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Comment by MrDresden | Hacker News Reader

I was in a relationship with an Albertan between 2014-2016, and moved to Edmonton from Europe in early 2015 (had flown over a couple of times in the prior year).

Even though the city was marketed as the "fun" city with all its events and festivals, I found it to be remarkably dead looking (architecturally cold concrete downtown, McMansions and overdeveloped cookie cutter cul de sacs everywhere).

Then we took a trip to Calgary for a couple of days, and I saw an even less appealing place.

Don't get me wrong, these places were filled with nice people, many which I miss having contact with.

But I would not have been able to settle there permanently (architecturally cold cities, extreme overconsumption, focus on fossil fuels and more played a role).

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Edmonton is a bit of a bipolar city. Yes lots of sprawl and McMansions, quite blue collar, bleak winter weather, anemic nightlife. Deadmonton.

But also, a fantastically beautiful river valley runs through it with vast green parks all around. Summer festivals that are quite nice. Quite sunny, even when it's cold. Some neat corners and neighbourhoods. A distinct culture of its own, some good restaurants. And politically far more progressive than the rest of the province.

Honestly, if Alberta was just Edmonton, I'd move back. I grew to hate it in my 20s, but I miss a lot about it and in my 40s when I visit I quite enjoy myself.

Edmonton is home to the second largest mall in North America

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Edmonton_Mall

yet Edmonton itself is only the 33rd largest city in NA. As someone who grew up in a dull commuter suburb and hated every minute of it, this ratio of mall size to population is not inspiring.

Having a large indoor area for people to congregate and entertain themselves in a location with very long and cold winters might not be comparable to having one in a location with milder weather.

I agree with this.

Much of the square footage is devoted to entertainment pursuits that don't have a roof and close for the winter elsewhere in Canada.

Living in Edmonton, I don't see much evidence of the mall apocalypse that is supposedly affecting the rest of North America.

I did my PhD from the University of Calgary. The university is great, especially in my field, but the rest of the city is just "dead". There is no life, huge sections of the city just a ghost town, the cold. I am happy I never have to go back there again.

Edmonton is the most depressing city I have ever been in. It was like walking into Silent Hill.

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