Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
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| Saskatoon nickname: "The Bridge City", "The Hub City" | ||
| Missing image University_Bridge.jpg Broadway Bridge in Saskatoon | ||
| Area - Area | 148.34 km² | |
| Population - Total (2001) - Metropolitan (2001) - Cdn. Metro. Rank - Density (2001) | 196,811 225,927 Ranked 17th 1305.5/km² | |
| Time zone | Central Standard Time: UTC-6 | |
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Latitude
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| Mayor | Don Atchison | |
| Governing Body | Saskatoon City Council | |
| City of Saskatoon (http://www.saskatoon.ca/) | ||
Saskatoon is a city located in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Saskatoon is the most populous city in the province. 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 Cree word for the saskatoon berry, "misaskwatomin." 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, many residents began referring to the city by the nickname "'Toontown", after a similarly named location in the film. A tongue-in-cheek nickname for the city by some residents 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.
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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 arrived on the site of what is now Saskatoon by travelling by railway from Ontario to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. From Moose Jaw to Saskatoon they had to travel by horse-drawn cart as the railway had yet to be completed to Saskatoon. The Temperance Colony was unable to obtain a large block of land within the community and the plan was doomed from the beginning.
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.
Demographics
Racial Diversity
- Caucasian: 83.9%
- Aboriginal: 9.8%
- Chinese: 2.0%
- Other: 4.3%
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.
Climate
Saskatoon has four distinct seasons. Temperatures range from -40°C in winter to 40°C in summer. It is fairly dry, average annual precipitation is 347.2mm. Saskatoon is one of the sunniest cities in Canada, averaging 2,381 hours annually.
Transportation
Saskatoon is located on the Yellowhead Highway connecting Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia. Provincial Highways #11, #41, #12, #14, #7, #5, and #219 all meet at Saskatoon.
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 recently renovated Saskatoon International Airport (YXE) (also referred to as John G. Diefenbaker International Airport) 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.
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 17,000 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 (http://www.scs.sk.ca/).
Local media
Newspapers
- Saskatoon Star-Phoenix (http://www.canada.com/saskatoon/starphoenix/) (daily)
- Saskatoon Sun (Star-Phoenix weekly supplement)
- Planet S (alternative weekly)
- The Sheaf (http://www.thesheaf.com/) (U of S Students' Newspaper)
Radio stations
- CFCR (http://www.cfcr.ca) 90.5 (community radio)
- CKOM 650 (news)
- CJWW (http://www.cjwwradio.com/) 600 (country music, news, and talk)
- CFMC (http://www.c95.com/) - C95 (adult contemporary, top 40)
- CBC Saskatchewan (http://sask.cbc.ca/)
- CJMK (http://www.magic983.fm/) - Magic 98.3 (adult contemporary)
- CFQC (http://www.hot93.com/) - Hot 93 (country music, sports)
- CJDJ - Rock 102
Television stations
- SCN (http://www.scn.ca) - Saskatchewan Community Network
- CFSK (http://www.canada.com/saskatoon/) - Global
- CBKST (http://www.sask.cbc.ca/) - CBC
- CBKFT (http://www.radio-canada.ca/) - Radio-Canada
- CFQC (http://www.ctv.ca/) - CTV
Arts and culture
The Mendel Art Gallery is situated on the bank of the South Saskatchewan River and is currently undergoing a major renovation to be completed in the fall of 2004. Saskatoon is also home of the Western Development Museum, showcasing the life of pioneer life in Saskatchewan.
Wanuskewin Heritage Park is a National Historic Site situated 5 km 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, Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, the Children's Festival, the Saskatoon International Fringe Festival (alternative Theatre), Folk Fest (cultural festival) and the Canada Remembers Airshow.
The Saskatoon Blades of the WHL host their games in Credit Union Centre (formerly known as Saskatchewan Place).
Police Services
Saskatoon Police Service
Correctional Facilities
Regional Psychiatric Centre
Famous Saskatonians
Notable persons who were born or grew up in Saskatoon:
- John Diefenbaker - Former Prime Minister of Canada
- Ray Hnatyshyn - Former Governor General of Canada
- Gordie Howe - Ice Hockey player
- Roy Romanow - Former Premier of Saskatchewan
- Farley Mowat - Novelist
- Guy Vanderhaeghe - Author
- Joni Mitchell - Musician, Artist
- Ethel Catherwood - Olympic Medalist
- Catriona LeMay Doan - Speed skater, Olympic Medalist
- David Williams - Physician, Astronaut
- Graham Potts - Academic, Story Teller
- Roderick Toombs - a.k.a. Rowdy Roddy Piper, wrestler
- Dr. W.A.S. Sarjeant, aka Antony Swithin, Geology professor and author
Location relative to other communities in Saskatchewan
| North: Martensville | Warman | ||
| West: Biggar | Saskatoon | East: Humboldt |
| South: Dundurn |
External links
- City of Saskatoon Official Website (http://www.saskatoon.ca/)
- Tourism Saskatoon (http://www.tourismsaskatoon.com/)
- Innovation Place Research Park Website (http://www.innovationplace.com/)
- Explore Saskatoon Weblog (http://explore.bridgecity.net)
- Wanuskewin Heritage Park (http://www.wanuskewin.com/)de:Saskatoon