Saskatoon, Sask.

Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as the cultural and economic hub of central Saskatchewan since its founding in 1882 as a Temperance colony.

With a 2021 census population of 266,141, Saskatoon is the largest city in the province, and the 17th largest Census Metropolitan Area in Canada, with a 2021 census population of 317,480.

Saskatoon is home to the University of Saskatchewan, the Meewasin Valley Authority (which protects the South Saskatchewan River and provides for the city's popular riverbank park spaces), and Wanuskewin Heritage Park (a National Historic Site of Canada and UNESCO World Heritage applicant representing 6,000 years of First Nations history). The Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344, the most populous rural municipality in Saskatchewan, surrounds the city and contains many of the developments associated with it, including Wanuskewin.
Saskatoon is named after the saskatoon berry which is native to the region, and is itself derived from the Cree '. The city has a significant Indigenous population and several urban Reserves. The city has nine river crossings and is nicknamed "Paris of the Prairies" and "Bridge City".

Historic neighbourhoods of Saskatoon include Nutana and Riversdale, which were separate towns before amalgamating with the town of Saskatoon and incorporating as a city in 1906. Nutana, Riversdale, their historic main streets of Broadway Avenue and 20th Street, as well as the downtown core and other central neighbourhoods are seeing significant reinvestment and redevelopment. Sutherland, the rail town annexed by the city in 1956 that lies beyond the University lands, is now another historic old city.

Etymology

The name ''Saskatoon'' (in cr, sâskwatôn , "Saskatoon" or the locatives: ''misâskwatôminihk'' , lit: "at the saskatoon berry", ''misâskwatôminiskâhk'' , "at the place of many saskatoon berries", ''mînisihk'' "at the berry") comes from the Cree inanimate noun ''misâskwatômina'' "saskatoon berries", which refers to the sweet, violet-coloured berry that grows in the area.

City of Saskatoon archivist Jeff O'Brien wrote that the traditional story of the name is that it was due to the presence of Saskatoon berries in the area. "There is even an almost certainly apocryphal story to the effect that John Lake, upon being given a handful of these berries and told their name immediately cried "Arise, Saskatoon – Queen of the North!"

However, he wrote, "the truth appears to be somewhat less dramatic. The area was long-known to the local Cree as a good place to stock up on willow wands for arrow shafts. Thus the name of the place was "Sask-kwa-tan" – roughly, "the place where willows are cut."

History

In 1882, the Toronto-based Temperance Colonization Society was granted 21 sections of land straddling the South Saskatchewan River, between what is now Warman and Dundurn. The aim of the group was to escape the liquor trade in that city and set up a "dry" community in the Prairie region. The following year settlers, led by John Neilson Lake, arrived on the site of what is now Saskatoon and established the first permanent settlement. The settlers travelled by railway from Ontario to Moose Jaw and then completed the final leg via horse-drawn cart, as the railway had yet to be completed to Saskatoon.

In 1885 the North-West Rebellion affected the tiny community in a variety of ways. Chief Whitecap and Charles Trottier passed through the present day University campus on their way to join Louis Riel's armed forces at Batoche, Saskatchewan. Following the fighting at the Battle of Fish Creek, and the Battle of Batoche, wounded Canadian soldiers convalesced at the Marr Residence which is today a historic site. A few died in care and were buried in the Pioneer Cemetery near the Exhibition Grounds.

A town charter for the west side of the river was obtained in 1903, and this settlement adopted the name Saskatoon; the original townsite. which became a village that year, was renamed Nutana. In 1906 Saskatoon became a city with a population of 4,500, which included the communities of Saskatoon, Riversdale and Nutana. In 1955, a newly established community west of the city, Montgomery Place, was annexed, followed by the neighbouring town of Sutherland in 1956.

Geography

Saskatoon lies on a long belt of rich, potassic chernozem in middle-southern Saskatchewan and is found in the aspen parkland biome. The lack of surrounding mountainous topography gives the city a relatively flat grid, though the city does sprawl over a few hills and into a few valleys. The lowest point in the city is the river, while the highest point is disputed between the suburb of Sutherland in the east side and the Silverwood-River Heights areas in the city's north end. Saskatoon, on a cross-section from west to east, has a general decline in elevation above sea level heading towards the river, and on the east bank of the river, the terrain is mostly level until outside the city, where it begins to decrease in elevation again.

Saskatoon is divided into east and west sides by the South Saskatchewan River. It is then divided into Suburban Development Areas (SDA) which are composed of neighbourhoods. Street addresses are demarcated into north and south (for avenues aligned in those directions) and similar east and west (for streets aligned in those directions). West of the river, the demarcation line for north and south addresses is 22nd Street, while east and west are divided by Idylwyld Drive (north of 20th Street) and Avenue A (south of 20th). On the east side, in order to line up with 22nd/Idylwyld, Lorne Avenue demarcates east and west while Aird Street, a minor residential road, marks the north–south boundary, except in the Sutherland community where a separate east/west demarcation takes place with Central Avenue as the boundary (there is, however, no separate north–south divide). As a result of the unusual demarcation on the east side, few streets there actually carry a "North" or "West" designation, and only a few streets in Sutherland are demarcated "East" and "West".

A second major water feature aside from the river is the Hudson Bay Slough, a remnant of a glacier-formed body of water that at one time dominated the northern end of the city. Industrial development has resulted in most of the slough being drained, however a large remnant has been preserved off Avenue C as part of RCAF Memorial Park, and another portion remains intact within the Hudson Bay Industrial area. Several residential communities also feature "man-made lakes," with Lakeview (developed from the early 1980s) being the first.

Pike Lake and Blackstrap Provincial Parks are both approximately south of the city on Highway 60 and Highway 11, respectively. Batoche, a national historic site associated with the North-West Rebellion of 1885, is north of the city. Both Blackstrap and Batoche are popular destinations for school field trips.

Climate

Saskatoon experiences a cold semi-arid climate ( Köppen: ''BSk'') near the humid continental climate (''Dfb''), with typically warm summers and long, cold winters. Climate data from University of Saskatchewan, in the inner city meets semi-arid criteria. This is due to slightly higher average annual temperature and slightly lower average annual precipitation than the Airport, on the city's northwest periphery.

The city has four distinct seasons and is in plant hardiness zone 3b. Saskatoon has a dry climate and sees of precipitation per year on average, with the summer being the wettest season. Saskatoon is sunnier than average in Canada as a result, averaging 2,268 hours of bright sunshine annually. The extreme temperatures are typically accompanied by below average levels of humidity. Thunderstorms are common in the summer months and can be severe with torrential rain, hail, high winds, intense lightning and, on occasion, tornadoes. The frost-free growing season lasts from 21 May to 15 September, but due to Saskatoon's northerly location, damaging frosts have occurred as late as June 14 and again as early as August. The average daytime high temperature peaks at from July 31 to August 8.

The "Blizzard of 2007" was described by many residents as the worst they had seen and paralyzed the city with its low visibility, extreme cold and large volume of snow. Winds rose to over and an estimated of snow fell throughout the day. Many area residents took refuge overnight at area work places, shopping centres, hospitals and the university.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Saskatoon was on 6 June 1988. The lowest temperature ever recorded was on 1 February 1893.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Saskatoon had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

At the census metropolitan area (CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Saskatoon CMA had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

The 2021 census reported that immigrants (individuals born outside Canada) comprise 53,210 persons or 20.4% of the total population of Saskatoon. Of the total immigrant population, the top countries of origin were Philippines (11,840 persons or 22.3%), India (5,845 persons or 11.0%), China (4,695 persons or 8.8%), Pakistan (3,975 persons or 7.5%), Nigeria (2,090 persons or 3.9%), United Kingdom (2,045 persons or 3.8%), Bangladesh (1,830 persons or 3.4%), Vietnam (1,510 persons or 2.8%), United States of America (1,470 persons or 2.8%), and Iraq (1,200 persons or 2.3%).

Ethnicity

The Saskatoon area was inhabited long before any permanent settlement was established, to which the ongoing archaeological work at Wanuskewin Heritage Park and other locations bears witness. Canada's First Nations population has been increasingly urbanized, and nowhere is that more apparent than in Saskatoon, where the First Nations population increased by 382% from 1981 to 2001;Aboriginal Conditions in Census Metropolitan Areas, 1981–2001
, Statistics Canada, , Table 1. however, a portion of this increase, possibly as much as half, is believed to be due to more people identifying themselves as Indigenous in the census rather than migration or birth rate.

Saskatoon has the second highest percentage of First Nations population among major Canadian cities at approximately 11.3%, behind Winnipeg at 12.2% and Regina close by with 9.9%; in certain neighbourhoods such as Pleasant Hill, this percentage exceeds 40%. Most First Nations residents are of Cree or Dakota cultural background although to a lesser extent Saulteaux, Assiniboine, and Dene communities also exist.

Saskatoon also has a substantial Métis population and is close to the historically significant Southbranch Settlements to the north, as well as the Prairie Ronde settlement near Dundurn, Saskatchewan.

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Saskatoon included:
*Christianity (134,900 persons or 51.7%)
*Irreligion (98,575 persons or 37.8%)
*Islam (12,985 persons or 5.0%)
*Hinduism (5,125 persons or 2.0%)
*Sikhism (3,155 persons or 1.2%)
*Buddhism (1,935 persons or 0.7%)
* Indigenous Spirituality (1,650 persons or 0.6%)
*Judaism (565 persons or 0.2%)
*Other (2,065 persons or 0.8%)

According to the 2011 Census, 66% of the population identify as Christian, with Catholics (28.5%) making up the largest denomination, followed by United Church (10.9%), and other denominations. Others identify as Muslim (2.6%), Buddhist (0.8%), Hindu (0.7%), with traditional (indigenous) spirituality (0.5%), and with other religions. 28.5% of the population report no religious affiliation.

Culture

Events and festivals

Saskatoon's major arts venue is TCU Place, which is next to Midtown Plaza downtown. Since opening in 1967, it has hosted scores of concerts, theatrical performances, live events such as the Telemiracle telethon, high school graduation and university convocation ceremonies, and conventions. It is also home to the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. It recently underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation to its main theatre (named in honour of former mayor and senator Sidney Buckwold).

For rock concerts and major shows, SaskTel Centre is the main venue. It is Saskatchewan's
largest arena, with a capacity of 15,195 for sporting events and 14,000 for concerts. Musical acts from Saskatoon include Joni Mitchell, Kyle Riabko, Wide Mouth Mason, The Northern Pikes, The Sheepdogs, One Bad Son and The Deep Dark Woods