census statistics, its population is 752,412. It is the hub of the sixth-largest census metropolitan area of Canada making it the northernmost North American city with a metropolitan population over one million.