Alberta Economy Benefits
By Larry Strawson
If you have been thinking about moving, you might want to move to Alberta. Alberta is one of the western provinces of Canada along with British Columbia and Saskatchewan. The towns of Edmonton and Calgary are located in Alberta, which makes the province one of Canada's major distribution and transportation hubs.
Nature wise, Alberta is a land of stunning beauty. It is home to the Rocky Mountains, the Continental Divide and many beautiful lakes and rivers. The province itself is landlocked and most of it sits on a high elevation, which means that the weather is often cool and comfortable there.
Most of the population lives in the southern areas of Alberta and the Alberta real estate market is booming. In addition to the major cities of Edmonton and Calgary, towns like Spruce Grove, Brooks, Lethbridge and Camrose are coming into their own. Alberta real estate reflects the province's strong economy. In fact, Alberta's economy is potentially the strongest economy in all of Canada as it is supported by agriculture, technology and, of course, the growing petroleum industry. A study conducted by the TD Bank Financial Group showed that the level of wealth in the Calgary-Edmonton corridor is ten percent larger than the level of wealth in most metropolitan US cities and as high as forty percent higher than other urban areas of Canada. There is a lot of economic freedom to be had in Alberta, which is one of the reasons the Alberta real estate market does so well.
Alberta is home to forty-two K-12 public school districts, which are largely funded by property taxes. There is also secondary education in Alberta, as it is home to the University of Alberta (currently the the #1 university in Canada), the University of Calgary, the University of Lethbridge and Athabasca University (whose primary focus is distance learning). Recently, steps have been taken to freeze the cost of secondary education to keep it affordable for all students.
As you can see, Alberta is one of the best places on the North American continent to move to and because it has such a fantastic economy, you won't have to worry about the Alberta real estate market. If you want to find a new home in Alberta, there are a number of companies that you can contact. Ninety percent of Alberta real estate is sold by licensed realtors. Condominiums are usually in the $300,000 range and houses usually cost more. There are also plenty of apartments available for both buying and renting.
Alberta real estate is not going to be cheap, but in terms of the Alberta economy, it should be a manageable expense. Depending on the size of your family, how many rooms you need, and whether you want to live in a house, a condo or an apartment, living in Alberta does not have to be a struggle. In fact, because the economy is so free, you will probably find that purchasing Alberta real estate is easier on the wallet than buying housing in other areas of the world.