Alberta: A place To Be

Do you have plans of either studying, visiting, or living in Alberta, here is what you should know.

Alberta: It is the western province of Canada with a population of about 4,121,692 as of July 1, 2014. The province has its capital city in Edmonton which is located at the geographical center of the province.  It is also, the fourth most popular in Canada and it is bounded by the province of British Columbia to the West and Saskatchwan to the East. However, Alberta is one of the three Canadian provinces and territories that border only a single U.S city and also, has seventeen cities all together.

The Five Major Cities In Alberta Are:

Edmonton

Lethbridge

St.Albert

Calgary





Red Deer

Other cities include; Airdrie, Brooks, Camrose, Cold Lake, Forte Saskatchewan, Grand Prairie, Lacombe, Laduc,  Lloydminister, Medicine Heart, Spruce Grove and Wetaskiwin. The largest and smallest cities are Calgary and Lacombe respectively.

Meanwhile, Alberta is uniquely blessed with stunning natural scenery that runs from prairies and boreal forest to foothills and abundances of natural resources. All these have helped Albartans create one of the most productive and highest standard living in the world.

There is a spirit of entrepreneurship, industry and community at work throughout the province, resulting  in thriving rural and urban communities and a diverse and innovative business environment, centered on energy, agriculture, forestry and tourism.

Economy

In Canada, Alberta's economy is one of the strongest. It has been supported by rapidly increasing petroleum, and to a lesser extend agriculture and technology. According to Statistic Canada, Alberta business, household and government sector all contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It also shows an estimate of 3.3% in 2013, the fourth straight year above 3%, outperforming Canada and US economic growth. However, the energy industry is said to be the key factor of Alberta's growth.

Tax

Albertans are one of the lowest taxed people in Canada. It is the province in Canada without a provincial sales tax (Residents are still subject to the federal sales tax, the Good and Services tax of 5%) and also, the only province in Canada to have flat taxes for personal income taxes, which is 10% of taxable income. 

Alberta has one of the most competitive business tax environments in North America, with their revenue mainly from royalties on Non-renewable natural resources, personal income tax, corporate and other taxes and grants from the federal government primarily for infrastructure projects.

Culture

The government of Alberta recognizes the art and cultural industries sectors as essential parts to the Albertan quality of life. Alberta Culture encourages the growth, accessibility and excellence of their arts and cultural industries sector. Events such as Mountiain Film Festival, Works Art and Design Festival and Edinburgh festival that are usually hosted at places like Banff centre, Calgary and Edmonton, highlights the province cultural diversity.

It is good to know that both Calgary and Edmonton are home to the Canadian Football League and National Hockey League Teams.