Have you been thinking about packing your bags and relocating to The City of Champions? There is certainly plenty to recommend this city—and it seems to have acquired so many nicknames over the years that we suspect there really is something for everybody here! However, before you start looking into what the Edmonton real estate market has to offer, it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with a few of the city’s key characteristics to avoid any surprises upon arrival. Here are 5 things you need to know before moving to E-Town:
Parklands Galore
Edmonton is home to River Valley, the largest urban park in all of Canada, and approximately 22 times larger than the famous Central Park in New York City. Made up of 20 major interconnected parks and more than 160 kilometers of parkways, this enormous green area will surely impress outdoorsy residents and tourists alike.
But there’s more to the city than River Valley. As a matter of fact, E-Town boasts a total of 875 park areas scattered around 388 neighbourhoods. From golf courses, playgrounds and dog parks to pools, lakes and ice-skating trails, Edmonton has it all! So if you insist on your morning run, like to indulge in a quiet picnic every once in a while or would love to skate to work in the winter, The Big E might be the perfect place for you.
Wide Variety of Real Estate
The housing market in Edmonton boasts a wide variety of properties for sale with an average residential price of only $359,134. Purchase a multi-room condo unit in the heart of the city for an average price of $227,707. Single-family homes in some of the most desirable neighbourhoods (such as Grovenor, Sherbrooke or Dovercourt) will set you back $428,750 on average. The River Valley area features the most expensive real estate listings in E-Town due to its prime location.
If you don’t want to purchase your own place, you’ll be glad to know that Edmonton offers elevated vacancy rates in the rental market. A simple bachelor unit in the city will cost you approximately $840 monthly, whereas a two-bedroom apartment will set you back $1,215 on average.
A Family-Oriented Place to Call Home
The city of Edmonton offers top quality education in the form of public, private and Catholic schools in both English and French. Post-secondary education opportunities range from universities (like the University of Alberta) and colleges (CDI College and Reeves College) to various private vocational schools and apprenticeship training programs.
E-Town also excels in providing a wide array of children’s recreation programs and youth programs. Through the Child Friendly Edmonton Initiative the city aims at creating a collaborative, inclusive spirit for children and families in all aspects of daily life.
Cultural Hub
Thanks to its thriving arts and culture scene—and, yes, in spite of its ‘redneck’ reputation!—Edmonton was named cultural capital of Canada in 2007. Since then E-Town has been continuously advancing in this regard, and now boasts over 50 art galleries, 20 theatre companies, and a dozen dance companies.
The Big E is also home to Fort Edmonton Park, one of the largest living history museums in the country. Telus World of Science features the biggest planetarium dome theatre in Canada, boasting interesting educational films for both children and adults. Music lovers will certainly love the prime acoustics of the Francis Winspear Centre for Music, whilst sports fans will definitely appreciate the gigantic Rogers Place Arena.
Canada’s Festival City
Offering over 55 different events and festivals year-round, we can safely say that Edmonton’s nickname of the Festival City of Canada is well-deserved. One of the most long-standing events in the city is the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, an annual outdoor music bonanza which was first organized in 1980.
A lot of these festivals are held during the warm summer months, and range from artistic and cultural events (International Jazz Festival, Big Valley Jamboree and the International Fringe Theatre Festival – the oldest in North America) to different sporting contests (Velothon Edmonton, Servus Edmonton Marathon). E-Town also makes the most of its winter months, offering thematic events such as The Boardwalk Ice on Whyte Festival or the Silver Skate Festival.
If all these fantastic features haven’t convinced you yet, then you should know that Edmonton is among the top 3 sunniest cities in Canada with 2,345 hours of sunshine in a year and a total of 325 days with bright sunshine annually. The city is also home to West Edmonton Mall, the biggest shopping mall in North America, featuring countless stores, numerous movie theatres, a huge waterpark and plenty of other recreation opportunities.
All in all, Edmonton is a pretty colorful city to live in, thanks to its all-encompassing, family-friendly culture, vast green spaces and myriad of festivals. Even though the heavy winters might be difficult to get used to at first, you’ll soon find that E-Town boasts so many amazing exhibitions, museums, events and recreation opportunities that you’ll never feel bored. Make sure you weigh up all of Edmonton’s pros and cons before you pack your bags, and then you can be certain that the city will greet you with arms wide open.
