Edmonton is Alberta’s capital City and second largest city, behind Calgary, it’s neighbour to the south. Incorporated as a city in 1904 with a population of 8,350, Edmonton became the capital of Alberta a year later on September 1, 1905.
At 684 square kilometres (264 sq mi), the City of Edmonton covers an area larger than Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto or Montreal. The total population of the greater Edmonton area is just over 1 million people.
Edmonton is located near the geographical centre of the province, at an elevation of 668 metres (2,192 ft). 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. The Canadian Rockies also lie close to Edmonton, roughly 220 kilometres to the southwest which is only a few hours’ drive away.
Edmonton’s river valley constitutes the longest stretch of connected urban parkland in North America, and Edmonton has the highest per capita area of parkland of any Canadian city.
There are several key hotspots for nightlife in the city of Edmonton. The most popular is the Whyte Avenue (82nd Avenue) strip, concentrated between 109 Street and 99 Street. Downtown, Edmonton’s Jasper avenue features numerous good places to go out, with the largest concentration being in the 116 street to 105 street area.
Edmonton plays host to several large festivals each year, hence its local nickname as “The Festival City”.