Beyond YEG Borders: Spruce Grove
For those looking to reside just beyond Edmonton’s city limits, the city of Spruce Grove is a viable option. Less than a 30 minute drive, Spruce Grove provides all the amenities of a larger city, while retaining the community values of a small town, with easy access to Edmonton and its surrounding areas.
West of Edmonton on Highway 16, Spruce Grove is directly en route to Edson, Hinton, and the beautiful mountain town of Jasper, Alberta. With Edmonton to the east and the Rocky Mountains to the west, Spruce Grove is nestled in the heart of Parkland County.
Boutiques on 1st Avenue, Spruce Grove.
In a long and convoluted past, Spruce Grove as a political entity has incorporated and dissolved no less than 3 times in its 135 year lifespan (dating all the way back to 1879), not unifying permanently until its final incorporation in 1971. Due to population growth and economic expansion, Spruce Grove achieved the status of “City” in 1986.
With a thriving population of over 26,000 spread across an area of about 32 Kilometres square, the small community has grown considerably, showing a 20% increase in population in less than 5 years. Infrastructure in the city has increased to not only meet but exceed population pressures. Including a wealth of new shopping areas, access to major chain stores, a variety of restaurants, and a medical centre.
Horizon Stage. Image Credit: horizonstage.com
The arts and cultural community is well represented with the extensive Horizon Stage arts complex housing theatre, music, drama, dance, and more. They also host a theatre school providing drama classes for a wide age range, and host family events year round.
For the more recreationally inclined, the newly developed TransAlta Tri-Lesiure Centre is a “full service multi-use community sport, recreation and wellness facility”. Run as a not-for-profit organization, the Centre attempts to meet the needs and demands of Parkland County as a whole, with a specific focus on Spruce Grove residents. The facility includes an extensive fitness centre, an aquatic complex, two NHL size arenas, two indoor fields, a multipurpose gymnasium, and a host of meeting rooms.
TransAlta Tri-Leisure Centre. Image Credit: trinews.com
The easy access to amenities, burgeoning arts community, and facilities for recreation make Spruce Grove an ideal option for home buyers. According to the City of Spruce Grove
“Spruce Grove has a wide variety of residential options, with carefully developed neighbourhoods that are connected by walking trails and in close proximity to parks, schools and a medical centre.”
CLICK HERE to view properties available in Spruce Grove
