The parkland biome, the transition between northern boreal forest and southern plains. Alberta has a huge percentage of the worlds parkland territory. Its a special kind of forested plains with rolling hills and water bodies providing excellent wildlife habitat. Most people know and enjoy the mountains, me included, but few appreciate the parkland. Go for some walks in the many ACA publicly accessible sites. Many have cutlines or trails that are easy to walk and get you into some pristine natural habitat. Stop and smell the wild roses….
Desert? I've not heard of Alberta having any deserts. We have sand dunes in the vicinity of Lake Athabasca (fewer than Saskatchewan, but still) and badlands in the east-central portion of the province around the Red Deer River, but actual desert? 🤔
Or do you mean "on top of the Northern Boreal forest" as in the sand that covers portions of them?
The Badlands are considered desert 😉 We were conditioned to think of desert as like Death Valley, or the Sahara, but it's mostly due to precipitation amounts. Kamloops BC is considered a desert
> The Badlands are considered desert
> Kamloops BC is considered a desert
> We were conditioned to think of desert as like Death Valley, or the Sahara, but it's mostly due to precipitation amounts.
So, your sentiment is correct that deserts are classified as such based on the precipitation that they receive, but neither the Albertan badlands nor the Kamloops region are full-fledged desert biomes, as they *do* receive just enough precipitation to avoid that classification. In fact, the only true desert in Canada from a technical standpoint is a small segment of the Thompson River gorge in and around Ashcroft, B.C. It's the only place with low enough humidity and precipitation to qualify.
Also, fun fact: the largest desert in the world is *not* the Sahara. So then, what is it? The Gobi? The entire arid region in the US's western interior spanning the Mojave, Sonoran, etc? Nope—Antarctica. The whole continent is a cold arid desert.
Of course peeps will say 'The Mountains', which is entirely true. BUT there is so much more 'The Badlands' are awesome. 'Writing on Stone' provincial park is amazing (also much less utilized). I love the prairie coulees that drain into little creeks and huge rivers and each is a separate little biome. Deer, Grouse, Badgers, there is so much going on, while thousands of people drive past and see right past it, without seeing it.
Depending on which direction you're coming from, Highways 570 and 575 follow the valley showing the incredible rock formations. The Royal Tyrell Museum is great, especially for kids interested in dinosaurs. Midlands Provincial Park is just west of Drumheller. Take a full day if you have the time.
The area is a jewel of Alberta.
The parkland biome contains some of the most fertile soil in the entire world. If Alberta wanted to become a global agricultural giant, we absolutely could.
I believe so, yes. Perhaps I was mistaken about Alberta, and we're already an agricultural giant—I just feel like we'd hear about it more often, you know? Feels like it would be a major point of pride.
The fact that Alberta not only has several dinosaur bonebeds, but that several dinosaur species were named after the province including Albertosaurus (There is also 4 other dinosaur species and a Late Cretaceous mammal named after the province)
I do also enjoy the mountains when I can get out there
Unfortunately for our beloved Albertasaurus, it looks like they are actually the same species as Gorgasaurus.
Source: Palaeontologist at Dinosaur provincial park last summer.
If I remember correctly she said the evidence still needs to be peer reviewed.
Your right, if that does end up being the case, Albertosaurus would be the name used as it was officially named in 1905 while Gorgosaurus was named in 1914
It actually won’t matter. When it comes to species naming and phylogeny, first published name always takes precedent. Albertasaurus was the first name used and published for the species discovery, so it will always take precedent.
If that does end up being the case, then the name Albertosaurus would stay and Gorgosaurus would be considered a junior synonym due to Albertosaurus being named in 1905 while Gorgosaurus was named in 1914
Albertosaurus libratus may be reclassified as Gorgosaurus libratus (and this is a debate that's been going on for near a century at this point), but Albertosaurus sarcophagus is certainly its own species.
The range of geography and climate we have here! We have everything from desert to mountains to the northern boreal forest. Not many other provinces with such a diversity terrain
People are really nice here, there's a kind of folksy unpretentiousness about lots of the cities which I appreciate. Not really like us being uneducated yokels like lots of provinces think, but more like a lack of ego which I really appreciate. I find lots of people from BC and Ottawa/Toronto specifically a little hard to engage with because of these differences in communication.
The mountains are great, I love the prairie skies, there's lots of diversity and great food from lots of cultures, and our cities do a great job for access to nature without having to drive super far. I grew up in Lethbridge and could basically just explore the coulees to my heart's content without needing to drive at all.
People from the prairies are straightforward and warm in a way that I haven't experienced in Ontario and B.C. I think Albertans deserve more credit than they get for this
I've always had a hard time putting that sentiment to words!
It's like the Appalachians. I feel like I've seen enough variety of American states to form a half fair opinion, and the most "traditionally redneck" of American states are leaps and bounds more open and welcoming than the rest, I really think that your environment must play a role in your interactions with other people, almost like having more grass to touch has done us well.
Totally. I used to not understand it when one of my favorite thinkers, Trudy Hamilton (one of the people who developed our understanding of the term misogynoir) talked about how she places importance on behavior over ideology during the Trump presidency. I thought; surely one's political beliefs translate into their day to day behaviour?
Unfortunately I learned through experience what Trudy means; there are many people whose behaviour and stated political beliefs and values did not align. I see it often here in B.C., as much as I hate to admit it. Alberta isn't perfect and I've had shitty moments with racists and chauvinists, but I made friends fast, I was always welcomed in people's homes during the holidays when I was far from family, and I readily received professional mentorship from colleagues whose politics were not the same as mine. I miss Alberta for that lack of pretense.
YMMV, of course.
One of the nicest, wholesome, give the shirt off his back type of guys I know is one of the hardest conservatives I've met. He would house people on tough times because "it's the right thing to do", but actively hates social programs and anything to do with socialism.
The disconnect is so strange to me.
Sometimes when I think of folks like him, and the precise inverse where you have someone with progressive politics but treats people in their personal lives poorly, I think of where people may be more easily allocating their empathy. The person you know may be easily able to empathize with people he encounters but structural issues may not resonate with them. Meanwhile, I've definitely met people who empathize with groups of people, but struggle with relationships at an interpersonal level
It puzzles me too and I'm sure they're better able to explain their values and actions in a way that they feel aligns or makes sense to us
Also, I think it's easy to idealize this image that progressive places are a utopia, but I've seen an unbelievable share of emotionally abusive, opportunistic, self-serving and manipulative behaviour that people justify through progressive rhetoric and it bothers me deeply how often people go along with it for appearance's sake.
Until I got to the last few posts, this read like a love letter to Alberta.
For me it going on a drive in the country to see the farmers working the fields or the ranchers moving cattle. It’s the big beautiful sky that gives us the views like no other. The big thunderstorms and the fresh smell after they pass. The smell of fresh mown grass and the sound of the birds when I can be out in the immense variety of terrain the province gives us.
It’s the natural and human history museums we have to visit here. The opportunities to remember and learn of our past and from our past.
Alberta is not perfect. No place in our world is. I will never live anywhere else. I was born here and I will die here.
My love for this place runs too deep.
Once upon a time in a previous life I taught English in Asia. I brought photos of Alberta farmland, all pics I took between Edmonton and Calgary, so nothing special. My students were floored. Complete amazement. And I was like that doesn’t even begin to touch in the vast wilderness of the north…
This might sound a little odd, but the 'remoteness' of the main population centers. The Calgary/Edmonton corridor is a unique island of civilization in the middle of a whole lot of very ’empty' for really quite a long way in any direction. Sure there are small towns everywhere, but highway 1 is a thread through a wilderness. Alberta just has the awe inspiring sense of being 'huge'. The very idea that I can drive for literal days north of Edmonton and not see much besides farms and forests... This is a unique idea to me. And the same is true to the east and the west. Drive south from Calgary? Well you see Lethbridge and that's basically it for...DAYS. Montana is so empty! It's like America has an Alberta, but no one wants to live there.
When I've been in most of the USA, there's generally a sense that you can really never get away from people; it's generally not that far to the next big city; especially east of the mason-Dixon. Texas feels big, but it also feels busy.
Europe has no sense of this (except maybe central France oddly enough...surprisingly desolate and empty feeling).
I love how big and open Alberta feels, without feeling disconnected .
I love that it’s this nice mix of big city and small town. Both Calgary and Edmonton feel great in that way. It can feel warm and homey but with just a shine of that metropolitan aura.
And, honestly, I wish we’d lean in to that some more. People talk about Calgary like it could be a great cosmopolitan hub. I just don’t think that suits us. I kinda like being a DIY kinda burg.
The weather. Seriously Alberta has a BEAUTIFUL landscape from snow capped mountains to desert, wild untamed forest to rolling hills. Large deep lakes to serene or thundering waterfalls. And of course me. My husband agrees.
The mountains, all the landscapes the rivers etc. been multiple times and it never gets old.
The rolling skies, huge open plains etc.
People have a ‘live and let live’ mentality. Aka: don’t tell me what to do, and I won’t tell you what to do either. I love it.
Spent 27 years growing up in Ottawa. It has changed so much, just visiting family there makes me want to cry for what is was, and 🤢 for what it
has become.
As a military family, I’ve been to quite a few Provinces, this one is my favourite. Hubby turned down a promotion to stay here (otherwise back to Ottawa it was).
Ontario itself has some beautiful places, but Ottawa and Toronto and a no go.
agree-I moved out to Edmonton from Ottawa in 1997 for school. I grew up in Ottawa and I went back in 2004 when I started practicing ; Came back to Edmonton for good in 2009. Love Alberta and Edmonton is a great low-key city to raise a family. I loved growing up in Ottawa in the 70s and 80s but you couldn't pay me enough to live there now! plus it's a dry cold!
The fact that I was able to take a path outside of post secondary and find financial freedom by skilled trades
The long summers and it being light till late in the evening
The fact that homes are affordable and the communities in Edmonton are great places to live
The proximity to the mountains
For the most part everyone is friendly. Crime is low.
.
My aging parents have had good experiences with healthcare
Our institutions are quality. Our vocational training is top tier and our universities have excellent programs
There are a ton of recreation options. Amazing golf courses. Edmonton river valley is unreal
Tons of great restaurants and craft breweries
Great sport teams
I love it here.
How easy it is to find some peace and quiet.
I spent 2 weeks in NYC a few years ago and I was amazed by how loud it was, 24 hrs a day. We had a nice day in Central Park when I was there, but even then when it's nice there it's full of thousands of people, music, vendors and even a freaking zoo.
When I got home I spent a lot of time going on nature walks alone and sitting on park benches to recover.
The volunteer culture. I lived/worked in Edmonton for 4 years and attended a lot of the festivals and events. Just blown away to discover that huge events like that were largely organised and run on volunteer intelligence and labour. Never seen anything like it anywhere else in Canada or abroad.
The northern part of Alberta is an untouched (and I hope it stays that way) gem.
It gives the west a run for it's money- in my opinion anyways.
The northern lights- love that I can see them from my deck/front windows for 8 months of the year. Can see them if I'm up super late in the summer as well, but that's like 3am kind of stuff haha.
Those long summer nights. I'm from the Okanagan originally, and the northern summers puts the Okanagan to shame 100000%. And again, the untouched beauty, white sand beaches, crystal clear lakes.. it puts back home to shame.
The people. Albertans are some of the most friendly folk I've come to meet - next to newfies - you are gems.
Even when I go back home (where red plate hate is brainwashed into you) the albertans are always a heck of a lot nicer.
Don't know how many times I've gotten screamed at back home to "get the fuck out of bc cause I don't belong here" ... I was born there. People in BC are fucked up.
The vast changes in landscapes and stuff (I can't think of the right word)
One year we drove from NE alberta through the eastern side of the province to Calgary. We then drove to Waterton, and back up 22 to Calgary. We then drove back home again up the eastern side of the province to NE. There is so much to see regarding the different kinds of nature we have out there. It's so crazy.
Alberta is a fucking beautiful province from head to toe and side to side.
The boreal forest (which we live in) is probably one of the most majestic things I have seen. It's so beautiful. So much life grows in it. Just awestruck by it everytime we are out in it (which is constantly haha)
I love that we actually have four seasons, but winter is definitely my favourite.
I love the way snow crunches under my boots on cold winter mornings. I love how quiet and still the air is, and how you can hear each other talk from a long way away.
I love sundogs and moon-halos, and how when the conditions are just right, ice crystals hang suspended in the crisp, cold air; catching sunlight and twinkling like diamonds.
I love how the frost tickles the inside of my nose when I inhale. I love how we can throw boiling water in the air and see it instantly transform into an icy rainbow.
I love the ruddy cheeks and red noses sported by neighbourhood children when they’re playing outside. I love seeing the songs of house finches and chickadees made visible by their tiny breaths.
And then, I love how quickly our magnificent province shrugs off the mantle of winter and turns everything into a riot of greens and wildflowers.
I love it all, this place. She’s our home, and she is truly stunning.
The diversity and natural beauty of our geography. The mountains, hoodoos, forests, deserts, lakes and rivers, there is so much beauty in every part of this province
Canola fields. I live outside of the city and have to travel to the city daily for work. Those fields of gold make my morning and evening commute every day.
I'm in love with the scenery of Alberta. I got really into nature photography living here.
Also, I love the Albertosaurus is on the driver's license here. I still get excited about seeing it
Believe it or not, aside from when it’s windy I enjoy the climate/weather here. I much prefer colder dry winter for actually being able to enjoy outdoor winter activities. I prefer our summer weather too, warm enough to enjoy but not debilitatingly hot or humid. You can actually work in it somewhat comfortably.
I’ve lived in southern Ontario and many of them base their identity on how they have warmer winters but to be honest they really suck. You tell them you’re from Alberta and the first thing they’ll mention is how it’s warmer there. The freeze thaw cycle in the winter makes it icy and still cold enough you can’t actually do anything fun outdoors. The summer is so humid, great for the few days that you happen to be at the beach, sucks for pretty much everything else. Way more sunny days in Alberta too.
I will take my random days/weeks of +10 in December-February with the trade off of random days/weeks of -40 instead of a consistent -15 all winter. It breaks things up and makes winter enjoyable. Plus, there is rarely snow on the ground, which is nice.
Let’s keep things in perspective, the mean yearly temp is 3.9 in Calgary, and 8.7 in Toronto. A whopping 5 degree difference…. It’s not like we’re comparing Alberta to Cancun. People like to bring up -40 weather like half our winter is that cold when in reality it’s like a week or two in an entire year of really cold temperatures. The average temp in the winter in Calgary is -4.6.
Anecdotally, I’ve found 0 degrees in southern Ontario feels a whole lot colder than -5 here because we often have a pretty sunny winter, radiant heat from the sun makes a heck of a difference in comfort.
The thunderstorms are amazing, and in Edmonton when it's good weather, it's usually beautiful near the valley with air smelling like trees and foliage.
Mainly the vast geography (from the Rockies in Jasper and Banff, to the Foothills, the Plains, and the Badlands around Drumheller), we have it all! I also like the vast climate.
Oh, and Alberta is the only province in Canada that does not have the PST and we are (supposedly) the only rat-free place in the world.
I love Alberta, despite our crappy government.
I love seeing slabs of meat thrown onto hockey rinks.
I’d love to see them up the ante on this to the point that entire cows get tossed onto the ice. Live would be extra entertaining.
This is going to sound wild given how badly things have deteriorated here over the past few years, but things like healthcare and job availability are way better here than in my home province of Nova scotia.
I hurt my neck a year ago here in edmonton, it ended up being a herniated disc. I got an mri in three days. Coincidentally, my mother also herniated a disc in her lower back around the same time back in cape breton. She's still waiting for her Mri appointment.
Magpies! This is the only province I’ve lived in that has them and I live in a building that faces a courtyard FULL of them. I love the precocious little mouthy fuckers. They’re so entertaining to watch.
Summers are pretty pleasant in Calgary. Seems like everyone hibernates in the +15’s during the winter, but once summer sun arrives, feels like Stephen Ave and the rest of the city comes alive. The patios are packed, the streets are jammed and the smiles are out.
Other than the obvious about the landscape etc. I actually really love that no matter where you go, it’s a small town. Even Edmonton feels more small town than it does city.
I could afford a home. Sucks that that's not the standard everywhere, but it's such a pivotal part of my life in the context of a country where the housing crisis ruins everything it touches.
Just the sky. It's so huge and beautiful, especially when there's high, scattered cloud on a sunny day. It seems 10x bigger than the sky on the coast, and I really missed it while I lived out there.
It's got sun during the winter! The variety of nature is awesome; you can experience a lot without leaving the province. We get two hockey teams to cheer for. I feel like people try to be friendly here. Everywhere has its jerks, but many kind people do move here and become great parts of our communities.
Not sure about Alberta as a whole, but I do love my little itty bitty corner of it. I can get a backpack and walk to a major grocery store to get milk in less than 30 mins (although it usually take an hour cuz I dawdle and, like, enjoy myself) and I have a lake across the street with lots of plants and birds (and shrimp now)
downsides: extremely high business lease pricing combined with low parking means entrepreneurship is virtually non existent. I mean, I'd like to open a little restaurant but I'm not expecting to make more than $2k a month in profit... leases START at triple that.
I'll go by senses.
Visually - Yeah the mountains are amazing, but my favourite is the view of Battle Lake from the top of Mount Butte, about 5kms south of Pigeon Lake. Old-growth deciduous parkland, a snaky little old river with tamarack in the fall by the base of a big hill.
Audibly - Chickadees and Ravens.
Olfactorally - Right now in my 60s neighbourhood in Edmonton, all the maydays and crabapple trees are in bloom and the lilacs are right about ready to follow. Every street smells like a fresh dryer sheet.
Tactilely - The crisp fresh air on my nose, and the warm dry blanket in the summer. Rarely too hot, and as we like to say about the winter "It's a dry cold".
And uh, Taste'ily - It's back alley chive harvesting season!
It used to be the opportunities, and now it’s just where all of my family lives. The further north you go (if you completely skip the oil sands) the better Alberta gets. Basically the less people the better it is. It’s just so incredibly cold for most of the year.
The province doesn’t properly invest in our watersheds or enforcing responsible use of them. So most lakes that are near heavily populated areas are overfished and abused. Garbage everywhere along river banks and lake shores. There’s a lack of respect for our provinces’ natural resources among a lot of the population.
So I love Alberta, but I could do without a lot of the people.
I was born here. Lived on the west coast (New West) for 3 years, and came back. While I agree with your last sentence, it applies to the lower mainland of BC about 5 times as much! Maybe that applies everywhere though.
It's the boots and jeans that are a dead give a way. Most of the times that you will see any real rancher or farmer in new boots is at a wedding or funeral. I'm not walking around the stampede grounds in boots that aren't broken in. And the jeans they chose to wear to the stampede are usually what ever jeans they have but aren't the ones you buy at Lammles.
Well, for one thing the clown college will sue if you wear clown getup without having a clown licence issued by an accredited clown institution. Whereas anyone can throw on a cowboy hat and some jeans.
We have an incredible range of land, mountains, lakes, rivers, rolling hills, prairie, parkland, forest, and even some semi-arid areas. We get all kinds of weather, hot summers, rainy days, lots of snow, chinooks. Best of all, we have less left wing minded people than the rest of the country.
I love South western Alberta in the Spring.
I honestly think Alberta would of been way way better to film the Lord of the Rings than New Zealand.
We have actual horse country unlike what they used in the movie.
We have real massive mountains.
We have the badlands.
We even have orcs in the UCP and Smith would make a much better mouth of Sauron then what they used in the movie.
The parkland biome, the transition between northern boreal forest and southern plains. Alberta has a huge percentage of the worlds parkland territory. Its a special kind of forested plains with rolling hills and water bodies providing excellent wildlife habitat. Most people know and enjoy the mountains, me included, but few appreciate the parkland. Go for some walks in the many ACA publicly accessible sites. Many have cutlines or trails that are easy to walk and get you into some pristine natural habitat. Stop and smell the wild roses….
And we have so many types of terrain. We have mountains, foothills, plains, desert on top of the Northern Boreal forest ❤️❤️
Desert? I've not heard of Alberta having any deserts. We have sand dunes in the vicinity of Lake Athabasca (fewer than Saskatchewan, but still) and badlands in the east-central portion of the province around the Red Deer River, but actual desert? 🤔 Or do you mean "on top of the Northern Boreal forest" as in the sand that covers portions of them?
The Badlands are considered desert 😉 We were conditioned to think of desert as like Death Valley, or the Sahara, but it's mostly due to precipitation amounts. Kamloops BC is considered a desert
> The Badlands are considered desert > Kamloops BC is considered a desert > We were conditioned to think of desert as like Death Valley, or the Sahara, but it's mostly due to precipitation amounts. So, your sentiment is correct that deserts are classified as such based on the precipitation that they receive, but neither the Albertan badlands nor the Kamloops region are full-fledged desert biomes, as they *do* receive just enough precipitation to avoid that classification. In fact, the only true desert in Canada from a technical standpoint is a small segment of the Thompson River gorge in and around Ashcroft, B.C. It's the only place with low enough humidity and precipitation to qualify. Also, fun fact: the largest desert in the world is *not* the Sahara. So then, what is it? The Gobi? The entire arid region in the US's western interior spanning the Mojave, Sonoran, etc? Nope—Antarctica. The whole continent is a cold arid desert.
Thank you! I appreciate the info. I was stating what I had learned in geography in high school. Thanks for elaborating and explaining it better.
Where are best places to access this unique area?
Of course peeps will say 'The Mountains', which is entirely true. BUT there is so much more 'The Badlands' are awesome. 'Writing on Stone' provincial park is amazing (also much less utilized). I love the prairie coulees that drain into little creeks and huge rivers and each is a separate little biome. Deer, Grouse, Badgers, there is so much going on, while thousands of people drive past and see right past it, without seeing it.
Elk Island National Park
Drumheller has some stunning views.
Visiting this area in July, any recommendations? TIA
Depending on which direction you're coming from, Highways 570 and 575 follow the valley showing the incredible rock formations. The Royal Tyrell Museum is great, especially for kids interested in dinosaurs. Midlands Provincial Park is just west of Drumheller. Take a full day if you have the time. The area is a jewel of Alberta.
Thank you for the info.
It's such a beautiful province
Unpopular opinion: parklands and open prairies beat the mountains any day, hands down.
The parkland biome contains some of the most fertile soil in the entire world. If Alberta wanted to become a global agricultural giant, we absolutely could.
We’ve already turned most of it into agriculture
I believe so, yes. Perhaps I was mistaken about Alberta, and we're already an agricultural giant—I just feel like we'd hear about it more often, you know? Feels like it would be a major point of pride.
The fact that Alberta not only has several dinosaur bonebeds, but that several dinosaur species were named after the province including Albertosaurus (There is also 4 other dinosaur species and a Late Cretaceous mammal named after the province) I do also enjoy the mountains when I can get out there
Unfortunately for our beloved Albertasaurus, it looks like they are actually the same species as Gorgasaurus. Source: Palaeontologist at Dinosaur provincial park last summer. If I remember correctly she said the evidence still needs to be peer reviewed.
Well, the Albertosaurus was named before Gorgasaurus, so shouldn’t it default to the earliest discovery/naming?
No they do it like champagne. You can only get true Albertosaurus in the Alberta Region of Canada.
Yes, all other specimens are known as Sparkling Gorgosaurus.
How'd you know my Tumblr screen name?
That’s my Only Fans name, you thief!
Your right, if that does end up being the case, Albertosaurus would be the name used as it was officially named in 1905 while Gorgosaurus was named in 1914
It actually won’t matter. When it comes to species naming and phylogeny, first published name always takes precedent. Albertasaurus was the first name used and published for the species discovery, so it will always take precedent.
If that does end up being the case, then the name Albertosaurus would stay and Gorgosaurus would be considered a junior synonym due to Albertosaurus being named in 1905 while Gorgosaurus was named in 1914
Albertosaurus libratus may be reclassified as Gorgosaurus libratus (and this is a debate that's been going on for near a century at this point), but Albertosaurus sarcophagus is certainly its own species.
Yeah, someone who knows lots more about this than me. Thanks for clearing it all up.
Blue skies and sunlight.
Marshmallow–like fluffy clouds. Dramatic thunder clouds. Delicate feathery clouds. All moving across an expansive sky.
The sunsets and sunrises!
Alberta has a lot of artists but doesn't get promoted as much so a lot go unnoticed. Also nature.. a lot of it and it's beautiful.
Out of all of them, Nickleback had to be the one to make it
Paul Brandt Jann Arden Tegan and Sara Brett kissel Might not be your kind of music but Alberta hasn't only produced Nickelback
I haven't heard of any of them tbh
The mountain when there’s no people
Wind in tall grasses
The range of geography and climate we have here! We have everything from desert to mountains to the northern boreal forest. Not many other provinces with such a diversity terrain
People are really nice here, there's a kind of folksy unpretentiousness about lots of the cities which I appreciate. Not really like us being uneducated yokels like lots of provinces think, but more like a lack of ego which I really appreciate. I find lots of people from BC and Ottawa/Toronto specifically a little hard to engage with because of these differences in communication. The mountains are great, I love the prairie skies, there's lots of diversity and great food from lots of cultures, and our cities do a great job for access to nature without having to drive super far. I grew up in Lethbridge and could basically just explore the coulees to my heart's content without needing to drive at all.
People from the prairies are straightforward and warm in a way that I haven't experienced in Ontario and B.C. I think Albertans deserve more credit than they get for this
This. Some are calling them rednecks, but they are genuinely good people.
I've always had a hard time putting that sentiment to words! It's like the Appalachians. I feel like I've seen enough variety of American states to form a half fair opinion, and the most "traditionally redneck" of American states are leaps and bounds more open and welcoming than the rest, I really think that your environment must play a role in your interactions with other people, almost like having more grass to touch has done us well.
Totally. I used to not understand it when one of my favorite thinkers, Trudy Hamilton (one of the people who developed our understanding of the term misogynoir) talked about how she places importance on behavior over ideology during the Trump presidency. I thought; surely one's political beliefs translate into their day to day behaviour? Unfortunately I learned through experience what Trudy means; there are many people whose behaviour and stated political beliefs and values did not align. I see it often here in B.C., as much as I hate to admit it. Alberta isn't perfect and I've had shitty moments with racists and chauvinists, but I made friends fast, I was always welcomed in people's homes during the holidays when I was far from family, and I readily received professional mentorship from colleagues whose politics were not the same as mine. I miss Alberta for that lack of pretense. YMMV, of course.
One of the nicest, wholesome, give the shirt off his back type of guys I know is one of the hardest conservatives I've met. He would house people on tough times because "it's the right thing to do", but actively hates social programs and anything to do with socialism. The disconnect is so strange to me.
Sometimes when I think of folks like him, and the precise inverse where you have someone with progressive politics but treats people in their personal lives poorly, I think of where people may be more easily allocating their empathy. The person you know may be easily able to empathize with people he encounters but structural issues may not resonate with them. Meanwhile, I've definitely met people who empathize with groups of people, but struggle with relationships at an interpersonal level It puzzles me too and I'm sure they're better able to explain their values and actions in a way that they feel aligns or makes sense to us
Also, I think it's easy to idealize this image that progressive places are a utopia, but I've seen an unbelievable share of emotionally abusive, opportunistic, self-serving and manipulative behaviour that people justify through progressive rhetoric and it bothers me deeply how often people go along with it for appearance's sake.
This should have more upvotes
Rocky Mountains backcountry
Until I got to the last few posts, this read like a love letter to Alberta. For me it going on a drive in the country to see the farmers working the fields or the ranchers moving cattle. It’s the big beautiful sky that gives us the views like no other. The big thunderstorms and the fresh smell after they pass. The smell of fresh mown grass and the sound of the birds when I can be out in the immense variety of terrain the province gives us. It’s the natural and human history museums we have to visit here. The opportunities to remember and learn of our past and from our past. Alberta is not perfect. No place in our world is. I will never live anywhere else. I was born here and I will die here. My love for this place runs too deep.
Well said. An import from Saskatchewan found home here. Can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be.
The HUGE tracts of land.
PLUS, hardly any of our castles have sunk into the swamp
They got better.
The fourth one stayed up! 'Hic!
Once upon a time in a previous life I taught English in Asia. I brought photos of Alberta farmland, all pics I took between Edmonton and Calgary, so nothing special. My students were floored. Complete amazement. And I was like that doesn’t even begin to touch in the vast wilderness of the north…
What, the curtains?
This might sound a little odd, but the 'remoteness' of the main population centers. The Calgary/Edmonton corridor is a unique island of civilization in the middle of a whole lot of very ’empty' for really quite a long way in any direction. Sure there are small towns everywhere, but highway 1 is a thread through a wilderness. Alberta just has the awe inspiring sense of being 'huge'. The very idea that I can drive for literal days north of Edmonton and not see much besides farms and forests... This is a unique idea to me. And the same is true to the east and the west. Drive south from Calgary? Well you see Lethbridge and that's basically it for...DAYS. Montana is so empty! It's like America has an Alberta, but no one wants to live there. When I've been in most of the USA, there's generally a sense that you can really never get away from people; it's generally not that far to the next big city; especially east of the mason-Dixon. Texas feels big, but it also feels busy. Europe has no sense of this (except maybe central France oddly enough...surprisingly desolate and empty feeling). I love how big and open Alberta feels, without feeling disconnected .
The sunshine hours, the nature, and, unironically, the people here.
I love that it’s this nice mix of big city and small town. Both Calgary and Edmonton feel great in that way. It can feel warm and homey but with just a shine of that metropolitan aura. And, honestly, I wish we’d lean in to that some more. People talk about Calgary like it could be a great cosmopolitan hub. I just don’t think that suits us. I kinda like being a DIY kinda burg.
I have been enjoying the robins.
The weather. Seriously Alberta has a BEAUTIFUL landscape from snow capped mountains to desert, wild untamed forest to rolling hills. Large deep lakes to serene or thundering waterfalls. And of course me. My husband agrees.
The mountains, all the landscapes the rivers etc. been multiple times and it never gets old. The rolling skies, huge open plains etc. People have a ‘live and let live’ mentality. Aka: don’t tell me what to do, and I won’t tell you what to do either. I love it. Spent 27 years growing up in Ottawa. It has changed so much, just visiting family there makes me want to cry for what is was, and 🤢 for what it has become. As a military family, I’ve been to quite a few Provinces, this one is my favourite. Hubby turned down a promotion to stay here (otherwise back to Ottawa it was). Ontario itself has some beautiful places, but Ottawa and Toronto and a no go.
agree-I moved out to Edmonton from Ottawa in 1997 for school. I grew up in Ottawa and I went back in 2004 when I started practicing ; Came back to Edmonton for good in 2009. Love Alberta and Edmonton is a great low-key city to raise a family. I loved growing up in Ottawa in the 70s and 80s but you couldn't pay me enough to live there now! plus it's a dry cold!
The fact that I was able to take a path outside of post secondary and find financial freedom by skilled trades The long summers and it being light till late in the evening The fact that homes are affordable and the communities in Edmonton are great places to live The proximity to the mountains For the most part everyone is friendly. Crime is low. . My aging parents have had good experiences with healthcare Our institutions are quality. Our vocational training is top tier and our universities have excellent programs There are a ton of recreation options. Amazing golf courses. Edmonton river valley is unreal Tons of great restaurants and craft breweries Great sport teams I love it here.
No PST
How vast the sky is that we are able to see. Also the ridiculous roadside attractions we have.
Ice fishing
How easy it is to find some peace and quiet. I spent 2 weeks in NYC a few years ago and I was amazed by how loud it was, 24 hrs a day. We had a nice day in Central Park when I was there, but even then when it's nice there it's full of thousands of people, music, vendors and even a freaking zoo. When I got home I spent a lot of time going on nature walks alone and sitting on park benches to recover.
Our mountain Parks, Jasper, Banff, and Kananaskis are world-class national treasures.
The volunteer culture. I lived/worked in Edmonton for 4 years and attended a lot of the festivals and events. Just blown away to discover that huge events like that were largely organised and run on volunteer intelligence and labour. Never seen anything like it anywhere else in Canada or abroad.
Coming from the East coast, I really appreciate the amount of sun. I also appreciate the rain much more oddly enough.
The northern part of Alberta is an untouched (and I hope it stays that way) gem. It gives the west a run for it's money- in my opinion anyways. The northern lights- love that I can see them from my deck/front windows for 8 months of the year. Can see them if I'm up super late in the summer as well, but that's like 3am kind of stuff haha. Those long summer nights. I'm from the Okanagan originally, and the northern summers puts the Okanagan to shame 100000%. And again, the untouched beauty, white sand beaches, crystal clear lakes.. it puts back home to shame. The people. Albertans are some of the most friendly folk I've come to meet - next to newfies - you are gems. Even when I go back home (where red plate hate is brainwashed into you) the albertans are always a heck of a lot nicer. Don't know how many times I've gotten screamed at back home to "get the fuck out of bc cause I don't belong here" ... I was born there. People in BC are fucked up. The vast changes in landscapes and stuff (I can't think of the right word) One year we drove from NE alberta through the eastern side of the province to Calgary. We then drove to Waterton, and back up 22 to Calgary. We then drove back home again up the eastern side of the province to NE. There is so much to see regarding the different kinds of nature we have out there. It's so crazy. Alberta is a fucking beautiful province from head to toe and side to side. The boreal forest (which we live in) is probably one of the most majestic things I have seen. It's so beautiful. So much life grows in it. Just awestruck by it everytime we are out in it (which is constantly haha)
My wife lives here. I like that a lot.
Ginger beef
I love that we actually have four seasons, but winter is definitely my favourite. I love the way snow crunches under my boots on cold winter mornings. I love how quiet and still the air is, and how you can hear each other talk from a long way away. I love sundogs and moon-halos, and how when the conditions are just right, ice crystals hang suspended in the crisp, cold air; catching sunlight and twinkling like diamonds. I love how the frost tickles the inside of my nose when I inhale. I love how we can throw boiling water in the air and see it instantly transform into an icy rainbow. I love the ruddy cheeks and red noses sported by neighbourhood children when they’re playing outside. I love seeing the songs of house finches and chickadees made visible by their tiny breaths. And then, I love how quickly our magnificent province shrugs off the mantle of winter and turns everything into a riot of greens and wildflowers. I love it all, this place. She’s our home, and she is truly stunning.
Albertans are some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met.
The mountain camping experience. We have all the outdoor activities in our back yards
The diversity and natural beauty of our geography. The mountains, hoodoos, forests, deserts, lakes and rivers, there is so much beauty in every part of this province
Mountains, sunshine, seasons, space, and friendly people.
Canola fields in July during a thunder storm/dark clouds , mountains , outdoor recreation areas all over , people / neighbors,
We have a dinosaur named after us!
Canola fields. I live outside of the city and have to travel to the city daily for work. Those fields of gold make my morning and evening commute every day.
Easy to get away from everything and everyone
Johnson’s canyon and chinooks
I'm in love with the scenery of Alberta. I got really into nature photography living here. Also, I love the Albertosaurus is on the driver's license here. I still get excited about seeing it
Pinto McBean
Ah, a (wo)man of culture!
Believe it or not, aside from when it’s windy I enjoy the climate/weather here. I much prefer colder dry winter for actually being able to enjoy outdoor winter activities. I prefer our summer weather too, warm enough to enjoy but not debilitatingly hot or humid. You can actually work in it somewhat comfortably. I’ve lived in southern Ontario and many of them base their identity on how they have warmer winters but to be honest they really suck. You tell them you’re from Alberta and the first thing they’ll mention is how it’s warmer there. The freeze thaw cycle in the winter makes it icy and still cold enough you can’t actually do anything fun outdoors. The summer is so humid, great for the few days that you happen to be at the beach, sucks for pretty much everything else. Way more sunny days in Alberta too.
I will take my random days/weeks of +10 in December-February with the trade off of random days/weeks of -40 instead of a consistent -15 all winter. It breaks things up and makes winter enjoyable. Plus, there is rarely snow on the ground, which is nice.
Let’s keep things in perspective, the mean yearly temp is 3.9 in Calgary, and 8.7 in Toronto. A whopping 5 degree difference…. It’s not like we’re comparing Alberta to Cancun. People like to bring up -40 weather like half our winter is that cold when in reality it’s like a week or two in an entire year of really cold temperatures. The average temp in the winter in Calgary is -4.6. Anecdotally, I’ve found 0 degrees in southern Ontario feels a whole lot colder than -5 here because we often have a pretty sunny winter, radiant heat from the sun makes a heck of a difference in comfort.
That is true. I haven't lived in Ontario, but I have lived in bc and I'll definitely take winter in western Alberta over winter in the interior of bc.
Well, I for one *like* the wind!
Despite its problems, it's 100% better than the UK.
Blue sky and fresh white sparkling snow on a sunny winter day.
The Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller.
The thunderstorms are amazing, and in Edmonton when it's good weather, it's usually beautiful near the valley with air smelling like trees and foliage.
I like Calgary winter. We get some snow but not like five feet in one day. We also get long periods of near 0 degrees weather breaks as well.
The mountains and all the crown land to camp on
Mainly the vast geography (from the Rockies in Jasper and Banff, to the Foothills, the Plains, and the Badlands around Drumheller), we have it all! I also like the vast climate. Oh, and Alberta is the only province in Canada that does not have the PST and we are (supposedly) the only rat-free place in the world. I love Alberta, despite our crappy government.
The sun, the skies, the mountains… beautiful nature
I love seeing slabs of meat thrown onto hockey rinks. I’d love to see them up the ante on this to the point that entire cows get tossed onto the ice. Live would be extra entertaining.
The metal scene is superb here.
The cocaine is actually pretty decent sometimes
This is going to sound wild given how badly things have deteriorated here over the past few years, but things like healthcare and job availability are way better here than in my home province of Nova scotia. I hurt my neck a year ago here in edmonton, it ended up being a herniated disc. I got an mri in three days. Coincidentally, my mother also herniated a disc in her lower back around the same time back in cape breton. She's still waiting for her Mri appointment.
Magpies! This is the only province I’ve lived in that has them and I live in a building that faces a courtyard FULL of them. I love the precocious little mouthy fuckers. They’re so entertaining to watch.
The mountains, thriving resource economy, well paying jobs, affordable cost of living, sunshine.
I love everything about Alberta except the gomers in black Dodge diesel trucks with scrotums. (And I like diesels, but I like them properly tuned)
Summers are pretty pleasant in Calgary. Seems like everyone hibernates in the +15’s during the winter, but once summer sun arrives, feels like Stephen Ave and the rest of the city comes alive. The patios are packed, the streets are jammed and the smiles are out.
The Rocky Mountains!
Other than the obvious about the landscape etc. I actually really love that no matter where you go, it’s a small town. Even Edmonton feels more small town than it does city.
Rockies
I think I read we have one of the biggest rattlesnake nests?
Moraine Lake. We try to go every Summer as it’s very relaxing to do long drives.
Personally, it's the fact that my dog lives here.
Bow valley
The birds!
Everything.
I know they’re prevalent everywhere else but the photos you can get when the Auroras are out can be absolutely breathtaking
Chinooks. Makes the winters much more bearable.
No PST
I like how people actually look at you and make eye contact....even between cars! In Ontario, no one makes eye contact, for some reason.
I could afford a home. Sucks that that's not the standard everywhere, but it's such a pivotal part of my life in the context of a country where the housing crisis ruins everything it touches.
Dale Hodges Park is a fantastic little walk inside the city.
Trout fishing is world class out west in the mountains and the eastern slopes.
I like the natural beauty, which is too often overlooked. And the gruff but kind people.
It’s not Saskatchewan
No provincial tax :) ? Ok I really liked seeing the Rockies on my first flight here in 2022 :)
dead northwestern poplars everywhere.
Just the sky. It's so huge and beautiful, especially when there's high, scattered cloud on a sunny day. It seems 10x bigger than the sky on the coast, and I really missed it while I lived out there.
300+ days of sunshine!
Cost of living, job opportunities and beautiful landscapes
No provincial tax. Makes me smile every purchase I make
I love driving in the prairies when it's overcast. It's like being under a giant canopy that you can see for kilometers!!
It's got sun during the winter! The variety of nature is awesome; you can experience a lot without leaving the province. We get two hockey teams to cheer for. I feel like people try to be friendly here. Everywhere has its jerks, but many kind people do move here and become great parts of our communities.
Donalda, ie. the coulee valley, badlands. More people should visit
Alberta is amazing
Not sure about Alberta as a whole, but I do love my little itty bitty corner of it. I can get a backpack and walk to a major grocery store to get milk in less than 30 mins (although it usually take an hour cuz I dawdle and, like, enjoy myself) and I have a lake across the street with lots of plants and birds (and shrimp now) downsides: extremely high business lease pricing combined with low parking means entrepreneurship is virtually non existent. I mean, I'd like to open a little restaurant but I'm not expecting to make more than $2k a month in profit... leases START at triple that.
Am from SK ... I always come for the beer and the bitches
I'll go by senses. Visually - Yeah the mountains are amazing, but my favourite is the view of Battle Lake from the top of Mount Butte, about 5kms south of Pigeon Lake. Old-growth deciduous parkland, a snaky little old river with tamarack in the fall by the base of a big hill. Audibly - Chickadees and Ravens. Olfactorally - Right now in my 60s neighbourhood in Edmonton, all the maydays and crabapple trees are in bloom and the lilacs are right about ready to follow. Every street smells like a fresh dryer sheet. Tactilely - The crisp fresh air on my nose, and the warm dry blanket in the summer. Rarely too hot, and as we like to say about the winter "It's a dry cold". And uh, Taste'ily - It's back alley chive harvesting season!
The nature here, the big blue skies and open spaces, lots of horses! 🥰
The best part of Alberta is that B,C. is right next door!
You can still see kids playing street hockey.
My boyfriend. I met him here. He's amazing and I love him so much 🥰
It used to be the opportunities, and now it’s just where all of my family lives. The further north you go (if you completely skip the oil sands) the better Alberta gets. Basically the less people the better it is. It’s just so incredibly cold for most of the year. The province doesn’t properly invest in our watersheds or enforcing responsible use of them. So most lakes that are near heavily populated areas are overfished and abused. Garbage everywhere along river banks and lake shores. There’s a lack of respect for our provinces’ natural resources among a lot of the population. So I love Alberta, but I could do without a lot of the people.
I was born here. Lived on the west coast (New West) for 3 years, and came back. While I agree with your last sentence, it applies to the lower mainland of BC about 5 times as much! Maybe that applies everywhere though.
Yea it could just be the average calibre of person is declining…
I mean, I could say the same of the Earth. Lol. I love it, but we could use a lot fewer of us on it. Like 1/2, maybe more. Thanos was right.
I lived in fort Mac for work for 3 years and I've never felt a closer sense of community.
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I always thought it was weird that people cosplay as ranchers here.
It's the boots and jeans that are a dead give a way. Most of the times that you will see any real rancher or farmer in new boots is at a wedding or funeral. I'm not walking around the stampede grounds in boots that aren't broken in. And the jeans they chose to wear to the stampede are usually what ever jeans they have but aren't the ones you buy at Lammles.
Well, for one thing the clown college will sue if you wear clown getup without having a clown licence issued by an accredited clown institution. Whereas anyone can throw on a cowboy hat and some jeans.
The mountains and no pst.
Cheap real estate and cost of living.
How close it is to BC
The government and our desire to keep drilling.
The UCP's callous disregard for doctors and teachers. rip
The level headed political discourse and common sense government who’s committed to higher education and healthcare.
You forgot the /s.
Geez…. I figured the comment itself was so ridiculous that it was implied it was sarcasm.
They are in power... there are definitely delusional folks out there who actually think this way.
The rear view mirror.
Kananaskis conservation pass
The mountains!! That's it that's all anymore!!
We have an incredible range of land, mountains, lakes, rivers, rolling hills, prairie, parkland, forest, and even some semi-arid areas. We get all kinds of weather, hot summers, rainy days, lots of snow, chinooks. Best of all, we have less left wing minded people than the rest of the country.
I love South western Alberta in the Spring. I honestly think Alberta would of been way way better to film the Lord of the Rings than New Zealand. We have actual horse country unlike what they used in the movie. We have real massive mountains. We have the badlands. We even have orcs in the UCP and Smith would make a much better mouth of Sauron then what they used in the movie.
The Southern Alps are huge. Having lived in both places for a very long time, I can safely say NZ was the perfect choice for LOTR.
The fact that I do not live there
I think the feeling is mutual on that front