n.
City (pop., 2001: city, 666,104; metro. area, 937,845), capital of Alberta, Canada Located on the Saskatchewan River , in the centre of the province, it began as a series of fur-trading posts built from 1795.
With the arrival of the railway and an influx of settlers in the late 19th century, Edmonton began to prosper economically, and in 1905 it became the capital of the new province of Alberta. The 1947 discovery of petroleum in the area greatly stimulated the city's growth; an agricultural and oil-based economy still prevails. It is the distribution centre of northwestern Canada. Its cultural and educational institutions include the University of Alberta (1906).