Grande Alberta really has it all. Our natural surroundings provide clean, healthy living and year-round recreational opportunities. These resources also provide our area with thriving businesses and industries that offer careers and a great living. The pioneering spirit that shaped this land still lives on, making GAER a land of untapped opportunity when it comes to investment and new business ideas. Our communities are forward thinking, welcoming and offer the kind of small town living that most people can only dream about. And our people? They're a lot like the land they live on - unspoiled, open and natural. They are what make GAER a dynamic, exciting and great place to be.
Top 10 Reasons to Live and Work in GAER
Friendly People
A small population spread across a large area, the people of GAER are friendly, hardworking and down to earth. It's a youthful group of people, too. 53% of our population is between 20 and 54. They work hard, love the outdoors and are welcoming to visitors and newcomers.
Natural Beauty
Our surroundings include spectacular mountain peaks, endless blue sky, miles of rugged trails, crystal clear waters, boreal forests, lush river valleys, rolling prairie land and fertile soil. Everywhere you turn, no matter where you go, natural beauty is all around you in Grande Alberta.
Endless Recreation
Four seasons of outdoor experiences abound in a scenic smorgasbord featuring everything from majestic Rocky Mountains to boreal forests and aspen parkland. Jasper National Park is GAER's biggest, but far from only, draw for recreation enthusiasts. You can do everything from golfing to riding the rapids, ice climbing to exploring hundreds of miles of backcountry by snowmobile. Add to that endless trail rides, skiing, fishing and boating, top it off with spelunking in Cadomin Cave and you've got a wonderland of recreational opportunity right at your doorstep.
Job and Career Opportunities
Don't believe everything you hear about deep cuts and job loss in oil and forestry. To be sure, there have been losses, but our region's forward thinking and ability to adapt to new realities means that we've insulated ourselves from the worst of it. Our ability to maintain, even in the face of the 2008-09 recession, means that GAER is a great place to work. Besides that, new opportunities are emerging in industries such as tourism, renewable resources and bioproducts. Check out our job board to learn more.
Small Town Living
Unique towns and villages with populations of 875 - +10,000 connect GAER's vast geographical area and they offer the very best in small town living. You can stroll downtown for a cup of coffee and a conversation about the weather. Walk your children safely to school or playgrounds. Be a part of a community with cultures and traditions that go back generations. It's a welcome reprieve from the fast and-furious pace of the 21st century.
Big City Advantages
While GAER offers all of the benefits of small town living it's still easy to access all that a big city has to offer. Most of the region is within an easy drive of Edmonton, arguably one of Canada's most dynamic urban areas. Metro Edmonton is located just off the region's eastern boundary and offers great shopping, world-class cultural events, national hockey and anything else you could need in a "big city".
Easy Access and Great Travel
Our region features approximately 1500 kilometres of modern, wide-shouldered highways and one of the Canada's major railways. Our east-west lifeline is the Yellowhead highway, one of Western Canada's two main cross-country arteries. The region is also connected by the scenic Grande Alberta Trail, Icefields Parkway, the Canamex Corridor along with other well-traveled provincial highways. (see map)
The Living is Easy and Oh, So Good
The people of GAER enjoy a high quality of living. Wages are higher, the cost of living is lower and life is relaxing and healthy. Our communities are safe and friendly and we have modern, state-of-the-art health care and educational facilities. Great transportation and fully digital telecommunications networks connect even the small rural town to the world. On top of that, we have vibrant and growing retail sectors, a diverse economic base, amazing outdoor recreation opportunities and excellent indoor recreation facilities in our communities.
A "Can-Do" Land of Opportunity
We like to think of ourselves as the kind of people who aren't afraid of new ideas and who share a values-based view on the world. That kind of open-minded thinking makes this area ripe for opportunity. If you've always dreamed of operating your own outfitting business or a café that offers the tasty 100-mile diet, for example, there is no better place than GAER to consider it. How about a business driven by carbon-based feedstock or bio-fuel products? We're open to almost anything and to anyone with great ideas and big visions.
Leaders in Industry
We have a long and honoured history as a region for the oil and gas, forestry, agriculture and mining industries. GAER is not just a natural fit for leaders in these industries, who have already invested heavily in our region. We are also attracting related industries in the areas of biodiversity, renewable resources, tourism and ecotourism. If you're looking for a great job with a great future, then choose to move - or stay - in GAER.
Why choose GAER? The list is pretty endless. These Top Ten reasons above are just the beginning. If you'd like to add another great reason to live in GAER contact us or add your voice to our Blog.