Edmonton happens to be the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. The city is situated on the North Saskatchewan River. This river flows in central Alberta. Central Alberta happens to be home to some of the most fertile farmlands in the entire prairie region of Canada. Edmonton is also the second largest city in Canada after Calgary, in terms of population. According to the census of 2006, Edmonton had a population of 730,372. It happens to be the northern most North American city with a population above one million. Edmonton city has a larger area as compared to cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto and Montreal. People from Edmonton are referred to as Edmontonians. Edmonton also happens to be the northern anchor of the Edmonton-Calgary corridor. It also houses loads of oil sands projects. A number of diamond mining operations are also active in the city of Edmonton. Toronto is Canada’s most populous provincial capital. It is closely followed by Edmonton in second spot. Both these cities happen to be thriving centres of art, culture, government operations and education.

It is also called the festival city due to the large number of annual festivals occurring here. This is a major reason why tourists love to travel to Edmonton time and again. The west Edmonton mall, which happens to be America’s largest mall, is located in Edmonton city. This again is another tourist attraction. Edmonton city is also proud of the Fort Edmonton Park which is America’s largest living history museum.

Let us now take a close look at the history and origin of Edmonton city. As per folklore, Anthony Hendav is supposed to be the first man to enter the Edmonton area in 1754. He had led some expeditions across the prairies in an attempt to establish contacts with the aboriginal people. This was solely for the purpose of establishing a fur trade. In the year 1795, fort Edmonton was established on the northern banks of the river as a trading post. The fort was named by John Peter Pruden. The fertile soils surrounding this region attracted a number of people to come and eventually settle here.

The venue gradually became a thriving cultural and agricultural centre. Also, Edmonton attracted a lot of people due to the gold rush during the year 1897. It became a stopping point for a lot of people who hoped to cash in on the Klondike Gold Rush. Edmonton was finally incorporated as a city in 1905. It then had a population of 8350. In September 1905, Edmonton became the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. In the November of that very year, the Canadian railways came into Edmonton thereby increasing its growth. Edmonton city saw a rapid growth during the 1910s. 1n 1912, Edmonton extended to the south of the Saskatchewan River. The city attracts numerous tourists due to its rich heritage and culture.