Capital City

Edmonton is a joke. As Alberta's capital city, it houses a) North America's second largest mall, b) Alberta's legislative houses, and c) our idiot premier, Ed Stelmach.

As a Calgarian, I am obligated to hate Edmonton. That's just how it is. Calgarians hate Edmontonians (jesus that's a long name), and Edmontonians hate Calgarians. But the rivalry exists for more than just the fact that Edmonton is Edmonton, and Calgary is Calgary.

Calgary is host every year to the Stampede Exhibition and Showcase. It has laid its claim as the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. We know this is true because during Stampede week (which isn't really a week, it's actually 10 days) Calgary's economy skyrockets. All the hotels fill up, we get visitors from around the world, and attendance nets in around 1.2 million visitors (Calgary's population recently hit 1 million). By comparison, Edmonton follows up with its Klondike Days (now sadly known only as Edmonton's Capital Ex), a poor imitation of Calgary's rodeo and exhibition.

Calgary is also home to the headquarters of many major electrical corporations (ATCO Group, ENMAX), oil companies (Imperial Oil, PetroCanada), and gas companies (ATCO Gas). Being a province drowning in the surplus reaped from a booming energy market, Calgary sees the majority of that market share being used to improve what is clearly the better city. In Edmonton, funds are running so low that snow which has been on the ground since early this winter, has not yet been cleared. Calgary, meanwhile, has had several snowfalls, each of which was dealt with accordingly with gravel and street cleaning following each melt. As a result, many roads in Edmonton are lined with massive piles of hardened snow and ice.

Lastly, Calgary is home to Stephen Harper's political riding, Calgary South-West. Joe Clark, former leader of the PC party also represented Calgary SW. Calgary SW is situated in and around Mount Royal, a neighborhood that was once used to house executives of major energy corporations. As a result, it is one of Calgary's wealthiest neighborhoods, with properties ranging in the millions (10 years ago, the average price for property stood at around $300,000, and is now $1.4 million).

A minor geographical note, Edmonton is not situated along the TransCanada highway, it sits 3 hours North of Hwy1.

Calgary is clearly the superior city, and were it not for the legislative buildings located way up there, we would be fully deserving of the title, Alberta's Capital.