Have You Been to the Edmonton Yoga Loft

[se]

The city of Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. Listed as Canada's sixth largest metropolitan area, Edmonton is located in the center of the province in a fertile farmland area of the prairies region. Edmonton was said to be first discovered in 1754 by Anthony Henday, a fur trader with the Hudson's Bay Company however, Fort Edmonton was not established officially until 1795 as a major trading post on the North Saskatchewan River.

The name 'Edmonton' was suggested by two influential European settlers at the time, after Edmonton, London their birthplace. Due to the fertile farmland and strategic placement on the river, Edmonton began to expand rapidly in the fur trade and agricultural sectors. The original Fort Edmonton now serves as a tourist attraction, the largest living history attraction in Canada. Today, Edmonton is the staging center for oil sands projects north of the city and for diamond mining projects in the Northwest Territories.

Edmonton was incorporated as a city in 1904 and was named Alberta's capital when the province joined the Confederation in 1905. The city itself has a population of 730,000 with a metropolitan area population of 1 million. With a metro population of just over 1 million people, the city is the northernmost city in North America with a population of over 1 million. The city is known as "The Festival City" because of its hosting of year round festivals and events.

Geography

Edmonton is marked by ravines, deep river valleys, rolling hills and flat plains. At an elevation of 2,200 ft (668 m), Edmonton is almost at the geographic center of the province of Alberta. The North Saskatchewan River is the most prominent geographical feature of Edmonton as it runs directly through the city from the southwest corner to the northeast corner with many creeks intersecting it along the way. The North Saskatchewan River originates in the Columbia Icefield.

The city is also in the middle of the province's separation between prairie and forest regions. The river valley is home to the largest stretch of American elm trees in North America and the park system within the valley is twenty times larger than New York's Central Park. The valley is rich with lakes, parks, walking trails, and basic facilities spanning 25 km. Much of the region around the city has been altered due to oil and natural gas exploration.

Demographics

In the last census taken in 2006, Edmonton had a population of 730,000 residents in the city. The surrounding metropolitan area was recorded to have just over 1 million residents. Within the city, Edmonton's population density is listed at 1067 people per square kilometre.

The average age of citizens living in Edmonton is 35.3 years old out of which, 50.5% of the population is female, and 49.5% of the population is male. The majority of residents are of European descent including French, English, Scottish, Irish, Ukrainian and Irish. Caucasian residents make up 70% of the population, 5% are aboriginal citizens and 22% are visible minorities living in the city.

Climate

Edmonton's climate is fairly dry even with the presence of the immigration consultant edmonton running through the city. Temperatures are hot during the summer and cold during the winter. Average temperatures during the winter are around -11.7 degrees C (10.9 F) and 17.5 C (63.5 F) during the summer. Edmonton experiences a few days during the hottest parts of the summer where temperatures exceed the 30 degree Celsius mark and during the summer where temperatures go below -20 degrees Celsius mark. The coldest temperature ever recorded in the city was -49.4 C (-56.9 F) in 1886 with the hottest temperature ever recorded at 38.3 C (100.9 F) in 2006.