The Smaller Towns/Cities Surrounding Edmonton, Alberta

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - if you're new to the Edmonton area this should give you a bit of information, although there's so much more to these cities/towns than I covered in this video. Do you have any favorites regrading these surrounding communities?

[@dcslye8330]

I grew up in St. Albert (in the 70’s and 80’s) fourth generation to do so. Heading back soon to visit friends and family. Haven’t lived there in decades but it’ll always be home.

[@claytonberg721]

One thing about edmonton is that a few of the surrounding communities are actually that, communities. Whereas most of the places surrounding calgary are just there because they people there want to live in calgary but can't afford it.

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - yeah I'd tend to agree with that, and Edmonton just has a lot more of those towns too. Although I really enjoy Cochrane, neat little city. Cheers mate

[@svenelbert8058]

Thank you for highlighting the smaller cities and towns of Canada!

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - glad you got some value out of this one!

[@christinecamley]

St. Albert is fabulous!

[@strangenorth]

I agree, it's my personal favorite of Edmonton's surrounding towns. Cheers!

[@burntumber]

Good video! I grew up in Westlock, an hour north of Edmonton. We'd drive to Super Store in Edmonton to stock up on groceries every few months. On the way back we'd stop at St. Albert and get McDonalds and go to the mall. I wanted to buy EVERYTHING inside of San Fransisco's store!

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed this one - I loved the San Francisco store as a kid too, they had some pretty wild stuff in there. Cheers!

[@SonGoku-qm8mt]

Very helpful video Strange North. Born and raised in Edmonton but looking to move in the surrounding area and I learned more in this 20 min video then I did 30 years living here. New Subscriber also great Canadian content 🇨🇦

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and subscribing, glad you got some value out of the video! Cheers mate

[@brandonmccarthy9224]

Hell yeah buddy I love living in Stony

[@strangenorth]

Great town - thanks for watching!

[@lobdsk]

I live in Lamont County near Andrew. I love it

[@tominwpg]

Well done. We've been in the Sherwood Park for 3 1/2 years and this profile was really interesting.

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - glad you got some value out of this one. A big thing I like about Sherwood Park personally is the excellent assortment of restaurants in different price ranges and cool food stores. Cheers

[@jarrettpetrie7194]

Sherwood Park, although the size of a large city... Is technically a Hamlet.

[@KimilAdrayne]

Exactly, for tax purposes. I thought that this also was the case for Fort Mac too.

[@jeffstarchuk8822]

I was born in Sherwood park , right in the grass in the park , lol thanks brings back some early memories

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching, I actually thought this video turned out boring lol. Cheers mate

[@maestroadam]

Sherwood Park > St. Albert for sure.

[@DigitalJeremy]

Love it; well researched and presented! I moved to Edmonton from BC in ~1994, and have been to every town mentioned. The restaurant tips are a great touch!

[@strangenorth]

I appreciate it, thanks for watching and I'm glad you got some value out of this one. Some of these towns/cities have pretty interesting histories, and a couple of them have excellent food scenes. Cheers!

[@lindasue8719]

Fantastic video, thank you for sharing!

[@strangenorth]

I appreciate it, thanks for watching!

[@StilledFox]

Love the content. Morinville here. :)

[@strangenorth]

I appreciate it, thanks for watching! Cheers mate

[@seconduser1809]

Great video, loved watching it! Haven't been to Jack's Drive in since I was a kid. Nice to know it's still around. Regarding Sherwood Park - I believe it's still classified as a hamlet rather than a city, which is of course absurd. Doing that allows it to still get revenue from the nearby refineries which are part of Strathcona County, which it would lose if it left the county and became an independent city. Or at least that's how I recall it being explained to me several years ago.

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching, glad you got some value out of this one - I wondered about that hamlet designation for Sherwood Park! Some of the surrounding towns have pretty interesting history, and I plan on covering more Alberta small towns down the road. Cheers mate

[@tobediv]

St albert is great if you love entitled people and high property taxes, but also feeling 100% safe at 1 am walking around. Lived here the last 8 years

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for the feedback - Saint Albert is my favorite of Edmonton's surrounding communities, but I haven't lived there. I find it's the town/city I most enjoy visiting - best Value Village in the Edmonton area too. Cheers

[@tobediv]

@@strangenorth Honestly between how green and beautiful the city is I definitely can’t blame you! It just tends to have the stereotypes of more affluent cities because the high property taxes encourage wealthier people to move here. If you can afford it, its definitely a wonderful place too live. Maybe even too wonderful? ive noticed myself getting quite sheltered living up here, need to move back to 137th and 82nd get my working class edge back.

[@strangenorth]

@@tobediv working class edge is overrated, all I aim to do with my life is end up drinking peach spritzers in manicured gardens

[@slothfratelli5546]

St. Albert is also a place to go if you like dicy parking lots. lol, i work outside, and I can't even count how many times I nearly got ran over by a very elderly person trying to work.

[@tobediv]

@@strangenorth So roman senator core lmao i love it

[@edwardhudson9851]

This is is EXCELLENT content mate,very very informative to this Englishman & new subscriber.Can you do some reviews on local eating places please kinda like a Diners Drive in & Dives type of vibe including pubs as well mate 😂

[@strangenorth]

I appreciate it, thanks for watching and I'm glad the videos are providing some value for you! Cheers mate

[@micheldwson]

Great video. Shocked you didn’t recommend Jack’s Burgers, as my mates, all of us born and bred St Albertans, love it to bits.

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - you know what I haven't been there yet but I'll keep that in mind when I'm in town again! Cheers mate

[@kylebjornson9752]

Possibly the best burgers in the Greater Edmonton Area, though I do love Woodshed's burgers, too.

[@1nONLY_DRock]

Nice! I hope you have a follow up video for the Greater YYC area.

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - I plan on doing that one down the road. Cheers mate

[@Dona-Inva]

What a great video! Thank you!!

[@strangenorth]

I appreciate it, thanks for watching - glad you got some value out of this one. Have a great week!

[@danielmuzika9584]

Thanks for doing this video, very informative! Would you consider doing another video for the "second ring" of small cities/towns are just a little further outside Edmonton? Communities that are say within 1(ish) hour drive but are no longer considered part of the Capital Region? I'm thinking Camrose, Wetaskiwin, Vegreville, etc. They might have something to offer for those who don't have do a daily commute to the area, but still want relatively easy access.

[@strangenorth]

I appreciate it, thanks for watching - that's a good idea for a future video, and I plan on doing more videos down the road featuring smaller towns in Alberta/elsewhere. Cheers!

[@myxomatosisity9977]

Moving to St Albert was the best thing I ever did.

[@strangenorth]

It's a great city! Cheers

[@rr5493]

You should also do a video about the history of Edmonton. That would be an interesting one too.

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching, and that's a great idea - I plan on doing some Edmonton history videos down the road. Cheers

[@georgen9755]

Well connected Tv Radio Cam Connected

[@CharlieOkeson]

Awww, thanks for this; my dearest friend recently moved to Stony Plain. I'm on Vancouver Island and I DO NOT FLY, so I'm missing my friend very much. It's nice and heartwarming to see the beautiful town she's living in now. In fact, I'm a little jealous; Stony Plain is beautiful. Maybe there's a road trip in my future 🤔. Thanks✌️🇨🇦

[@jpeterman9699]

The drive to Stony Plain going through Jasper is quite nice

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to comment - Stony Plain is a nice little town, and there's definitely a lot to see on a road trip from the island to the Edmonton area. Cheers mate!

[@amandabeaty1492]

Why do you not fly, if you don't mind my asking?

[@CharlieOkeson]

@amandabeaty1492 I'm too afraid. I've flown before as a kid, but I'm terrified of the plane crashing. "If it stalls, it can't pull over" is my worst fear, or a slow decent and a sudden splat. 😨😱😊

[@amandabeaty1492]

@@CharlieOkeson Thats too bad. There's so much world to see. I've got really bad anxiety but I push through it. Anxiety is all in your head, I say. But I understand some people deal with it in other ways but I never let my anxiety stop me. It's no way to live.

[@cageycretin7357]

Request: a video dealing with Alberta jails and prisons

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - and that's actually a great idea for a future video! Cheers mate

[@klingoncowboy4]

Can confirm on the industrial areas.. I work in Shell Scotford, it is bigger in area than most towns.

[@strangenorth]

It's a pretty cool area, been through there a few times

[@kingkrimson8771]

I had a great breakfast at Jack's Drive-In in Spruce Grove last week while I was having my Harley serviced across the road. Nice to see my old hometown and workplace Fort Sask. get some press.

[@strangenorth]

Jack's is great, haven't been there in awhile though honestly. Fort Saskatchewan actually has a pretty interesting history, lots I didn't include in this video. Cheers, have a great week!

[@barryposner7609]

Great video. Just wanted to add that the map you show at 0:20 is a wee bit out of date - the City of Edmonton has annexed the land west of Highway 2 down to Highway 19, so now the city borders the airport.

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - I appreciate the tip too, I wasn't aware of that. Cheers

[@JacobN56]

I've lived in Gibbons for over 30 years. Don't have to worry about leaving my doors unlocked. 35 Km from downtown Edmonton. Easy commute

[@charlyW34]

Thanks for covering this topic. It is specifically the population of these towns/small cities that make the area of "greater Edmonton" virtually equal to the population of Calgary. Due to some odd preferential treatment from the Provincial Gov., Calgary has been allowed to absorb all such towns in that City's vicinity, giving it the dubious claim to being a "much larger city" than Edmonton. Not an unimportant issue, as pop. size does matter when it comes to allocation of funds and political representation. Most recently, a 375 mil. election bribe was dolled out to Calgary to build a new NHL facility. In the 12 years it took Edmonton to fund and build the superb modern arena, home to the NHL Oilers, barely a trickle of funding was provided by the province, and even that very small amount was reallocated from other projects.

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching, and you present some great points! That arena business is definitely unfair. Cheers mate

[@connorhauss6044]

Awesome video. Id love to see saskatoon or calgary too

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - that's a good idea for a future video. Cheers!

[@skully0078]

A friend was married in the Enjoy Centre in one of the conference areas. Great place for it.

[@strangenorth]

It's a cool spot hey? A little expensive overall but I cool place to find something unique, and that restaurant is excellent. Cheers mate

[@skully0078]

@@strangenorth Yah, a little expensive but the coffee shop was good and you could float a pistol in the coffee. Loved that.

[@corytarrent7573]

I've enjoyed many of your videos. Always informative and well produced. Grew up is St. Albert and have returned in my 50's. Still a great community. FYI, I'm pretty sure Fort Saskatchewan is a Strathcona County.

[@strangenorth]

I appreciate that, thanks for watching - I actually made a mistake there saying it was in Sturgeon County, it appears that it borders Sturgeon and Strathcona counties but it technically isn't part of either. Whoops. Wouldn't be a Strange North video without a mistake lol. Cheers

[@thew1zrd]

This is awesome - are you planning on making one for Calgary? I may be moving there from Edmonton. I know this city like the back of my hand so the idea of not at least having an idea of the areas etc is tedious

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - yes I'm working on a video that covers Calgary's surrounding towns as well. Cheers

[@tjwadsworth6967]

Lacombe's a nice place too.

[@strangenorth]

Lacombe is a great town - I'm actually going to be making a video on that town later this summer. Cheers mate

[@kylebjornson9752]

If you're going for BBQ in Sherwood Park, I'd recommend That BBQ Place over Memphis Blues. Closer to proper Southeast BBQ (I've lived in the Southeast), except for the available sauces.

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching, and I appreciate the recommendation! Cheers mate

[@truckermre]

Never heard of Morinville before. Neat video! I didn’t even know Fort Saskatchewan had people. Huge industry there for sure!! I’m off tomorrow, so should be able to reply to your email 🤦🏻‍♂️ sorry dude. It’s been a week.

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - Edmonton has quite a few surrounding communities and some of them have pretty neat histories of their own. All good bro no rush at all, was just throwing out an idea for sometime in the future if it works out. Cheers

[@jessebrook1688]

It's Acheson that doesn't have people. The closest you get is a few houses close by, and an RV park with a couple long-term residents.

[@SHDW-nf2ki]

As a life long Edmontonian the idea that anyone would wanna move here blows my tiny mind

[@netook8]

Oddly Edmonton's water system actually goes BEYOND it's metro area, to the south it connects to Millet, which is 5KM outside of the metro area, and I believe it also serves areas east of it's limits as well. The shape of the counties is the main reason for this, the metro, as mentioned, is based on the neighboring counties which creates these "Edmonton serviced by not officially part of Edmonton" communities. It Can be confusing when someone in Tamohawk takes over an hour to get to Edmonton, While someone in Wetaskiwin only takes 30 minutes while the Wetaskiwin resident isn't considered part of Edmonton. Due to Parkland county stretching super far to the west. As a result I lean more to Considering any place that is an hour away from Downtown(or 30 min from city limits) as part of the Edmonton area. Which would actually cut out vast parts of Sturgeon and Parkland counties, and include parts of Wetaskiwin county, Camrose county, and Lamont county. TBH I see those 3(Wetaskiwin, Camrose, Lamont) as counties cut off from Edmonton's Metro area by thin counties that sit between them and the city. As a result of this, there is a fair bit of advertising promoting events in the "cut out areas" between the Red Deer and Edmonton areas. Namely the Big Valley Jamboree, and the Ponoka Stampede. In short there are places you can live that are in the Edmonton metro that are over an hour away(like Tomahawk in far west Parkland county) and places that are much closer that are not considered part of Edmonton(Like Millet, and Lamont). Examples. Tomahawk is 85km from downtown Edmonton and is considered part of the Edmonton area. Millet is only 50km from Downtown Edmonton and is connected to it's water supply but is NOT considered part of the Edmonton area. It's a weird way of outlining a metro area IMO. People in Tomahawk generally go to Drayton Valley for work and services. People in Millet go to Edmonton.

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching and I appreciate when people take the time to comment - and that's a really interesting point, and the way it's mapped out is a little strange. I'd like to do more videos down the road covering other small towns in Alberta. Cheers!

[@edwardhudson9851]

You see Ryan's Drive in ,I need to know this now I'm going with my Canadian Mrs 😂

[@strangenorth]

It's a great place to grab a bite!

[@davidstraight4258]

All these towns have a Boston Pizza so there is lots of fine dining!!!!

[@strangenorth]

Lol fair point I honestly eat humble bachelor meals most nights so Boston Pizza is dignified dining compared to ground beef and rice

[@CLAU-clown]

Boston Pizza was founded in Edmonton so It's no surprise to see the surrounding towns have them too!!

[@TheKnowledge19]

St. Albert FTW!

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - it's a neat place! Cheers

[@b3nzayizkoolyo]

I didn't think Jack's Drive-In was still around. I was under the impression that it closed during the pandemic

[@strangenorth]

They're still around!

[@b3nzayizkoolyo]

@@strangenorth gonna have to visit it again the next time I'm through there 😲

[@stickynorth]

Spruce Grove really grew quickly since the mid 80's onward. Before that? It was basically just a hamlet while Stony Plain was the major community. But being a few miles closer to the city made all the difference in the end and now it's the regional service hub for the county and region west-ward... When I was in Drayton Valley I ended up doing most of my shopping in Spruce Grove weekly to save money. Even with the fuel costs you ended up saving quite a bit... Not of course now with greedflation... Personally I think Leduc itself it the most under-rated of the Donut Belt communities and to me the friendliest small town/city on this list... The complete opposite of St. Albert thankfully...

[@strangenorth]

Leduc definitely has a decent amount of amenities and advantages, although I find the dining/shopping options limited (not that this is a huge issue with plenty of options within driving distance). St. Albert not the friendliest but excellent food options and I think it's more walkable than the other towns (decent downtown + extensive river valley trail system). Edmonton is fortunate to have a lot of surrounding communities as living options, especially compared to Calgary. Cheers

[@Ben_Demon_Hunter]

We grew up outside of Drayton Valley. Spent a lot of time around Leduc & Devon. Most of the time we just drove through Stony Plain & Spruce Grove; but have always enjoyed stopping in both towns. Very nice to learn the history of all the towns & cities mentioned in this video- thank you 🙏

[@strangenorth]

@@Ben_Demon_Hunter thanks for watching! cheers mate

[@trevormorrison9784]

Approaching Edmonton from the northeast is so outdated. Single lane with very few passing lanes. Very bad. Edmonton finally has a freeway system that is connected. Yellowhead Trail is an exciting project.

[@leajohnson8441]

I grew up in Morinville in the 70-80s.

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - I haven't spent a ton of time there but it seems like a decent little town. Cheers mate, have a great week!

[@Tribuneoftheplebs]

Everyone ive met from that town has been super nice 😂

[@simonbudziszyn23]

Beaumont doesn't have good dining? You even included a photo of Chartier, a restaurant widely recognized as one of the best in the Edmonton region!

[@strangenorth]

That's fair, I should have mentioned that place - actually there are a couple things I wish I would have done differently in this video. I meant it doesn't have the restaurant variety that places like Sherwood Park or Saint Alberta have. Cheers

[@simonbudziszyn23]

​@@strangenorth No worries! Chartier is great, and the owners are fantastic people, so I just wanted to ensure that they are recognized. I love the content you've been putting out, keep up the good work!

[@kylebjornson9752]

@@simonbudziszyn23 I thought they closed? Or did they decide to remain open?

[@tjwadsworth6967]

I'm from Millet, moving back. Went to high school in Beaumont.....oui je parle francais lol

[@strangenorth]

I actually have family from the Millet area, cool little town. Cheers

[@AL4140]

Those unmarked “graves” have since been filed as false.

[@GarritGP]

can you make a video about the north west rebelion please

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - that's a great idea for a future video. Cheers mate!

[@Qmocean]

Can you rank the drive-ins? Im a burger fiend and will travel to any one of these places to get a good old school burger.

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching - in terms of drive-ins within these towns I can only think of Jack's in Spruce and Ryan's in Leduc, and Ryan's is way better. Honestly the best burger I've had personally in the Edmonton area is Woodshed Burgers on 124 street in Edmonton, I'd definitely recommend it. Cheers

[@Qmocean]

@strangenorth woodshed is top notch for sure. I haven't been to the 124 location, but I've been to the Southside one. I live in brintnell on the northside, but like I said I'm willing to drive any of the closer towns (I work in the park) and cities for good food. We have regular go-tos in fort sask, st albert and the park. We haven't explored much of the Southside or Westside neighbours yet.

[@clwdT]

I bet no one has heard of Ardrossan County, where my dad is from. He also lived in Sherwood Park.

[@strangenorth]

Hey thanks for watching - Ardrossan is a cool little town and I'd like to cover more places in future videos. Cheers mate, have a great week!

[@EOP02]

Ahh was hoping you'd go as far as Wetaskiwin..

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - I plan on covering more Alberta small towns in future videos down the road, lots of content there. Cheers

[@EOP02]

@@strangenorth absolutely will keep watching! Yer content is excellent, diverse, respectful and interesting. Thanks for the reply Best regards

[@AMArchy]

Forget Cajun house. Across the street is Songkran. IT IS GODLIKE

[@strangenorth]

I appreciate the recommendation, cheers mate

[@nobodyislistening150]

I’ve lived in st. albert my entire life and i hate break it to you, rockin august isn’t a music festival. it’s a classic car show

[@strangenorth]

Oh damn my bad, I appreciate the correction!

[@nobodyislistening150]

@@strangenorth it’s running right now and it’s been a blast!! they do epic cruises and everyone’s showing off their old cars. my dad has been participating basically since he got a car

[@pure_leaf7331]

im from chipman :D

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching!

[@maestroadam]

I was raised in St Albert, and it is a beautiful town. However there are a few things working against it. The people, for one, are not as nice as those in the other surrounding towns. The traffic congestion is terrible, especially around Erin Ridge and north, and the food scene isn’t as good as Sherwood Park.

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching and I appreciate the feedback - you know what, Sherwood Park really does have great restaurants. I love the Italian Centre Shop too, cool that they have a location out there. I also forgot to mention Pasta Pantry in Sherwood park, I love their fresh homemade pasta! Cheers mate

[@maestroadam]

@@strangenorth cheers!!!

[@maplecakez]

As someone whole lives in Morinville. It pains me to hear it pronounced Mow-ruhn-ville. We all say Morn-ville here. Morn as in Morning.

[@YuriiKyryliuk]

It is not interesting for me that I can eat gamburger or swim in Spuce or Leduc. The interesting can be the factories, tecknologies and working places.

[@travisholte3241]

Is the restaurant scene really that important to city people probably is I guess

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - yeah it's definitely a factor that people care about but it's not the most important thing in the world. I rarely eat out but I like to include recommendations in some of my videos. Cheers

[@1q3er5]

anything cheap?

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - I'm definitely not the most knowledgeable about real estate, but there are actually some great local realtors who have KZbin channels with videos comparing property prices in the Edmonton area/surrounding area. Cheers

[@forgetfuldullahan5468]

As someone who lives in morinville, only warning is that there aint shit to do there.

[@ComboverChris]

I'm sorry but the burgers at Jack's in spruce suck. I think it's all the older people that have gone there for years that love them. Cool little shack but their food is lacking

[@strangenorth]

Thanks for watching - I actually only remember the ice cream at Jack's, haven't been there for quite some time. Cheers

[@RobboElRobbo]

thanks for reminding me that the island is the best decision i ever made in my life

[@bondns1]

U forgot gibbonssss

[@strangenorth]

Definitely a bunch of smaller towns I didn't get to!

[@klingoncowboy4]

"Stony Plain also has a proper hospital"... no it does not... do NOT EVER go to Stony Plain Hospital... the only hospital I am aware of that is worse for incompetence and poor service is the one in Lloydminster.

[@strangenorth]

It's definitely a full-service hospital but the reviews seem to be mixed. Have you had a bad experience there?

[@amandabeaty1492]

Devon is a dump. As is Leduc. I don't know why anyone lives in either of these places unless you want to be close to the worst international airport I've ever flown in or out of and I've flown out of and into Atlanta, JFK, Heathrow and Pearson. It's still the best thing about Edmonton... Or the worst thing if you have to come back here.