Beyond the Auto Mile
Nov 1, 2009
The Bigger Picture
WETASKIWIN
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Population 11,673 |
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Median Household Income $44,552 |
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Average Home Price $258,600 |
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Weather Summers average 17 C; winters, -17 C. In a good year, conditions support backyard barbecues and decent crops: expect 12 inches of rain over the season and lots of sunshine. |
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Commuter Route From Edmonton, it’s 70 kilometres south. Pick up Highway 2A from the QE2 in Leduc. It’s 2.5 hours north of Calgary. |
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Economic Picture Wetaskiwin got its start farming, but it has since diversified into 600 businesses, much of it retail, the city’s largest employer. A power centre opened in 1995 has Walmart as its main occupant, and Home Hardware has its Western Canada distribution centre here, employing 450. A sizable manufacturing sector services the international resource industry, making everything from rubber gaskets to electrical panels. |
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Under Construction Multimillion-dollar sewer system expansions have recently serviced the Wetaskiwin Regional Airport and continue so as to bring new industrial lots online. |
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Conversation starter At risk of losing a major, annual revenue generator, a volunteer group of local business people will organize the 2010 Wetaskiwin Air Show, a task too onerous for the City, the two-day event’s former convener. The Air Show Society will handle everything from financing to execution, calling on city council for funding. Last year’s show saw 51,000 spectators inject $1.5 million into the local economy. |
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Where to Eat Locals recommend Terracotta Cafe for its casual, eclectic menu, Huckleberry’s Cafe as a good place to talk business over a decent meal or Angelo’s Pizza and Pasta on Main Street. Don’t miss the MacEachern Tea House near the old courthouse: great fruit crisp and a lovely courtyard garden. |
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Where to Sleep Find the Best Western Wayside Inn just inside town on Highway 2A, with the Super 8 Motel a little further down the road. Next to the latter, rooms at the Fort Ethier Lodge feature kitchenettes. Downtown, there’s the Heritage House Bed and Breakfast. Check the Visitor Information Centre, right across the street from the oldest working water tower in Western Canada, for more options. |
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Diversion After visiting the Wetaskiwin and District Heritage Museum, head just west of the Auto Mile to the Reynolds-Alberta Museum and Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame. Auto Mile pioneer Stan Reynolds collected cars, trucks, planes, farming and mining equipment, then donated much of it to the province. Only a portion of them are displayed at this world-class facility, but you’re still wise to allow at least an hour. |
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