Quality of life in Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital city of Alberta, a province of Canada. Its metro area is home to 1.1 million people and is the northernmost city of at least one million people in North America, the fifth-largest city in Canada and the largest Canadian city farther than 200 km (125 miles) from the US border. Edmonton is famous for its beautiful river valley park system, the North Saskatchewan River Valley, which offers over 100 kilometers of recreational trails, wildlife viewing, and city views. The river valley also contains many parks, including Fort Edmonton Park, Canada's largest historical park. If the great outdoors is not what you seek, the city also offers West Edmonton Mall, the largest shopping mall in North America. On top of that, Edmonton has a vibrant theater community, a busy cycle of annual festivals, national sports teams active year-round, and wonderful winter recreational opportunities.

In addition, Greater Edmonton also features several large communities outside Edmonton's city limits:

The area around Edmonton, which sits in the geographic centre of the province, was home to native populations for thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers. In 1795, Edmonton House was constructed and work on Fort Edmonton began. The original site was near Fort Saskatchewan, but was relocated near the present day Legislature in 1830.