City of Wetaskiwin

Wetaskiwin is a small city in the province of Alberta, Canada. This city, population 11,154 (2001) is located approximately 70km south of the provincial capital of Edmonton. The city name comes from the Cree word Wetaskiwin-Spatinow meaning "hills of peace".

Wetaskiwin is home to the Reynolds-Alberta Museum, a very large museum dedicated to celebrating "the spirit of the machine". Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame is also located a short walk away from the RAM.

Auto Mile

Wetaskiwin has the distinction of having the highest level of car sales per capita in Canada, thanks in a large part to city specific advertising produced through co-operation of all of the auto dealers lining the "auto mile". Though embarrasing to many of the residents the "Cars Cost Less In Wetaskiwin" slogan has clearly had an impact.

Politics

Wetaskiwin is also the name of a federal electoral district. See Wetaskiwin (electoral district)

Wetaskiwin, like much of rural Alberta, tends to vote very conservatively. In the 2004 Federal election the Conservative candidate received almost 74% of the vote, enormously ahead of the local Liberal candidate who polled just under 12%.

Physical Geography

Wetaskiwin sits on what was formerly the coast of the large sea that covered much of Alberta millions of years ago. The North-West end of Wetaskiwin is characterized by hills with sandy soil (formerly sand dunes), while the South-East end of the city is very flat with more silty soil.

External Links

Wetaskiwin City Webpage [1]