Saskatoon

Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344.Saskatoon is the most populous city in the province of Saskatchewan, and has been since the mid-1980s when it surpassed the provincial capital of Regina. The city had a population of 222,189 in the Canada 2011 Census, with a civic estimate of 234,200 at the end of 2011. The city's census metropolitan area had a population of 260,600 in the 2011 Census. Statistics Canada estimated Saskatoon's CMA population as 272,000 as of July 1, 2011.

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.

The economy of Saskatoon has been associated with potash, oil and agriculture (specifically wheat), resulting in the moniker POW. Various grains, livestock, oil and gas, potash, uranium, gold, diamond, coal and their spin off industries fuel the economy. The world's largest publicly traded uranium company, Cameco, and the world's largest potash producer, PotashCorp, have corporate headquarters in Saskatoon. Nearly two-thirds of the world's recoverable potash reserves are located in the Saskatoon region. Innovation Place founded in 1980 brings together almost 150 agriculture, information technology, and environmental, life sciences and agricultural biotechnology industries in a science park or technology park setting.

One of the city's landmarks is the Delta Bessborough Hotel, known to locals as the Bez. Built by the Canadian National Railway, it was among the last railway hotels to be started before the Great Depression of the 1930s brought their era to a close. Although the building was completed in 1932, it did not open its doors until 1935 due to the Depression. The Bessborough and the Mendel Art Gallery are currently the only major structures located on the river side of Spadina Crescent. One of the most frequently circulated photographs depicting Saskatoon is of the hotel framed in one of the arches of the Broadway Bridge. An interesting footnote related to the Bessborough Hotel is that the structure is slowly sliding towards the South Saskatchewan River located directly behind the hotel. It is reported the structure is moving toward the river at approximately 1" per year.

The Meewasin Valley Trail follows the South Saskatchewan River through Saskatoon. Summer activities include cycling, jogging and walking through parks and natural areas. Cross-country skiing is popular during the winter months, along with skating in Kiwanis Memorial Park. Access points are found throughout the city with interpretive signage and washrooms located along the route. There are parks throughout the Meewasin Valley, with washrooms, picnic facilities, and lookout points along the river bank.

In the winter the Meewasin Skating Rink is open free to the public; it is located in Kiwanis Memorial Park beside the Delta Bessborough hotel. The outdoor rink has been open since 1980.

For years, a parcel of land west of the Victoria Bridge, south of 19th Street, and east of Avenue C has been the subject of on-again, off-again redevelopment plans. The site formerly held the Saskatoon Arena, a power plant, a branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, and the head offices of the Saskatoon Public School Division; all these structures have been demolished to make way for redevelopment, with plans for same dating back to the 1980s. The most recent version of the plan called River Landing is ongoing. Calgary developer Lake Placid has proposed a 200 million dollar mega hotel/condo project to be built on the site although Lake Placid had difficulty securing financing and missed an October 30, 2009, deadline to submit a 4.5 million dollar payment for the parcel of land which seemingly killed the deal. On November 16, 2009, it was revealed by Lake Placid that the financing should be secure within a week. In April 2010, Saskatoon City Council voted in favour of entering new negotiations with Lake Placid over the site.

As of May 2010, landscaping and the development of the Frank & Ellen Remai Arts Centre a new performance venue for the Persephone Theatre had been completed on River Landing, joining a senior citizens residence that had been built in River Landing in the 1990s. The Saskatoon Farmers' Market and some commercial sites have also been developed. Future plans separate from Lake Placid include the development of a new art gallery to replace the Mendel Art Gallery by 2014.

Other landmarks in the city include the iconic Traffic Bridge (which as of summer 2011 is expected to be demolished and replaced by a new structure), the University of Saskatchewan campus, and the large Viterra grain terminal which has dominated the western skyline of the city for decades and is large enough to be visible from Pike Lake Provincial Park 32 km away.