Canada City Guide
Alberta's capital, Edmonton, lies in the center of the province, a three-hour drive north from the larger and more aggressive Calgary to the south. Wealth from a multi-billion-dollar petroleum industry has transformed this northern city of 720,000 from a remote fur-trading post into a vibrant cultural center, a renowned sporting force, and a thriving tourist destination in a little over 100 years.Downtown Edmonton sits high upon a bluff overlooking the North Saskatchewan River, its banks protected from development by the longest stretch of urban green space in North America. The city center is an intriguing tangle of modern high-rise skyscrapers and historic stone buildings, book-ended by imposing government buildings to the west and Refinery Row—an integral part of the Edmonton skyline—to the east. West of downtown, set among the stately houses of the city's oldest suburb, is the Provincial Museum of Alberta, one of Canada's finest museums. Old Strathcona, south of downtown, is a living museum, its streets lined with a concentration of historic buildings, bustling day and night with locals and visitors enjoying some of the city's best shopping and finest array of restaurants. But Edmonton's biggest attraction is not an architectural masterpiece, a museum or a natural wonder. It's West Edmonton Mall, the world's largest shopping and amusement complex.
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