Calgary–Edmonton Corridor

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The corridor consists of Alberta's three most densely populated census divisions and three largest cities.

The Calgary–Edmonton Corridor is a geographical region of the Canadian province of Alberta. It is the most urbanized area in Alberta and is one of Canada's four most urban regions.[1] It consists of Statistics Canada Alberta census divisions No. 11, No. 8, and No. 6. Measured from north to south, the region covers a distance of approximately 400 km (250 mi). It includes the entire census metropolitan areas of Calgary and Edmonton and the census agglomerations of Red Deer and Wetaskiwin.[2]

Calgary is the largest city in the province of Alberta

Transportation[edit]

The Queen Elizabeth II (QE2) Highway (Highway 2), the busiest stretch of highway in Alberta, is the central spine of the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. A Canadian Pacific rail line runs generally parallel to the QE2 Highway, or its Highway 2A feeder system, between Calgary and Edmonton, however there is currently no passenger rail service.

The Calgary–Edmonton Corridor has two major international airports – the Calgary International and Edmonton International. The corridor is one of Canada's busiest commuter flight sectors. Many business people fly return trips in a single business day. Airlines that fly this route include Air Canada and WestJet having up to approximately 20 and 10 daily flights respectively.

Demographics[edit]

In the Canada 2001 Census, the population of the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor was 2,149,586, representing 72.3% of Alberta's population.[3] In the Canada 2011 Census, the corridor's population had increased to 2,703,380 or 74.2% of the province's population.

The following presents the historic population growth of the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor between 1996 and 2011 by its three census divisions.

Census division Area
(km²)[4]
Pop.
(2011)[4]
Pop.
(2006)[5]
Pop.
(2001)[6]
Pop.
(1996)[6]
Division No. 6 12,645.88 1,311,022 1,160,936 1,021,060 880,859
Division No. 8 9,909.31 189,243 175,337 153,049 133,592
Division No. 11 15,767.99 1,203,115 1,076,103 975,477 898,888
Calgary–Edmonton Corridor 38,323.18 2,703,380 2,412,376 2,149,586 1,913,339
Province of Alberta 640,081.87 3,645,257 3,290,350 2,974,807 2,696,826
Provincial proportion 6.0% 74.2% 73.3% 72.3% 70.9%

Growth[edit]

Edmonton, the capital of Alberta

The Calgary–Edmonton Corridor is one of the fastest growing regions in the country because of the surging wealth of oil during the early 21st century. A 2003 study by TD Bank Financial Group found the corridor is the only Canadian urban centre to amass a U.S. level of wealth while maintaining a Canadian-style quality of life, offering universal health care benefits.[7] The study found GDP per capita in the corridor is 10% above average U.S. metropolitan areas and 40% above other Canadian cities. Much of this is because of large oil revenues.

Census subdivisions[edit]

The following are lists of the census subdivisions within the Calgary Region and Edmonton Capital Region portions of the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. The Edmonton Capital Region's eight summer villages are not listed.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 52°09′36″N 113°48′36″W / 52.160°N 113.810°W / 52.160; -113.810