Comparing the Saskatchewan Cities of Moose Jaw and Prince Albert

In this video I compare the Saskatchewan cities of Moose Jaw and Prince Albert. They are the next two biggest cities in the Canadian prairie province of Saskatchewan, after Saskatoon and Regina. Moose Jaw has a 2024 population of about 35,000 and Prince Albert has a 2024 population of about 37,000.
Much like Alberta, Saskatchewan is one of the fastest growing provinces in the country, and many people moving to the province are wanting to live in one of the smaller cities.
I compare Moose Jaw and Prince Albert in the same 10 categories that I used in my Red Deer vs. Lethbridge video:
1 - Topography
2 - Weather
3 - Access to goods and services
4 - City transit
5 - Post-secondary institutions
6 - Walkability
7 - Sports
8 - Arts
9 - Crime + Social Disorder
10 - Property/Rental Prices
In each of these categories I give my opinion on which city is better, but I allow for ties as some categories are too close to call in my view.
Both cities have a lot to offer residents, and I hope this helps you out. I also hope this showed you a bit more about Moose Jaw and Prince Albert, they are not the most commonly visited cities!
I hope you found this video interesting and informative, and if you'd like to watch more of my content please consider subscribing to my channel - I upload at least one new video per week.
Thanks for watching!

[@strangenorth]

Definitely not the most visited places in Canada, but I'm interested to hear about your thoughts on either of these two cities. Thanks for watching!

[@mycawk7171]

Both cities have their pros and cons. I prefer the country around PA over that of Moose Jaw, but I find Moose Jaw a bit safer of city. If you like fishing, camping, hiking PA is the place to go. The Prince Albert National Park is close by, as well as plenty of other lakes and smaller parks. Moose Jaw has the famous tunnels, and there is a hot spring close by. Both have plenty to do for everyone. Surprisingly both cities do get the odd big concert go through. Keep up the great work on Canadian cities.

[@strangenorth]

Great points, and I have to agree with you. I'm actually going to visit the Moose Jaw tunnels this summer and take some video, also going to do a video on the Moose Jaw connection with the American mafia in decades past. That Temple Gardens spa/hotel in town is also really great. Cheers!

[@Thebeardedcanucks]

The last time I went to PA , it didn't matter what parking lot I went to. Someone was always waiting for you to get out of the vehicle so they can ask for change

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to leave feedback - I've spent a bit of time there too and it seems like there's a lot of poverty spilling into the streets. Sad really. Cheers mate!

[@ikeremo]

Gull Lake, Swift Current, Cabri, Estevan, Melville, Whitewood, Moosomin, Indian Head, White City, Drinkwater, Eyebrow, Spiritwood, Turtleford, Maidstone, Meadow Lake, Carrot River, Melfort, Hudson Bay, Warman, North Battleford. I love Saskatchewan because of the people and the history of the different ethnic settlements that grew out of farming and hard work. Only the fittest survived the harsh prairie conditions, now anybody can live here because of the comforts we all know and love….

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to leave feedback - I've been to a bunch of those towns as well. Honestly, I think I love Saskatchewan the most out of anyone not actually born there. Discovered it in adulthood and I visit and explore often. Cheers mate!

[@ikeremo]

@@strangenorthYou do a great job of going over the cities in Sask to give viewers a deeper insight into the conditions and environment of these beautiful prairie settlements. Especially not being from here that’s awesome you are spreading your love of this province to other people curious of Canada. Me personally I like the north better, not growing up on a farm I find seclusion in the bush north of Big River, Meadow Lake, and P.A.

[@strangenorth]

@@ikeremo Thanks I appreciate it, still can't believe anyone is watching my little videos but I'm glad they're providing value to people out there. I hear you about the north, I appreciate the forests as well. I actually have some great memories from Denare Beach area - I enjoy that Northeastern portion of Saskatchewan with the Canadian Shield.

[@truckermre]

Thought this was a new verse in ‘I’ve Been Everywhere’ haha

[@ikeremo]

@@truckermre Hey if you ever get the chance go see Jake Vaadeland and The Sturgeon River Boys in concert. They’re a Sask. band which does a song which lists off places in Saskatchewan which was a hoot to listen to. I work on a paving crew so I’m all over this province in the summertime and I just love it.

[@AlbertaGengar]

I love some prairie content 😊 You should compare the oil and gas cities of Fort McMurray and Grande Praire!

[@mycawk7171]

Its awesome seeing Saskatchewan cities getting some love.

[@strangenorth]

I love Saskatchewan and I think each of these little cities has a lot to offer. Cheers mate, thanks for watching!

[@mycawk7171]

I am Sask boy and appreciate the stories of these cities. The ones you did for Alberta are awesome. I learned a lot about the cities there. PA is close to the Twisted Forest, as well as the St. Louis lights. Those could be interesting topics for your channel, if you haven't looked into them yet.

[@strangenorth]

@@mycawk7171 I appreciate it thank you - actually I'm doing a road trip through Saskatchewan this summer and I'm going to visit both of those sites. I look forward to a bunch of new videos this year. Cheers

[@SamuelHove]

Compare Yorkton and Swift Current next

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to leave feedback - that's not a bad idea, I live in Alberta but I'm a big fan of Saskatchewan in general. I visit often, and I plan on doing more videos from the province over the summer. Cheers mate!

[@ArielK1987]

My dad was born in Mozart Sask, but him and his family also lived in Wynyard. Admiral and settling the retirement years in North Battleford.

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to leave feedback - you know what I've actually been to Wynyard, good memories. Cheers!

[@chloekm7958]

Raised in Lafleche, so spent a lot of time in Moose Jaw growing up. I live there now, I like it 😊

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to leave feedback - I haven't been to Lafleche but isn't there a town called Stonehenge around there? I enjoy Moose jaw too, I a plan on visiting again this summer. Cheers mate!

[@chloekm7958]

@@strangenorth There's an RM that goes by Stonehenge, but the 'actual Stonehenge' is just a marker on the map.

[@strangenorth]

@@chloekm7958 oh okay, cheers!

[@erichanson9014]

I am glad I found your channel. Thanks for the video. Have you thought about comparing the satellites cities around Edmonton? Thanks again and look forward to your next video!

[@strangenorth]

I appreciate the support, thank you! Yes I was actually thinking about doing that - doing a rundown of Stony Plain, Spruce Grove, Saint Albert, Fort Saskatchewan, Sherwood Park, Beaumont, Leduc and Devon. I definitely have a favorite out of those as well. Cheers!

[@RuzzP]

Yorkton had tunnels too! Unfortunately the city doesnt want to acknowledge it and attempt restoring them. Supposedly prohibition related too

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to leave feedback - interesting, I didn't know that! I'm definitely going to look into that further, I want to do videos on gangs from Canada's history too. Cheers mate!

[@RuzzP]

@@strangenorth no problem, I have really been enjoying all of your videos!

[@strangenorth]

@@RuzzP Thank you, I'm glad they're providing some value to people out there!

[@brucewayne5715]

Que interesante, quiero ir a visitar Mandibula de Alce. Saludos.

[@strangenorth]

Gracias por mirar, buena suerte con tu visita - saludos!

[@-Daralynn-]

Very informative! I appreciate your video quality, sound and photography and well thought out information presentation. Well done!

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to leave feedback - I still can't believe anyone is watching my little videos but I'm glad they're providing some value to people out there. It was actually fun to highlight these two cities, not the hottest tourist destinations but I've been to both and I though I could do a decent comparison. Cheers mate!

[@-Daralynn-]

@strangenorth I look forward to your future ones...thanks again. 😉

[@scarsgaard1834]

Love Moosejaw.. tunnels are great, and Rosie's is a great burger joint..

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to leave feedback - good to know about the burger place, I'm actually visiting Moose Jaw again this spring/summer. Haven't been to the tunnels yet but I'm going to visit that as well. Cheers mate!

[@fs3966]

Prince Albert also has a First Nations University of Canada

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to leave feedback - yeah fair point, I probably could have included a couple more schools in my list. Cheers

[@vincents5187]

And then Moose Jaw wins WHL championship. Can you do a video on Medicine Hat and Grande Prairie. Great videos too.

[@strangenorth]

Moose Jaw is a great town! I was actually thinking of comparing Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray down the road and I'm hoping to visit Medicine Hat this summer and do a video there. Cheers mate

[@genehadland5156]

I agree with your opinion and results between prince Albert and Moose Jaw.

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to leave feedback - each city has it's perks but I really do prefer the vibe in Moose Jaw overall. Cheers mate!

[@tannerwilson9085]

First thought. 'Is there even a comparison?' 😉

[@strangenorth]

Lol I definitely prefer Moose Jaw! Cheers mate

[@unknownninja4430]

now we need a moose jaw vs. regina vs. saskatoon video comparison

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to leave feedback - I was thinking about doing Saskatoon vs. Regina but I've already done a couple videos listing why each city is better than the other. Maybe down the road, cheers mate!

[@TheTravellingCanuck27]

The Moose Jaw Warriors won the 2024 WHL Championship for the first time in their 40 year history. They are currently in the Memorial Cup in Saginaw Michigan.

[@strangenorth]

I saw that, good for them and hopefully they can beat Saginaw! Cheers mate

[@truckermre]

I have to agree, though as a trucker, I’ve been through Moose Jaw 100s of times, while I’ve maybe been to Prince Albert 5 times. PA is definitely known for crime. New category: trucker friendly? Moose Jaw has several truck stops with average parking, while Prince Albert has none. Also, with PAs reputation, I don’t think many truckers are spending the night. Great video!! Look forward to the Battle of the Parks!!!

[@strangenorth]

Yeah Moose Jaw has the big advantage of having highway 1 running through it, a little better connected in general. Thanks for watching, cheers mate!

[@scotthoffman5477]

Visited PA recently and loved it. It’s like a mini Edmonton. Curious to see what it’s like in the summer

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to leave feedback - it definitely has a beautiful river area. I also sometimes perceive Saskatoon as a mini Edmonton too. Cheers!

[@claytonberg721]

I would look forward to a banff jasper video. As a Banff resident and tour guide I know both towns well. The surrounding areas: Banff is a prettier town, it feels like the mountains are right on top of you whereas jasper is more wide open but this is subjective. Arts: Banff has the banff centre, no comparison Town itself: Jasper, better dining, better vibe, even when the jasper is busy it's only half as busy as banff on an average day. Skiing: Banff all day every day Location: Banff is an hour and 45 from calgary, no comparison, banff. Schools: Banff used to have a bow valley college campus. Word is the U of C will be setting up. If that happens, then banff. It would be a tie if not for the pine beetle. The entire surrounding forest around jasper is ready to go up. Within our lifetime it's even money we'll loose the town of jasper. I guess based purely on safety I'd say banff. If all you want to do is live the small mountain village life jasper is grossly superior, but if you want to get out of town every now and then banff is better. Banff has canmore which increases our services, Jasper is less than an hour from hinton which has a wal-mart, but it's pretty depressing driving an hour there and an hour back when your only attraction is wal-mart.

[@strangenorth]

I appreciate all the information, thank you - interesting to hear the perspective of a Banff resident. I always imagined that would be a really cool place to live! I plan on comparing the cities down the road, just not for awhile as I have a bunch of other videos planned beforehand. With how wildly I oscillate between gangs, UFOs and city transit I can't believe anyone is even subscribed to my nutty channel, a real rollercoaster lol. I didn't know about the conditions around Jasper being so bad. There was actually an interesting missing persons story I talked about in a previous video where the person who went missing (Anina Hundsdoerfer) was a scientist who was closely involved with the fight against the destructive pine beetle problem in Alberta. Thanks again for the info, cheers mate!

[@kurtfuchs4500]

Great video! I have lived in both cities. You correct Prince Albert has a bad reputation for crime and can be pretty rough at times. You forgot to mention the Northern Bears women’s hockey in PA. Prince Alberts downtown is pretty dead compared to Moosejaw. Iam on the board for the Mann Art gallery. It’s a great place. You should do a video comparing weyburn and Estevan or visit my hometown of Moosomin. It’s a pretty popular area now

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching and I appreciate the input, and I may compare more Saskatchewan towns down the road. I've actually been to all of the ones you listed. I was actually in Moosomin in 2012 for work over Thanksgiving and I ended up eating dinner at that combination KFC/Pizza Hut lol. Cheers mate!

[@johndefalque5061]

I'm only really familliar with Saskatoon. I loved swimming in the QuAppelle River, also familiar with Rosetown and kindersley-don't really know the rest of SA. I live in Quebec now. I lived in Lethbridge for 10 yrs.

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to leave feedback - that's a great river, and I love the town of Fort Qu'Appelle. Lethbridge is a neat town too. Cheers mate!

[@gregb2760]

I love passing through PA to its general area but would never live there; my friends who do consistently dream about getting out. As nice as PA is, if you're not safe enough to relax and enjoy, then what's the point? MJ has so many cool quirky places. Dang man your reviews are on point. Glad I found this channel!

[@strangenorth]

I agree, I've spent time in both places and I prefer Moose Jaw overall. I plan on visiting again this summer and I'm hoping I can take some personal video of the Moose jaw Tunnels (currently policy does now allow for this). Cheers, thanks for watching!

[@delphineross8951]

I grew up in Prince Albert,It changed lots threw the years and I'm glad I no longer live there anymore

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to comment - it definitely has its strong point but I prefer Moose Jaw out of the two. Cheers mate, have a great weekend!

[@RandomTrinidadian]

Okay.... Moose Jaw? I get Prince Albert is named after a person, but Moose Jaw? I am not Canadian, so i dont know

[@strangenorth]

Lol sometimes the names get real exuberant - I like it though, it reminds me of the story of Samson the Nazirite in the Bible who kills 1000 Philistines with a jawbone. I have a vivid imagination though. Thanks for watching, I knew this would be way more of a niche video. Cheers!

[@XxxXxx-fm3wo]

Because Dildoe was already taken!

[@claytonberg721]

Two competing theories on the name Moose Jaw, one John Palliser of the palliser expedition marked the area 'moose jaw bone creek' because that area of the moose jaw river looks like a moose's jaw. The second is it comes from the Plains Cree name moscâstani-sîpiy meaning "a warm place by the river".

[@chriszimmer2487]

Can you do a “best restaurants in Calgary” please

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to leave feedback - you know what that's funny, I was actually thinking of doing that week after this one. Good idea, cheers!

[@kelbale]

I would agree with both Moose Jaw over Prince Albert AND S'toon over Regina (born in Regina and live here).

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to leave feedback - those are my personal preferences but all cities have lots to offer. I was actually just in Regina last summer, I always have lunch at Houston Pizza original Hill Avenue location - some of my favorite pizza ever. Cheers mate!

[@kelbale]

@strangenorth I grew up walking to that 7-Eleven on Hill Ave. I have vivid memories of HP as we were family friends with the Kolitsas' (owners). Great memories and a legacy sure not to fade for generations.

[@ryanp2518]

I'll agree with the conclusion of this video. PA has much more jails than anywhere else in sask. Some call it jailtown.

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching, yeah that's a good point - to me it has a similar vibe to Fort Saskatchewan near Edmonton which also has a couple jails. Cheers mate

[@gamblinramblinab]

Moose Jaw is a little prettier and it's on the 1 highway, solid road in both directions

[@strangenorth]

I agree it's the nicer looking town overall, I think Prince Albert would have really benefitted from developing evenly on both sides of the river and utilizing that area better. Cheers!

[@christophe3281]

I have a Prince Albert, but have never been to Prince Albert

[@strangenorth]

lol I guess you'll always have a piece of it with you

[@claytonberg721]

I think you said arts was a tie between the Jaw and PA? Moose Jaw gets more and better touring canadian indy music artists. As a WHL fan I'm used to seeing both teams as an unthreatening 3rd or 4th in their division team but I guess with a memorial cup win and two league championship banners the warriors are the better organization.

[@strangenorth]

That's a fair point, and to me Moose Jaw seems like it has an overall vibe that is more into the arts. But it seemed to me like PA also has a surprisingly strong arts scene, although I did focus mainly on visual arts and theatre. I can't believe this video even got as many views as it did lol, these are pretty minor cities in the great scope. Cheers!

[@FuneraryGirl]

@@strangenorth there are quite a few few good writers from MJ (look up Cocteau Books as a guide) and the Festival of Words pulls in some impressive authors :). Thank you for the video.

[@margysfavourites8444]

Truthfully I would not want to live in either.

[@strangenorth]

That's fair, they're definitely not for everyone. Thanks for watching!

[@jonsmith2166]

I lived in prince albert for about a year,and I hated it,it's small,lots of junkies and it's boring

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to leave feedback - I definitely prefer Moose Jaw, and there has definitely been a lot more open disorder in Prince Albert for years. I always wondered why they didn't develop the city evenly on both sides instead of the bulk of it being to the south. Cheers mate!

[@McCaler]

I've never been to Prince Albert, but I once met a pretentious, punk kid from there. Absolutely no where near impressed with him.

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to leave feedback - definitely some bad apples in any town. Cheers mate!

[@truckermre]

Good folks in every town too eh, but the bad ones are the ones that stuck in our craw lol

[@McCaler]

It's okay. Every town has a good deal amount of those unfortunately. If their parents don't nurture them right, either the correctional or the penitentiary will.