article

City of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Establishment
  - Incorporation 		1883
1906
Population (city)
  - CMA 		206,500
236,000 (17th)
City land area
  - Density 		~ 176km²
1305.5/km²
Mayor Don Atchison
Governing body Saskatoon City Council *
Nicknames The Bridge City, The Hub City, POW City
GDP per capita
  - Income per household 		C$26,551 (est. 2005)
C$41,991 (est. 2005)
Time Zone
 - in summer 		GMT -0600 (Central)
n/a (does not change to DST)
Latitude
Longitude
Pronunciation
Area Code 306

Saskatoon is a 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-1980s when it surpassed the provincial capital of Regina. Residents of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians and sometimes Saskatooners. A tongue-in-cheek nickname for Saskatonians is Saskabushers (from Saskabush).

Saskatoon is often called the "City of Bridges" for its seven river crossings (it is also occasionally referred to as "The Paris of the Prairies", for the same reason). The name Saskatoon comes from the Cree inanimate noun "misâskwatômina" *. 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, the city became popularly known as "'Toontown", after a similarly named location in the film, although the nickname "'Toontown" had been in use in Saskatoon prior to the film's release.

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 East 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.

One of the city's best known landmarks is the Delta Bessborough Hotel, better known as simply, The Bessborough, the Hotel Bessborough or, more colloquially, "The Bess" (or "The Bez"; the latter is phonetic). Built by the CNR, a federal crown corporation, as a railway hotel during the Great Depression of the 1930s as a make-work project, the hotel was designed to resemble a Bavarian castle. The hotel has passed out of the ownership of the CNR and has survived several changes in ownership, as well as the suggestion that it be demolished in order to restore the riverbank. The Bessborough and the Mendel Art Gallery are currently the only two major structures located on the river side of Spadina Crescent. Over the years, the Bessborough has become Saskatoon's most iconic symbol and most recognizable skyline feature; one of the most frequently-circulated photographs depicting Saskatoon is of the hotel framed in one of the arches of the Broadway Bridge.

On November 2, 2005, the City of Saskatoon announced that the steel Victoria Bridge, opened in 1907 as the city's first traffic bridge and one of the city's major landmarks, had been condemned due to corrosion and will need to either be rebuilt or replaced altogether. The bridge will remain open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic for the time being, however the bridge also carried 10,000 automobiles every day, and these vehicles will need to be rerouted to other bridges.

The city is currently redeveloping the south downtown region of River Landing. This redevelopment will result in the development of a Hotel/Spa to the downtown core, a huge, new theater complex with twelve theatres with stadium-style seating owned by Cineplex Entertainment to open in the Summer of 2006, parkland and a year round home for the Saskatoon Farmers Market.

As of 2005, the civic government of Saskatoon claimed a population of approximately 220,000. The above land area figure was provided by the City of Saskatoon in January 2006 and takes into account recent annexations.

Demographics

Saskatoon is growing at an annual rate of 0.62 per cent. According to the 2001 census, some 1 in 5 people, or 20.6 per cent of the population consists of youths under the age of 14, while those over 65 consitute only 11.8 per cent of the population. The median age of the Saskatoon is 34.4 years of age, three years younger than Canada as a whole.

Racial Groups*

The majority of Saskatoon's inhabitants profess to be of Christian faith. A large contingent of people also do not profess a faith at all. Some 78.5% profess to be Christian, mostly Protestant and Roman Catholic. Minority faiths include Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam, all who do not consitute 1 per cent alone.

Economy

Saskatoon.jpg 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). The U of S hosts the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization that conducts infectious diseases research to develop infectious diseases controls for humans and animals. The U of S owns Pharmalytics, Inc; Prairie Swine Centre Inc; Prairie Diagnostic Services, Inc; Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre Inc; and the Western Beef Development Centre.

The U of S campus hosts the POS Pilot Plant. As well, the campus is home to the Canadian Light Source, a national synchrotron radiation facility that is used for a wide range of scientific research and POS Pilot Plant Corporation.

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. Uranium plays an important role in Saskatoon's economy, with the city also hosting COGEMA Canadian headquarters; COGEMA is part of the France‐based Areva.

Food processing is an important industry in Saskatoon. The city is 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. Saskatoon is also home to several manufacturing companies such as Hitachi Canadian Industries. In addition to food processing, Saskatoon is also widely known for its restaurants and fine dining establishments. A good example of this is J.D. Peppercorns.

Saskatoon is home to several companies in the Information Technology and telecom fields. Saskatoon is home to SED Systems, MPR Teltech, and VCom. Saskatoon also hosts a Minacs and a Marriott International call centre.

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 Blairmore Suburban Development Area, also known as the "West Sector", a large recently annexed area on the city's west side which is expected to include seven residential communities, a business park, and a "suburban centre" in the coming years. (Construction of the suburban centre, which will include public and separate high schools, is scheduled to begin in 2006.)

In terms of commercial development, Saskatoon was somewhat slow in embracing the big box store format that replaced the traditional shopping mall in the mid‐to‐late 1990s, with the city's first true "power centre" not opening until the early 2000s. One of the city's main commercial districts, 8th Street East, experienced an influx of new businesses in the early 2000s after a number of automobile dealerships relocated to a new "auto mall" on the city's south side, leaving large vacancies along 8th Street. The opening of the city's first power centre, Preston Crossing, in 2002–2003 saw several major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire leave their original shopping mall locations in favor of the new site, requiring the malls to scramble to find replacement tenants. A second power centre on the city's south side is also planned. The development of these larger centres has led to something of a decrease in services in the downtown areas, with the few grocery stores in that region going out ot business or closing their doors in favour of the larger stores in the peripheral regions of the city.

The downtown core is seeing inceased developments with projects such as River Landing, lofts and entertainment going ahead. Located in the downtown core, Midtown Plaza is the largest shopping centre in the city with Sears Canada and the Bay as anchors.

Climate and Geography

Saskatoon lies on a long belt of rich, potassic chernozem in middle-southern Saskatchewan and is found in the Aspen parkland biome. 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 in the east side and the Silverwood-River Heights areas in the city's north end. 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 and experiences warm summers and very cold winters. The city has four distinct seasons. Extreme temperatures range from -40°C in winter to 40°C (-40°F to 104°F) in summer. Saskatoon is fairly dry; the average annual precipitation is 347.2mm (13.7in). A positive aspect of the low precipitation is that Saskatoon is one of the sunniest cities in Canada as a result, averaging 2,381 hours of bright sunshine annually. The extreme temperatures are also more tolerable on account of the typically low humidity.

The lowest temperature ever recorded in Saskatoon was -50°C in 1893. The lowest wind chill ever recorded was -61.9°C.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Saskatoon was 41°C in 1988.

Saskatoon's neighbourhoods

Transportation

Roads and Bridges

Saskatoon is located on the Yellowhead Highway also known as Saskatchewan Provincial Highway 16 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 following bridges cross the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon:

The above names are the official names, however locally several of the bridges are known by a number of different names. For example, the Victoria Bridge is also known as the Steel Bridge, the 19th Street Bridge, the Short Hill Bridge, and - most commonly - the Traffic Bridge. The University Bridge is also commonly known as the 25th Street Bridge.

Construction of Saskatoon's "ring road", Circle Drive, began in the mid-1960s (after having first been proposed in 1913) but as of 2006 the freeway was still only three-quarters completed. As well, unexpected growth has lead to sometimes severe congestion problems, the necessity of transport trucks to pass through busy commercial areas and a large number of light-controlled intersections, only recently being rectified by overpass constructions. Planning for the final section of Circle Drive, which will involve a new river crossing on the south side of the city and several interchanges, is under way and construction is expected to begin in the next few years. The province also has plans to construct another ring road (dubbed the "Perimeter Highway" like the "Perimeter Highway" in Winnipeg, Manitoba) farther out from the city within the next 20 years, as Saskatoon's population continues to steadily increase. Also now under construction is a realignment of Provincial Highway #7, one that will eventually link it to the Yellowhead Highway north of the city's airport.

In September 2005, the city gave approval to the installation of red-light cameras at the intersection of Circle Drive & Avenue C North. The measure was taken as a result of the intersection having the most collisions for three consecutive years. A trial period was run from September 19 to October 18. As of now, anyone who runs the red light at that intersection will be issued a fine of $220.00 by city police. *

The aforementioned unexpected closure of the Victoria Bridge in the fall of 2005 will require the building of a new city centre river crossing in the next few years, though the city has yet to decide whether the new bridge will maintain the look of the Victoria Bridge or be a more modern structure. As of late December 2005, the city was also weighing the costs of refurbishing the existing bridge to bring it back up to acceptable standards as a temporary measure until a new bridge is constructed in the future.

Additional traffic improvements under way or planned in Saskatoon include an interchange at College Drive (Hwy. 5) and Circle Drive (now under construction), and interchanges at Circle Drive's intersections with Clarence Avenue and Preston Avenue South, both of which are necessary to facilitate planned residential and commercial development on Saskatoon's south side. Residents have been lobbying for interchange construction at the two accident-prone intersections for some 35 years. Construction of the Clarence/Circle interchange is scheduled to finally begin in the second half of 2006*, although it is being constructed primarily to provide access to a proposed big box commercial development; construction of the Preston South/Circle Drive interchange has yet to be announced.

On January 9, 2006 The city announced the demolition of the 19th Street Underpass — a city landmark since the 1930s and the last vestige of the rail yards that used to dominate central Saskatoon — as part of the redevelopment of the city's south downtown.

Railways

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 Saskatchewan Railway Museum is located just outside the city.

Airports

The Saskatoon International Airport (YXE) is officially called the John G. Diefenbaker International Airport. It was renovated in 2004 and is the largest in the province, with over 900,000 travellers yearly. The airport has many non-stop flights to/from many major centres in Canada, as well to Minneapolis, via Northwest Airlines. In the winter charter flights operate to Mexico.

Saskatoon/Corman Air Park is located south-east of Saskatoon and is primarily used by private aircraft.

Education

University Of Saskatchewan

The University of Saskatchewan campus, is located along the eastern bank of the South Saskatchewan River and spans 7.55 km2. The university was established in 1907. The first classes were held in the Drinkle Building in downtown Saskatoon. Construction of the university campus in its current location began in 1909, and all of the original greystone facade buildings remain today. The university has a yearly attendance of roughly 19,000 students. The university is home to the Canadian Light Source, Canada's only synchrotron.

St Thomas More College is a Catholic federated college of the University of Saskatchewan. Affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan are the Lutheran Theological Seminary, College of Emmanuel and St. Chad (Anglican Church of Canada), and St. Andrew's College(United Church of Canada). All three are located on the university campus.

First Nations University of Canada

The First Nations University of Canada Saskatoon campus is located on Duke St, with the main campus in Regina.

Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology

The Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) Kelsey Campus is located at Idylwyld and 33rd Street. The campus was first established in 1963. SIAST is a college offering programs in business and agriculture, health and science, technology, industry, nursing, hospitality services, community services and basic education.

Gabriel Dumont Institute

The Gabriel Dumont Institute is a Métis education institute based in Saskatoon, that provides education services across Saskatchewan to the Métis comunity.

Regency College

Regency College, a private, for profit post-secondary career college.

Public and Catholic School Divisions

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

Radio stations

Television stations

Arts and Culture

Saskatoon's major arts venue is the Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium, recently renamed as TCU Place effective January 1, 2006, which is located adjacent to Midtown Plaza downtown. Since opening in 1967, it has hosted scores of concerts, theatrical performances, live events such as the Telemiracle telethon, high school graduation and university convocation ceremonies, and conventions. It is also home to the Saskatoon Symphony. It recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation to its main theatre (named in honor of former mayor and senator Sidney Buckwold) and in 2005 began an expansion to add additional convention facilities; this project is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2006.

For rock concerts and major shows, the Credit Union Centre (formerly Saskatchewan Place) is the main venue. It is Saskatchewan's largest arena, with a capacity of 11,300 for sporting events and 14,000 for concerts. Some acts that have played at Credit Union Centre include Aerosmith, Elton John, KISS, Metallica, Motley Crue, Guns N' Roses, Smashing Pumpkins, Garth Brooks, Cher, BB King, Britney Spears, Black Eyed Peas, Shania Twain, and Velvet Revolver.

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. Beginning in 2005 it began a major renovation project that will expand the size of the gallery by 70 per cent. In September 2005, however, the City of Saskatoon announced that it had entered discussions with the Mendel to the end of having the Mendel abandon its renovation/expansion project in favor of instead relocating the facility to a new arts and culture centre that is planned for the south downtown area; the Mendel has reportedly rejected this suggestion.

Saskatoon is also home of the Saskatchewan Western Development Museum. This museum, one of four throughout the province, documents early pioneer life in Saskatchewan. It is noted for its interior recreation of a "Boom Town" main street, including one original building relocated from its original site. The Saskatchewan Railway Museum is located just outside the city and includes displays of rolling stock and historic railway buildings from various parts of the province.

Saskatoon hosts a number of artist-run centres and smaller galleries, including AKA Gallery, Paved Art & New Media, The Saskatchewan Craft Council, Art Placement Gallery, and the Kenderdine Gallery.

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.

Saskatoon will be the 2007 host city for the Juno Awards which are Canada's foremost music industry honours.

Sports & Recreation

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

Many 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 with the opening of the new College of Kinesiology Building.

In 2003, Lions Skatepark was built in the Riversdale area.

Police Services

Correctional Facilities

Sister cities

Notable Saskatonians

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

Location relative to other communities in Saskatchewan

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

External links

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | Cities in Saskatchewan | Saskatoon

Saskatoon (Stadt) | Saskatoon | Saskatoon | Saskatoon | サスカトゥーン | Saskatoon (Saskatchewan) | Saskatoon | Saskatoon | Saskatoon (kaupunki)

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Saskatoon, Saskatchewan".

Home Page • arts • business • computers • games • health • hospitals • home • kids & teens • news • physicians • recreation• reference • regional • science • shopping • society • sports • world