'Mega-city in the middle of nowhere': German YouTuber explores Edmonton

If you’ve ever wanted an outside perspective on Edmonton, the internet offers plenty to choose from, including a recent video from a German YouTuber giving a new outlook on the city.

The video, titled “Why Is This Mega City In the Middle of Nowhere?”, comes from German creator Imperatur. His videos, which have a combined 119 million views, feature different cities from around the world and content about the video game Cities: Skylines, beloved by urban planning and geography fans.

At one point in the video, he even admits that one of his hobbies is “flying around Google Earth.”

So what about Edmonton caught his eye?

He explains that he’s fascinated by the vastness of Canada’s north, and at the edge of the dense northern forest, where it meets the prairie, he finds what he describes as a “surprisingly large city.”

“Edmonton, home to over a million people, sits hundreds of kilometres from the next major city,” he explains in the video, noting the city “expands in all directions,” giving it the feeling of infinite space, adding Germany feels “claustrophobic” in comparison.

He circles back to the same question: why such a large city so far north?

Imperatur argues that Edmonton exists because of its geography, not despite it. He delves into Edmonton’s history as a Hudson’s Bay Company outpost, with early traders using the North Saskatchewan River as a “liquid highway” across the landscape.

The railway followed more than a century later, and the flat prairie, easy access to water, and room to grow made Edmonton an ideal location, turning it into a booming prairie town.

When Alberta became a province in 1905, Edmonton was selected as the capital due to its central location between the farmlands in the south and the resource-rich north.

Oil was another key factor in the city’s growth. The Athabasca oil sands contain one of the largest oil resources on Earth, and Edmonton serves as its processing and distribution centre.

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“One can say without exaggeration that almost every drop of oil that flowed out of western Canada came from somewhere near Edmonton,” he says, adding it continues to shape the city’s economy, skyline, and expansion.

Edmonton’s river valley also played a massive role in shaping the city and its communities, and the extensive park system is “extraordinary” and “must be fantastic in the summer.”

Imperatur also highlights the city’s extremes. Winters can reach -40°C, yet Edmonton receives over 2,300 hours of sunshine a year. Summers bring 17 hours of daylight, making the city feel twice as lively.

“This mixture of cold and light shapes everyday life, from the way people build their houses to the way they spend their free time,” he says.

“And although it is far from everything else, life here feels surprisingly complete. There is a strong sense of community, an art scene that goes beyond its weight class, and you are proud to live in a tough place.”

He concludes by saying Edmonton is not just another city in the north; it is a place that has learned to thrive in the cold.