Living in Edmonton
A northern capital with a green heart
Alberta's capital city is built around the North Saskatchewan River and its forested valley. Here's what it's like to call Edmonton home, season by season.
History & heritage
From river trading post to provincial capital
Land acknowledgement
Edmonton is located within Treaty 6 territory and within the Métis homelands. We acknowledge the many First Nations, Métis and Inuit whose footsteps have marked these lands for centuries, including the nêhiyaw (Cree), Dene, Anishinaabe (Saulteaux), Nakota Isga (Nakota Sioux) and Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) peoples.
Long before the city, the river valley was a gathering and trading place for Indigenous peoples. The Hudson's Bay Company's Fort Edmonton, first built in 1795, moved several times before settling below the bluff where the Alberta Legislature stands today.
Edmonton became a town in 1892 and a city in 1904, and was named capital of the new province of Alberta in 1905. Across the river, the City of Strathcona joined Edmonton in 1912, and the High Level Bridge opened the following year to tie the two sides together. The Leduc No. 1 oil discovery in 1947 set off decades of growth that shaped the city we know today.
Arts & culture
They don't call it Festival City for nothing
Edmonton packs its calendar with festivals, most of them in summer, and backs them up with year-round theatre, music and galleries.
Festivals
The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, first held in 1982, takes over Old Strathcona every August. The Folk Music Festival, Heritage Festival and K-Days fill out the summer.
Galleries & museums
The Art Gallery of Alberta's swooping steel building anchors Churchill Square, and the Royal Alberta Museum, downtown since 2018, is western Canada's largest museum.
Stage & music
The Citadel Theatre and the Francis Winspear Centre for Music sit side by side downtown, while Old Strathcona's theatres and music venues keep Whyte Avenue busy late into the night.
Outdoors
A river valley that runs through everything
The North Saskatchewan River Valley is one of the largest stretches of urban parkland in North America, with more than 160 kilometres of maintained trails.
In the city
Hawrelak Park, the Muttart Conservatory's glass pyramids, Fort Edmonton Park and dozens of ravines connect by trail. In winter, skating paths and cross-country ski trails take over.
Day trips
Elk Island National Park, about 35 minutes east, is home to free-roaming plains bison and dark-sky stargazing. Lakes such as Pigeon and Wabamun are summer favourites.
Weekend getaways
Jasper National Park and the Rocky Mountains are roughly four hours west on the Yellowhead Highway.
Getting around
Transit, commuting, climate and good food
Transit
Edmonton Transit Service runs buses citywide and three LRT lines: the Capital Line, the Metro Line and the Valley Line, which links Mill Woods to downtown.
Driving
Anthony Henday Drive circles the city, and Whitemud Drive and Yellowhead Trail cross it. Edmonton International Airport is south of the city in Leduc County.
Climate
Cold, dry winters with plenty of sunshine, and warm summers with very long evenings. A good furnace and a block heater are part of life here.
Food & drink
Whyte Avenue, 124 Street and the Ice District lead the dining scene, and the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market runs year-round on Saturdays.
Moving to Edmonton?
I help out-of-province buyers every year, with video tours, neighbourhood advice and a plan that works from a distance.