9 Canadian cities with unusual claims to fame
Posted June 8, 2016 3:30 pm.
Last Updated June 8, 2016 7:32 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Affordability, jobs, population growth — yawn. Some Canadian cities are worth highlighting for far more interesting reasons. As part of its Best Places to Live feature, MoneySense Magazine found nine municipalities with unusual claims to fame.
Most pickup trucks
Fort St. John, B.C.
49% of all cars are pickup trucks.
Population: More than 21,000
Of interest: Also known as “The Energetic City.” The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) can be seen here during the fall and winter.
Most singles
Whistler, B.C.
86% of residents are unmarried.
Population: 10,448 permanent residents
Of interest: Whistler hosted the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and has about 2.5 million visitors a year.
Fastest growing
Okotoks, Alta.
3.6% annualized population growth
Population: 27,331 (expected to grow to 80,000 people over the next few decades)
Of interest: The town’s name comes from the Blackfoot First Nation word for “rock.” Okotoks is 7 kilometres from the “Big Rock,” the largest glacial erratic in North America. (Glacial erratics are rocks transported by a glacier to another area.)
Coldest city
Yellowknife
105 days below -20°C
Population: 20,300
Of interest: Yellowknife has its origins in gold mining. Diamonds were found in the area in 1991.
Most German
Steinbach, Man.
26% of residents sprechen Deutsch.
Population: 13,524
Of interest: Steinbach was founded in 1874 by 18 Mennonite families from Russia. It had only one real distinguishing feature: a stony brook or Steinbach in German.
Lowest crime rate
Petawawa, Ont.
Just 1.8 reported incidents per 100 residents
Population: 16,000
Of interest: In the Algonquin language, Petawawa means “where one hears the noise of the water.” The town is home to CFB Petawawa.
Most new luxury cars
Boucherville, Que.
1.6% of cars sold are luxury cars.
Population: 40,753
Of interest: A suburb of Montreal, Boucherville was first founded as a parish in 1667. Hardware giant Rona has its headquarters here.
Most doctors
Edmundston, N.B.
There are 5.5 docs per 1,000 patients.
Population: 16,000
Of interest: The city was named after a former governor of New Brunswick, Sir Edmund Walker Head, who visited the area in 1856. Before the colonists arrived, Native Canadians called it “Madoueskak,” which means “the place of the porcupines.”
