Many Americans don’t know that much about Canada, as their own country often overshadows their neighbor. Even those that do know some information about Canada typically only know about the eastern portions of the country such as Toronto. This is a huge shame though, as mid-western Canada has a lot to offer, both in beautiful views and amazing cultures.
If you ever got to experience mid-western Canada for yourself, you’ll like it so much that you’ll even be tempted to search for Calgary homes for sale. So what’s life like in mid-western Canada, and why is it so great? Let’s take a closer look.
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Geography
Mid-western Canada is often referred to as the Canadian Prairies due to the presence of so many plains in the region. Although the start of mid-western Canada begins where the Rocky Mountains end, the geography of the region rapidly gets flat the farther east you head.
These flatlands and warmer summer temperatures are the perfect conditions for farming, which is why the region is sometimes referred to as Canada’s breadbasket. Around 90% of the country’s farmland is located in this region. Although summer can be warm and sunny, winters can be equally as cold and harsh as the region is known for seasons that are a little extreme.
Culture
Due to the region’s history of farmlands and rural environment, mid-western Canadian culture tends to be more conservative and family-oriented than other areas of Canada. Most mid-western Canadians deeply value family and stick to traditions.
In fact, conservative values are so popular in the region that many of the country’s top conservative politicians hail from mid-western provinces such as Alberta. Although the urbanization and recent oil boom the region has experienced is slowly changing things, the culture on the Canadian Prairies is still generally very conservative.
Economy
As mentioned before most of Canada’s farmland is located in mid-western Canada, meaning that the industry plays a major role in the local economy. Crops and natural resources were the backbones of the region’s economy for many years, but in recent decades things have changed slightly.
New discoveries of oil and natural gas in the region led to new opportunities for economic growth, bringing new industries to the region. This combined with the urbanization of the region has led to mid-western Canada becoming much more white-collar and promises even more economic growth down the road.
Cities
Although mid-western Canada was historically made up of farmland, the region has slowly become more urbanized over time. Due to provinces like Alberta experiencing an oil boom in the mid-1900s, the region saw a large influx of wealth. Today cities like Calgary and Edmonton are among Canada’s largest, each housing over a million people.
Cities like these are not only home to a lot of people, they also are home to many amazing attractions that draw in people from all over Canada. Although the Canadian prairies may have had a reputation for being rural in the past, today the region is home to many amazing cities.