Edmonton, Alberta is an amazing city to call home. There’s no shortage of attractions to explore and quality of life here is high. If you’re planning a move to Edmonton soon, here are the top 5 things to know about this incredible place.
It’s a festival city
Edmonton is a city that knows how to celebrate. Whatever you’re into, chances are Edmonton has a festival that’s right up your alley. They don’t call it “Festival City” for nothing! Edmonton is home to over 50 annual festivals, some highlights include: Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, which is North America’s largest fringe festival; Edmonton International Street Performer’s Festival, the largest and first of its kind street performer festival in North America; Nextfest, a huge festival that showcases Edmonton’s young and emerging artists; The Works Art & Design Festival, North America’s largest free outdoor art and design festival; Taste of Edmonton, a celebration of Edmonton’s fabulous culinary scene; Edmonton Heritage Festival, an international heritage celebration in Hawrelak Park; and Edmonton International Film Festival, an indie film extravaganza featuring films from around the world.
It’s a nature lover’s paradise
Love the great outdoors? You’re going to adore living in Edmonton. The North Saskatchewan River Valley alone is worth the move – it’s the largest stretch of urban parkland in North America! To put it in perspective, this green area is 20 times bigger than Central Park in New York City and includes 22 major parks and 150 km of recreational trails. If it's a bit too chilly to hit the trail, you'll love paying a visit to Muttart Conservatory, one of Canada's largest indoor botanical gardens which is nestled in the River Valley. This attraction is only an 8-minute drive from our apartment community, Capilano Tower. Edmonton is also home to extraordinary wildlife. In fact, it has the highest density of hoofed mammals per square kilometre in the world! In the middle of town, you’ll find Larch Sanctuary which is a safe haven for a variety of animals and even features a bee hotel and a rocket bat box! You should also be sure to pay a visit to Visser Conservation Lands (only a 15-minute drive from our apartment community, Garneau Place), it’s the largest old growth forest within the city’s limits.
It’s a shopper’s paradise
Edmonton’s main tourist attraction is the West Edmonton Mall – which happens to be the largest mall in North America, spanning the equivalent of 48 city blocks! Though the mall is really a thing to behold (there’s an indoor lake and the world’s largest indoor triple loop roller coaster), it’s really more of a destination than a shopping centre. Shopping in Edmonton is especially enjoyable because there is no provincial sales tax in Alberta. That means you’ll only need to pay 5% GST on your purchases! If you’d prefer to shop with the locals, be sure to visit Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market (only a 6-minute drive from Garneau Place), Old Strathcona Antique Mall (only a 7-minute drive from Garneau Place), Southgate Centre, Kingsway Mall, and the many local boutique shops on 124th Street or Whyte Avenue.
The weather is better than you think
You might have heard that Edmonton has bad weather – especially in the winter. That’s not true! First of all, it’s sunny 325 days a year here and there are up to 17 hours of daylight in the summer. The abundance of sunshine makes our cold winter days infinitely more bearable in our stunning city. People embrace winter here with outdoor festivals and sports, making the season really enjoyable. That being said, it can get extremely cold (below -20C), so it’s important to dress very warmly if you’re going to be out and about in the winter. The winter season varies in duration quite a bit here, sometimes lasting as little as December through March. Summer typically lasts from late June to early September with low humidity and a balmy average temperature of 20 to 30 degrees – not too hot and not too cold. It can get up to about 35 degrees here on our hottest days. Want to learn more? Read about our weather here.
It’s a great place to go to school
Edmonton is an exceptional city from an educational perspective. There are hundreds of schools and universities within the greater Edmonton area. An interesting fact to know is that Edmonton Public Schools offer the only Mandarin bilingual program from kindergarten to grade 12 in North America! Some of the best public schools in the city include Mount Pleasant School, Windsor Park School, Stratford School, Grandview Heights, Westbrook School, Crestwood School, and Earl Buxton School. The city is home to several universities and colleges. Some standouts include University of Alberta (only a 5-minute walk from Garneau Place), Concordia University of Edmonton (only a 4-minute drive from Capilano Tower), MacEwan (only an 8-minute drive from our Windsor Arms community), The King’s University (only a 5-minute drive from Capilano Tower), NAIT (only a 9-minute drive from our community The Northbank), and NorQuest College Edmonton (only a 7-minute drive from Garneau Place).
We are so excited for you to move to Edmonton! Rest assured you will love this incredible city and it will feel like home in no time.
Hazelview Properties has pet-friendly bachelor, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartment rental units available in residential communities across Edmonton. To find your new Edmonton home with Hazelview Properties, please visit our Home Finder.