Fort McMurray, Alberta

Situated north of Edmonton, Fort McMurray was originally established as a Hudson's Bay Company outpost in 1870 and gained its fame nearly 100 years later, in the 1960s, with the oil sands development – the mining of the world's biggest single oil deposit. Today, with continued industry development, Fort McMurray is one of Canada's fastest-growing cities and is attracting lots of young people – the average age of its residents is 30.

Fort McMurray is surrounded by boreal forest and four rivers, which attract lots of outdoorsy tourists who fly or portage to remote lakes to fish for perch, northern pike, whitefish, lake trout, goldeye, and Arctic grayling. If fishing is too slow for you, try white-water canoeing, hiking the sand dunes, downhill or cross-country skiing, or snowboarding. Too fast-paced? Visit historical communities, or view the natural displays of the Northern Lights while camping.

As for organized events, every two winters the city hosts a variety of sporting competitions for the Arctic Winter Games. In summer, visit the interPLAY visual and performing arts festival. Other facilities that will help you pass the time outside of work include an 18-hole golf course, indoor and outdoor hockey and skating rinks, soccer fields, beach volleyball, basketball courts, and water-play parks.

Knowing the neighbors is one of the bonuses of this style of city living. A fun, safe environment for your kids is another. If you want to embrace the great outdoors, while still having the advantage of garbage collection and public transit, Fort McMurray is for you.

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