Alberta, Canada

Profile:

The province of Alberta, stretching 1200 km north–south and 600 km east–west at its widest, ranges in geography from high mountains and boreal forest in the west and north to prairie in the east and south. Alberta is landlocked, sharing its whole southern border with the U.S. state of Montana, its western border with British Columbia, its eastern border with Saskatchewan, and its northern border with Northwest Territories. It has two major cities: the capital Edmonton, near the center of the province, and Calgary, its business center, in the south.

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The district of Alberta, created as part of the North-West Territories in 1882, became a province in 1905. Historically it has been an agricultural province, with its unforested parts given over to grain and dairy farming, and ranching in the south. In 1883 railway workers drilling for water struck natural gas in Medicine Hat, and Alberta’s petroleum industry was launched. A number of oilfields have been discovered and developed in Alberta, and its “tar sands” in the north contain vast deposits of petroleum—larger than the stated reserves of Saudi Arabia.

As of spring 2007, Alberta’s economy is booming, drawing people from across Canada and from abroad to find work. Its urban housing markets are red-hot, with prices climbing more than 10% a year.

Population:

As of 2005, the population of Alberta was 3.3 million: 81% urban, 19% rural
In 2001, the population of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor was 2.15 million (72% of Alberta’s population)

Interesting Facts:

Alberta is named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (1848–1939), the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria
Median value of a Alberta house/condo in 2003: $182,845
Temperatures in Alberta’s prairie range from −35°C (−31°F) or lower in the winter 38°C (100°F) or higher in the summer
Over 3 million cattle are resident in Alberta at any one time
A 2003 study by TD Bank Financial Group found the Edmonton–Calgary corridor is the only Canadian urban center to enjoy a U.S level of wealth while maintaining a Canadian-style quality of life, offering universal health-care benefits

Demographic:

Median age: 35.3 (Edmonton)
Most Albertans identify as “Canadian” (27.66%) and English (25.61%), with large groups of German (19.60%), Scottish (18.92%), Irish (15.68%), French (11.31%) and Ukrainian (9.71%).

Avg. Family Income:

Median household income in 2000: $60,142

Transportation:

Alberta has over 180,000 km of highways and roads, of which nearly 50,000 km are paved. The main north-south corridor is Highway 2, part of the CANAMEX corridor. Highway 4 effectively extends U.S. I-15 into Alberta, is the busiest U.S. gateway to the province.
Alberta has two main east-west corridors. The southern corridor, part of the Trans-Canada Highway system, enters near Medicine Hat, runs west through Calgary, and leaves Alberta through Banff National Park. The northern corridor, known as the Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16), runs west from Lloydminster, through Edmonton and Jasper National Park into British Columbia.
Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Medicine Hat, and Lethbridge have substantial mass transit systems. Edmonton and Calgary also operate light rail systems.
Alberta has international airports at both Edmonton and Calgary. Calgary International Airport and Edmonton International Airport are the fourth and fifth busiest in Canada respectively.