Saskatoon, Canada Population

Saskatoon is a city of just over 325,000 people located in the province of Saskatchewan in Canada. Straddling the South Saskatchewan River, Saskatoon is the largest city in Saskatchewan and has an estimated 198,000 people in the city area. The city serves as the economic and cultural center of Saskatchewan since it’s founding in 1882.

The Toronto-based Temperance Colonization Society aimed to create a town that escaped the liquor trade. They founded Saskatoon to create a “dry” community and settlers began to travel to the growing community the following year. Since then, Saskatoon has grown quietly and steadily. While not a large city by many standards, since 1950, Saskatoon has tripled in population—going from 100,000 residents to over 300,000.

Asian population in the “Paris of the Prairies”

While almost 70% of Saskatoon’s population identifies as being from European descent, the city has a generous visible minority population made up mostly of people of Asian descent, the largest groups being South Asian and Chinese. Much of Saskatoon’s original Asian population was made up of Chinese immigrants that were working on building the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Originally, Canada was not a friendly country for these workers. Once the railway was complete, legislation was even put into place to try to force Chinese immigrants to return to China. The Chinese Immigration Act demanded newcomers pay a head tax of $500 each—an astronomical sum in the 1800s. Despite this discrimination, Chinese immigrants managed to have successful careers and build booming businesses. These days, the city has over 29,000 residents of South Asian descent and over 15,000 of Chinese descent. There are also relatively large Black, Filipino, Latin American, and Arab communities in the city.

The aboriginal people of Saskatoon

First Nations, Métis, and Inuit populations are an established part of Saskatoon’s culture and identity. Long before any permanent European settlers made their way to the area, First Nations people had made their home there. The five largest First Nations ethnicities in the province (and in the city) include the Cree, Assiniboine, Saulteaux, Dene and Dakota. Historically, Atsina and Blackfoot tribes were also common in Saskatchewan.

These days, over 17,000 people identify as First Nations and 12,000 identify as Métis. Like many places in Canada, the First Nations’ communities continue to urbanize. In Saskatoon alone, the First Nations population increased by 382% from 1981 to 2001. Though it should also be noted that a good portion of this increase is also due to more people identifying themselves as First Nations, something that was frowned upon in Canada for many decades and continues to hold stigma in many places.

One of the highest population growths in Canada

Saskatoon’s population grew 2% in 2019, making it the fourth fastest growing metropolitan area in Canada. Saskatoon was tied to another Canadian city, Halifax, Nova Scotia, for population growth that year. Starting from 2018, 14,000 new residents have decided to call the city home. The study ranking Saskatoon’s population growth studied 35 other metropolitan areas in the country for comparison. The city has grown 11% in the past five years.

Some of the top rated hikes in Canada

Fall in Canada can be quite beautiful, which is why Reader’s Digest collects some of the top hikes for fall in Canada. Saskatoon’s Meewasin Valley Trail easily made the list. The trail extends 90 kilometers along the east and west banks of the South Saskatchewan River. Part of the Trans Canada Trail, the Meewasin Valley Trail is within city limits and attracts families, cyclists and hikers from all walks of life. It consists of several smaller trails and conservation areas and demonstrate the diverse flora and fauna of Saskatchewan.