From Juicy Couture to banana clips, so much of the early 2000s live rent-free in our minds, but movies like A Walk To Remember? That’s really where pop culture did a number on us. In fact, to this day you can not tell us that the most perfect date isn’t straddling the border and giving each other temporary butterfly tattoos. Of course, whether or not you were brainwashed by this film or saw it at all, you may still be interested to know that there’s only one city in Canada where it’s possible to stand in two places at once – just like the lead characters played by Mandy Moore and Shane West.
Though it’s not the only Canadian municipality bordering two provinces, Lloydminster (located in both Saskatchewan and Alberta) is Central Canada’s only city with nearly half of its population residing in two provinces.
While Flin Flon (in Manitoba) spills over the border into Saskatchewan, only about 200 of its 6,000 residents live on the other side of the line. This smaller portion of the city is instead considered a community by Flin Flon.
Colonized in 1903, Lloydminster (named after the town’s Reverend) was founded two years before Alberta and Saskatchewan were officially recognized as provinces.
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Once the line was drawn in 1905, the town of nearly 3,000 residents was split in half, with both establishing themselves as separate municipalities with two different fire departments and two different councils.
As you can imagine this got pretty confusing and in 1930 they decided to do away with these ‘half cities’. The two were quickly remarried, creating the area we know now as Lloydminster.
While bordering two provinces sounds like it would come with its challenges, the community is well established, choosing to adopt Alberta’s daylight savings time and marking either side of the border with the world’s largest foot survey markers.
So there you have it, Canada. If you’ve ever wanted to be in two places at once (in close proximity to hotels, restaurants and hospitals) Lloydminster is the only city where you can do that.
The more you know!
