Saskatoon is the most vibrant and biggest city in Saskatchewan. There are countless interesting & fun facts about Saskatoon, but I am going to discuss the most interesting and unknown fun facts about this beautiful city Saskatoon.
Saskatoon is located in the south centre of Saskatchewan. Saskatoon was founded 139 years ago, and this old historical and cultural hub city was founded in 1883.
Saskatoon officially became a city in the year 1906 and as of May 2023, Saskatoon is 119 years old city.
I’ve been living in this beautiful city for a while now. I can relate to most of the facts and did my best to provide you with the most accurate, deeply researched fact-checked and unknown Saskatoon facts list.
I am sure most of the facts from my list haven’t been shared before anywhere.
I hope you will find it helpful. Let’s go!
Interesting & Fun Facts about Saskatoon
Here are the most interesting, fun facts about Saskatoon in a sequence manner, beginning from historical facts, economy, tourism, immigration, unknown, weird facts, and many more cool facts.
I hope you will find this list helpful and learn something new about Saskatoon. There are many unknown facts to learn about Saskatoon for kids. I’ve tried my best to provide you with the most updated and accurate fact-checked Saskatoon’s facts list.
Let’s begin with history first.
Historical Facts about Saskatoon
1) Saskatoon was officially founded 139 years ago on Aug 18, 1883.
2) Saskatoon is situated on the South Saskatchewan River which is the right centre of the city.
3) ‘Nutana‘ is Saskatoon’s oldest neighbourhood.
4) Saskatoon’s first school named Victoria School, was first started in the year 1883.
5) ‘Nutana Collegiate’ is Saskatoon’s first public high school, which was opened in 1909.
- Nutana Collegiate is more than a century old, as of 2023 it’s 114 years old.
6) First ferry service in Saskatoon across the river began in the year 1884.
7) Saskatoon’s first newspaper named “The Sentinel” got published on Aug 9, 1884.
8) In the year 1901, Saskatoon’s population reached 113 people.
9) Saskatoon’s popular newspaper ‘Phenix‘ was first launched in 1902, now it’s ‘The StarPhoenix‘.
10) On July 1, 1903, Saskatoon officially became a city.
- Saskatoon is officially a 119-year-old city as of 2023.
11) Do you know Saskatoon was founded 139 years ago?
12) John Neilson Lake who was leading a Toronto-based group of temperance Methodists founded Saskatoon.
13) Saskatoon’s first public hospital ‘St. Paul’s Hospital opened in 1907.
14) In Saskatoon, The U of S aka the University of Saskatchewan was founded in the year 1907.
15) The Marr Residence located at 326 – 11th Street East Saskatoon, is the oldest building in Saskatoon.
- Original owner Sandy Marr. built his house in 1884.
- The most interesting fact is, during the Riel Rebellion the Marr. residence served as a field hospital the next year in 1885.
- Currently, The Marr residence is still on its original site and is maintained by the City of Saskatoon.
Facts about Saskatoon Names
Saskatoon has many different names, let’s find out how it got its official name ‘Saskatoon’ and all other names facts.
There are historical facts behind Saskatoon’s names and monikers. I am going to start with the meaning of Saskatoon first.
1) Saskatoon got its name from a ‘Cree’ word, Mis-Sask-Quah-Toomina. Which is an edible local wild red berry.
2) Saskatoon got another cool moniker, it’s also called ‘toon town‘.
3) Saskatoon is popularly known as the Paris of the Prairies.
4) Saskatoon is also called YXE, which is Saskatoon’s airport IATA code.
5) Saskatoon is the home of the most number of bridges in Saskatoon, and is being called ‘The Bridge City‘. As of April 2023, Saskatoon has a total of 8 bridges.
6) Saskatoon’s name represents Saskatoon’s local wild red berry.
7) Saskatoon’s kept getting many monikers over time, Here are a few more:
- The Wonder City
- The Hub City: It’s because Saskatoon is the biggest business hub in Saskatchewan.
- The POW City: Potash, Oil and Wheat.
8) People in Saskatoon are also called ‘Saskatoonians’.
9) Saskatoon is also known as ‘stoon’, and ‘stoon’ is also being used as slang in Saskatchewan.
Geographical Facts about Saskatoon
Saskatoon is the largest city in Saskatchewan. It has a rapidly growing population and expanding new areas all around the city.
Saskatoon Flag Facts
Saskatoon’s flag was approved by the city council in 1952.
There is a lot of development going on recently in Saskatoon. The city is expanding, and a lot of new construction sites are building up in 2023.
In the previous year, 2022 Saskatchewan’s tallest building got completed and started operating. I’ve seen this beautiful building constructed and completed. There are many facts about Saskatoon’s geography.
Let’s find out some of the most important Saskatoon’s geographical facts.
1) Saskatoon’s total area is 228.1 km² and the land area of Saskatoon is 5864.48 Sq. kilometres.
2) Saskatoon is known as a ‘bridge city’ because it has got 8 bridges as of January 2023.
3) This Bridge city: Saskatoon operates in Central Standard Time (CST) time zone throughout the year.
4) Saskatoon doesn’t have daylight savings.
5) Official area codes of Saskatoon are 306, 639, and 474.
6) Saskatoon has Saskatchewan’s tallest building ‘Nutrien Tower’, located in downtown by the South Saskatchewan River.
Saskatoon Police Service Badge – SPS Flag
Facts about the Elevation of Saskatoon
- Longitude: 106.67004
- Latitude: 52.1332144
- Saskatoon Elevation: 481.5 meters which is 1579.7 feet above sea level.
- Barometric Pressure in Saskatoon: 96KPa
Economical Facts about Saskatoon
Let’s talk about Saskatoon’s Economical facts which are really important factors to know when you are learning about the city.
Saskatoon is rich in agriculture and mining but there is a lot to know about Saskatoon’s economy and its facts.
1) Saskatoon, Saskatchewan’s minimum wage rate as of October 1, 2023, is $14/per hour which is currently the lowest in Canada.
2) CBoC aka The Conference Board of Canada is expecting Saskatoon’s economy to grow by 3.9% in 2023.
3) Saskatoon’s average per capita household income is $58,106+ which grew rapidly in 2022.
4) Saskatoon is known as the ‘POW city’, POW represents Saskatoon’s major economy Potash, Oil and Wheat.
5) Saskatoon’s agricultural, oil, potash and uranium mining sectors are the major contributors to Saskatoon’s GDP growth.
6) Saskatoon contributes a major part to Saskatchewan’s overall economy.
7) Saskatoon is home to the world’s biggest potash producer ‘Nutrien‘. They have a headquarters in downtown Saskatoon.
8) Saskatoon recently got the tallest building in Saskatchewan named ‘Nutrien Towner‘. With a height of approx. 88 meters tall is currently the tallest building in Saskatchewan.
9) Saskatchewan’s biggest and one of Canada’s top universities the ‘University of Saskatchewan’ is located in Saskatoon.
Tech Sector in Saskatoon
The technology sector is growing rapidly in Saskatoon. There are a lot of big companies that have been grown and founded in Saskatoon.
Here are some of the top technology/startup companies located and founded in Saskatoon:
- 7Shifts Inc.
- SkipTheDishes (founded in Saskatoon in 2012)
- Vendasta
- Coconut Software
- ZU
- Co.Labs
- Balloonfish
- Blacksun Canadian Web Hosting
- SalonScale
- Andgo
and the list goes on.
Agriculture Sector in Saskatoon
As Saskatchewan is Canada’s largest agricultural products exporter and Saskatchewan has one of the biggest cultivated farmland in Canada which is about 40%.
Here are some of the biggest agri-food companies located in Saskatoon.
- GIFS: Global Institute for Food Security – Description/Links
- PIC: Protein Industries Canada
- Livestock and Forage Centre
- Crop Development Centre
- Canadian Feed Research Centre
Mining & Energy Sector in Saskatoon
- Saskatoon is home to the world’s largest potash exporter in the world ‘Nutrien’.
- Saskatchewan ranks #2 in the world for its mining investments.
- Saskatchewan recorded $19.4 billion in mineral sales for 2022. (record mining sales)
1/2 Saskatchewan’s mining industry reached an all-time high value of sales. The province’s mineral sales were over $19.4 billion in 2022, more than doubling the previous record. pic.twitter.com/mLporYpjEC
— Saskatchewan Trade & Invest (@SKTradeInvest) June 5, 2023
Let’s find out the major global mining companies which are located in Saskatoon.
Weather Facts about Saskatoon
Take a look at these shocking facts about Saskatoon weather.
Saskatoon is a beautiful city with definitely a lot of snow during winters, but that doesn’t hold Saskatoon from shining in the summers. Saskatoonians enjoy all the amazing 4 kinds of weather.
1) Saskatoon is ranked #5 in the list of sunniest cities in Canada.
2) Saskatoon has an average of 319 days of bright sunshine, being the sunniest city Saskatoon got the slogan ‘Saskatoon Shines’.
3) The hottest day with a temperature of 41 °C was ever recorded in Saskatoon on June 5, 1988.
4) The coldest day with a temperature of -39.2 °C ever recorded in Saskatoon was in December 2021.
5) The driest year in Saskatoon was 2001 with 165.8 mm.
6) June 2005 was declared the wettest month with an overwhelming 170.0 mm of rain.
7) 2010 was declared the dreariest year with just 44 days of sunshine.
8) With 81 sunniest winter days the year 2012 was declared the sunniest winter year.
9) The coldest temperature in 2024 was recorded in Saskatoon on January 13, 2024, with a wind chill temperature below -51 °C.
Facts about Saskatoon Tourism
Saskatoon has a lot of top-rated tourist places to visit.
Saskatoon gives you a big city vibe despite being a small city, it offers plenty of amazing things to do.
There are endless facts about Saskatoon tourism available, I am going to include some of the really interesting facts.
1) Saskatoon’s John G. Diefenbaker Airport was named after Canada’s 13th prime minister.
2) Saskatoon airport officially got its ‘international airport’ in the year 2006.
3) Saskatoon’s international airport YXE has one-stop flights or direct flights to 240 destinations all around the globe.
4) Saskatoon has about 4,500+ hotel rooms all around the city.
5) There are about 174+ hotels in Saskatoon as of January 2023.
6) Saskatoon has over 800,000 sq. feet of state-of-the-art meeting space.
7) Remai Modern Art Museum of Saskatoon has the world’s most extensive Picasso Linocut collection.
8) Wanuskewin Heritage Park’s grounds have Canada’s longest-running archaeological dig. There are about 6,000 years old relics are being discovered.
9) Wanuskewin Heritage Park turned into a Provincial Heritage property in the year 1983 in partnership with the city of Saskatoon and Meewasin Valley Authority.
- Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II declared Wanuskewin Heritage Park a National Historic site in the year 1987.
10) Meewasin Valley is Saskatoon’s longest trial and has over 80 kilometres long trials by the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon.
11) The Ukrainian Museum of Canada is located in the heart of Saskatoon. The interesting fact to know is, In 1936 museum was established by the Ukrainian Women’s Association of Canada.
12) The oldest hotel in Saskatoon, The Bessborough (now, The Delta Bessborough Hotel).
This is the most iconic building in Saskatoon. Delta Bessborough is located in the heart of Saskatoon downtown, located on 601 Spadina Crescent East, situated just near the South Saskatchewan River.
It was opened publicly in 1935, and constructed based on Châteauesque-style, which is about 192 feet tall(58.5 metres).
Guinness World Record Facts about Saskatoon
Here are some of the amazing facts about Saskatoon.
I bet many people in Saskatoon don’t even know about Saskatoon’s Guinness world record facts.
Saskatoon has named a couple of Guinness world records, that will make us Saskatonians proud.
1) Saskatoon’s proud mom ‘Jackie Iverson’ holds the Longest interval between the birth of quadruplets Guinness world record.
- On November 21, 1993, Jackie Iverson from Saskatoon gave birth to a baby boy named ‘Christopher’ and on the same day, she also gave birth to a baby girl named ‘Alexandra’ (both by Normal delivery).
- On November 29, 1993, exactly 9 days later, Jackie gave birth to another baby boy named ‘Matthew’ and a baby girl named ‘Sarah’ (both by Caesarean).
2) Saskatoon holds the world’s largest snowball fight Guinness World Record.
- On January 31, 2016 Day: Sunday Time: Afternoon, the world’s largest snowball fight outdoors was attempted and participated by 7,681 participants at Victoria Park.
- It was organized by Mane Productions, Saskatoon PotashCorp Wintershines Festival, the City of Saskatoon, and Yukigassen Team Canada.
Sports Facts about Saskatoon
1) Saskatoon has the oldest football team called ‘Huskies’. Huskies formed a team formed at the University of Saskatchewan in the year 1912.
2) The Saskatoon Huskies Football team has won six Hardy Cup championships in the past 4 decades.
Huskies official website: huskies.usask.ca
Saskatoon’s Famous Sportspersons Facts
3) Roddy Piper – A famous Canadian wrestler and Actor was worth in Saskatoon (April 17, 1954).
4) Stu Hart – A former wrestler who was best known for Stampede Wrestling was born in Saskatoon on May 3, 1915.
5) Mike Babcock – A former popular Ice Hockey player was also born in Saskatoon on April 19, 1963.
6) Wade Belak – Another greatest ice hockey player was born and raised in Saskatoon.
7) Derek Boogaard – He was a famous Ice hockey player, born in Saskatoon on June 23, 1982.
8) George Genereux – This former champion sport shooter was born and raised in Saskatoon.
9) Trey Lyles – A great basketball player who has roots in Saskatoon, was born on November 5, 1995, in Saskatoon.
10) Brett Boyko – A professional Canadian football player. He was born in Saskatoon on August 4, 1992. Studied at St. Joseph, Saskatoon. He played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Canadian Football League.
11) Catriona Le May Doan – A professional Canadian speed skater is a double Olympic champion in 500 m Speed Skating. She was born in Saskatoon on December 23, 1970, and is now a retired Canadian speed skater.
and there is an endless list.
Unknown Facts about Saskatoon
Here are some lesser-known facts to know about Saskatoon.
1) A fun fact about Saskatoon is Saskatoon’s residents are also called ‘Saskatonians’.
2) Saskatoon has these 5 sister cities,
- Chernivtsi, Ukraine
- Shijiazhuang, China
- Umeå, Sweden
- Cologne, Germany
- Tampere, Finland
3) Saskatoon’s world-famous restaurant ‘Baba’s Homestyle Perogies’ is the only drive-through pierogi serving place in the world.
4) Saskatoon’s very first hotel ‘The Bessborough Hotel’ now Delta Besborough Hotel is known to be a haunted place.
5) Saskatoon’s oldest house ‘The Marr Residence’ which was built in 1884 is also known to be a haunted house.
6) The largest and oldest mall in Saskatoon is Midtown Plaza which is located in downtown Saskatoon.
7) There was a big railway junction and railway station in Saskatoon (which was opened in 1908 and was closed in 1960) where Midtown Plaza is located today.
8) Dr. Harold E. Johns (Ph.D.) and their incredible team of researchers from the University of Saskatchewan treated the world’s first successful cancer patient using their world’s first radiation therapy in 1951.
- Dr. Harold E. Johns also became the first in the world to build a cobalt-60 radiation therapy unit.
- In November 1951, a 43-year-old woman (mother of 4) from Saskatoon, was successfully treated by using cobalt-60 radiations.
- She was the world’s first cancer patient from Saskatoon who got successfully treated for cervical cancer.
- The original cobalt-60 unit can be found in Saskatoon’s Western Development Museum on a display currently.
- Another astonishing fact is that 6,728 more patients used to get treated with the original cobalt-60.
Reference: Uniquely USask: Cobalt-60 treatment at USask made medical history
9) Graeme Dyck receives the university’s top undergraduate awards in the history of the University of Saskatchewan no one has done this before, in the entire 111 years of history.
Graeme received the university’s top undergraduate awards in both the sciences and fine arts in the Spring of convocation 2023. Became the first graduate in the history of 111 years to win both awards.
Reference: Arts and Science graduate makes USask history
Related:
Facts about Saskatoon: Conclusion
Isn’t it amazing? Indeed it is, If you are from Saskatoon, you must share it with your kids/family they will feel proud and learn something new about Saskatoon.
Let others know about this remarkable achievement and these unknown interesting facts about Saskatoon and Saskatoonians.
There are tons of other Saskatoon facts that might be available, I have tried my best to list the most interesting ones and will keep my list updated. I hope you found this article interesting and helpful.
