Some General Statistics:
- Population (2011 census): 55,032
- Average Household Income (2012 estimate): $126,877
- Average Age 30.3 years
- Unemployment Rate: 4.0% v.s. national average of 7.3% (May 2013)
- Oil and Gas
- Forestry
- Agriculture
- Retail
- Average rent 2 bedroom suite (Fall 2012): $1,004
- Apartment Vacancy Rate (Fall 2012): 1.8%
- Average Home Price (May 2013): $300,633
- Average Summer Temp +15.9°C but we experience highs up to +35°C
- Average Winter Temp -15.4°C but we experience lows down to -40°C regularily
- The biggest weather annoyance in Grande Prairie is the WIND...it can be non-stop at times.
- Given our Northern location we have very long days in the summer - daylight until almost midnight; and very short days in the winter - sun up around 8am and down at 4pm in the darkest of days.
- We also experience some Chinook winds in the winter however not as dramatic as Calgary.
- Approximately 465km North of Edmonton in the Peace Region of Alberta.
- Hwy 43 is mostly divided from Edmonton with the exception of a small section between Grande Prairie and Valleyview which is being twinned presently
- There are no mountains near Grande Prairie despite how close it looks to them. Some say you can see them in the distance...I personally think its wishful thinking. A short 2 hourish drive to Grande Cache gets you into the foothills and a few hours beyond that takes you into Jasper and the true Rocky Mountains.
- There are many lakes, rivers and camping opportunities around Grande Prairie and within a couple of hours.
Grande Prairie is a quickly growing city. We have gained many large retailers that similar sized cities do not have. For example we have a brand new or soon to open Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Home Sense, Bulk Barn. Existing stores include Costco, Home Depot, Walmart, Future Shop, Best Buy, Lulemon, Winners, Micheals, Jysk, Staples just to name a few. Major clothing retailers are here as well: Reitmans, Penningtons, RW & Co, Smart Set, Rickis, Garage, Boathouse, Children's Place, Stitches, Bootlegger are some of the ones that come to mind. We have a fantastic group of boutique specialty merchants in town as well that bring in products and brands that are hard to find in some cities! Sole Addiction is a specialty shoe store that keeps all the ladies in town in the finest shoes. Propellor & Co carries unique, graceful and stylish clothing and various things for around the home. Ernie's Sports Experts sells all the sports, fitness and active equipment you could ever need for an active life. Fashionista will keep you looking stylish at the various balls, formals and events that happen in Grande Prairie regularly. There are many more independent retailers in town and I hope to feature them all in an effort to promote shopping local and supporting their business. If you are one of those businesses or are interested in being featured on this site please feel free to email me.
Dining:
We have a wide variety of cuisines and restaurants to chose from in Grande Prairie. With our high incomes and busy lifestyles eating out is very common in town so restaurants are busy! Some chain restaurants in town include The Keg, Moxies, Earls, Original Joes, Swiss Chalet, Denny's, Tony Roma's, Ric's Grill. Fast food options are plentiful with McDonald's, Arby's Wendy's, Carl's Junior, Fatburger, Five Guys, Opa, Edo Japan, Mucho Burrito, Taco Time, A&W and many more. Some local favorites and locally owned and managed restaurants include: Jeffrey's Cafe , Guerino's Italian Kitchen, El Norteno , Hong Fah Thai, Escape Bistro. There are many more and again I hope to feature them all on this blog!
As you can see Grande Prairie, while a bit remote does have many amenities and great demographics that do draw many people to move here. I will be posting soon about cost of living and other amenities available here, please keep reading!
Sources:
Canada Census 2011
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Rental Market Statistics Fall 2011 (PDF 1.03M)
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