Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

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For other uses see Saskatoon (disambiguation).

City of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Image:Saskatoon coa.png
Image:University Bridge.jpg

University Bridge in Saskatoon
Establishment
  - Incorporation 		1883
1907
Population (city)
  - CMA 		205,900
226,000 (17th)
City land area
  - Density 		~ 148km²
1305.5/km²
Mayor Don Atchison
Governing body Saskatoon City Council
Nicknames The Bridge City, The Hub City
GDP per capita
  - Income per household 		C$26,551 (est. 2005)
C$41,991 (est. 2005)
Time Zone
 - in summer 		GMT -0600 (Central)
GMT -0600 (Central)
Latitude
Longitude 		52° 7′ 54″ N, 106° 39′ 9″ W
Pronunciation /ˌsæskəˈtuːn/
Area Code 306

Saskatoon is a mid-sized city located in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Saskatoon is the most populous city in the province of Saskatchewan, and has been since the mid-1970s. Residents of Saskatoon are usually called Saskatonians.

Known as the "City of Bridges" for its seven river crossings, the city's name comes from the western Cree word for the saskatoon berry, misāskwatōmin (ᒥᓵᐢᑿᑑᒥᐣ). A long-time nickname for Saskatoon is "Hub City", while the name is also commonly abbreviated "S'toon". Following the release of the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit in 1988, a few residents began referring to the city by the short-lived nickname "'Toontown", after a similarly named location in the film. A tongue-in-cheek nickname for the city by some residents of other areas in the region is "Saskabush". Saskatoon is reputed to be the "Paris of the prairies," a title which likely originated in the song "Wheat Kings" by The Tragically Hip, a prominent Canadian rock band.

Contents

History

The first permanent settlement of Saskatoon occurred in 1883 when Toronto Methodists, wanting to escape the liquor trade in that city, decided to set up a "dry" community in the rapidly-growing Prairie region. Their organization, the Temperance Colonization Society, first examined this area in 1882 and found that it would make an excellent location to found their community based on the ideals of the Temperance League. The settlers, led by John Lake, arrived on the site of what is now Saskatoon by travelling by railway from Ontario to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and then completing the final leg via horse-drawn cart (the railway had yet to be completed to Saskatoon). The plan for the Temperance Colony soon failed as the group was unable to obtain a large block of land within the community. Nonetheless, John Lake is commonly identified as the founder of Saskatoon; a public school, a park and two streets are named after him (Lake Crescent which was developed in the 1960s and Eastlake Avenue, which was originally named Lake Avenue on the first map of Saskatoon in 1883 but later changed for reasons unknown).

In 1885, several houses on 11th Street were used as military hospitals during the North-West Rebellion. One house, the Marr Residence, is currently a heritage site run by the Meewasin Valley Authority. The first school, Victoria School opened for classes at the corner of 11th Street and Broadway Avenue in 1888. This small school, now called the "Little Stone Schoolhouse", now sits on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan. The Qu'Appelle, Long Lake and Saskatchewan Railway reached Saskatoon in 1890 and crossed the South Saskatchewan River, causing a boom in development on the west side of the river. In 1901, Saskatoon's population hit 113 and the community on the west bank of the river adopted the name "Saskatoon", while residents on the east side of the river adopted the name "Nutana". A third settlement, "Riversdale", also began just southwest of Saskatoon.

A town charter for the west side of the river was obtained in 1903 (Nutana became a village in that year). In 1906 Saskatoon became a city with a population of 4,500, which included the communities of Saskatoon, Riversdale, and Nutana. In 1956, the fast-growing community annexed the neighboring town of Sutherland.

Community profile

According to the Canada 2001 Census:

Population: 196,811 (+1.6% from 1996)
Land area: 148.34 km²
Population density: 1,326.8 people/km²
Median age: 34.3 (males: 33.1, females: 35.5)
Total private dwellings: 84,281
Median household income: $41,991

As of 2005, the civic government of Saskatoon claimed a population of approximately 220,000.

Demographics

Racial Diversity

Age Structure

  • 0-14 years: 20.6%
  • 15-64 years: 67.6%
  • 65 years and over: 11.8%

Economy

Saskatoon is recognized as one of the world's leading Agricultural Biotechnology centres. Most research takes place at Innovation Place Research Park and the University of Saskatchewan. U of S also hosts the new Canadian Light Source synchrotron for cutting-edge atomic research. Food processing is an important industry in Saskatoon.

The world's largest publicly traded uranium company, Cameco, and the world's largest potash producer, PotashCorp, have corporate headquarters in Saskatoon. Nearly two-thirds of the world's recoverable potash reserves are located in the Saskatoon region.

The city is also the headquarters of Mitchell's Gourmet Foods, formerly known as Intercontinental Packers, which produces the Olympic Fine Meats line of products and is one of Canada's largest meat processors, employing more than 1,400 Saskatonians.

After explosive residential growth in the 1970s and early 1980s, by the late 1980s development of new communities slowed to a trickle as the economy experienced a downturn. By 2005, however, Saskatoon was in the midst of another growth boom with construction under way on no less than four major residential areas, plus early planning launched on several proposed business parks and the "West Sector", a large recently annexed area on the city's west side which is expected to house several communities and business areas in the coming decade.

Climate and Geography

Saskatoon lies on a long belt of rich, potassic chernozem in middle-southern Saskatchewan. The lack of surrounding mountainous topography gives the city a relatively flat grid, though the city does sprawl over a few hills and into a few valleys. The lowest point in the city is the river, while the highest point is disputed between the suburb of Sutherland and the westside subdivision of Confederation Heights. Saskatoon, on a cross-section from west to east, has a general decline in elevation above sea level heading towards the river, and on the east bank of the river, the terrain is mostly level until outside the city, where it begins to decrease in elevation again.

Saskatoon is in a dry-prairie/savanna biome, experiencing light amounts of rain and hot summers with frequent thundershowers in the summer and blizzards in the winter. The city has four distinct seasons. Temperatures range from -40°C in winter to 40°C in summer. Saskatoon is fairly dry; the average annual precipitation is 347.2mm. A positive to the low precipitation is that Saskatoon is one of the sunniest cities in Canada as a result, averaging 2,381 hours annually.

Transportation

Saskatoon is located on the Yellowhead Highway connecting Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia. Provincial Highways #5, #7, #11, #12, #14, #41 and #219 all meet at Saskatoon. Provincial Highway #60, which meets up with route 7 just west of Saskatoon, goes south to nearby Pike Lake Provincial Park.

The Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian National Railway have connections to Saskatoon. There is a VIA Rail station for passenger travel by train. The many provincial transportation connections and geographic location of Saskatoon give it one of its nicknames The Hub City.

The Saskatoon International Airport (YXE) (also referred to as John G. Diefenbaker International Airport) was renovated in 2004 and is the largest in the province, with over 800,000 travellers yearly. The airport has many non-stop flights to/from many major centres in Canada, as well to Minneapolis, via Northwest Airlines.

Construction of Saskatoon's "ring road", Circle Drive, began in the mid-1960s (after having been planned for several decades) but as of 2005 was still only three-quarters completed. Planning for the final section of the freeway, which will involve a new river crossing, is under way and construction is expected to begin in the next few years. The province also has plans to construct another ring road farther out from the city within the next 20 years, as Saskatoon's population continues to steadily increase. Also scheduled to occur in the next few years is a realignment of Provincial Highway #7, one that will eventually link it to the Yellowhead Highway north of the city's airport.

Education

The University of Saskatchewan campus, is located along the eastern bank of the South Saskatchewan River and spans 7.55 km2. Construction on the university's campus began in 1909, and all of the original limestone facade buildings remain today. The university has a yearly attendance of roughly 19,000 students. The university is home to Canada's only synchrotron.

Saskatoon has 78 elementary schools and 10 high schools, serving about 37,000 students. Saskatoon has two school boards, The Saskatoon Public School Division and the Saskatoon Catholic School Division.

Local media

Newspapers


Television stations

Arts and Culture

The Mendel Art Gallery is situated on the bank of the South Saskatchewan River. Over its 40-year history, the Mendel Art Gallery’s permanent collection has grown to exceed 5,000 works of art. And the gallery has developed a great reputation nationally for the exhibitions and programs it has produced. Beginning in 2005 it takes another step forward as it embarks on a major renovation project that will expand the size of the gallery by 70 per cent. Upon completion, the gallery will have state of the art space to house its every-increasing collection.

Saskatoon is also home of the Western Development Museum. This museum documents early pioneer life in Saskatchewan.

The Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company Inc. (SNTC) is a cultural/arts organization founded with the understanding that arts and culture are intertwined and is an integral part of the human make-up. SNTC creates, develops and produces artistic presentations by Canadian Aboriginal Artists that compliment and enhance the local and national performing arts scene. SNTC utilizes innovative partnerships, mentorship's and collaborations with both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal individuals, organizations and agencies to produce and present a unique blend of community and professional theatre and staged presentations. SNTC strives to empower, entertain and educate people and to promote positive images of Aboriginal peoples, which creates cultural understandings that strengthen the spirit of our communities. As valuable contributors to the Canadian cultural/arts community, our work enhances the growth and development of individuals and communities through the arts.

Wanuskewin Heritage Park is a National Historic Site situated 5 km to the north of Saskatoon. It is an aboriginal archaeological site and features displays, special events, and activities.

Saskatoon hosts many festivals and events in the summer, including the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Festival, the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, the Northern Saskatchewan International Children's Festival, the Saskatoon International Fringe Festival (a showcase of alternative theatre), FolkFest (a cultural festival), and the Canada Remembers Airshow.

Sports & Recreation

The Saskatoon Blades of the WHL host their games in Credit Union Centre (formerly known as Saskatchewan Place).

Most Saskatonians support the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL. The Roughriders play in Regina but are notable for their strong support from all areas of the province. The Saskatoon Hilltops of the Canadian Junior Football League host their games at Gordie Howe Bowl. The Hilltops have won 12 national junior championships throughout their history.

The Saskatoon Yellow Jackets minor league baseball team is a member of the Western Major Baseball League and play their games at Cairns Field. They are not affiliated with any Major League Baseball team.

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies play Canadian Interuniversity Sport league games at the University Campus. Their facilities include 3,000 seat Griffiths Stadium, 700 seat Rutherford Arena, and a new state-of-the-art Physical Activity Complex that opened in August 2003.

Police Services

Correctional Facilities

Saskatoon correctional centre

Regional Psychiatric Centre

Famous Saskatonians

Notable persons who were born, grew up or lived in Saskatoon:

Location relative to other communities in Saskatchewan

North: Martensville | Warman
West: Biggar Saskatoon East: Humboldt
South: Dundurn

External links

Retrieved from "http://en.freepedia.org/Saskatoon%2C_Saskatchewan.html"


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