10/07/2025
🌆 Why does every town seem to have a 50th Street and 50th Avenue?
Ever noticed how many communities in our region have a 50th Street and 50th Avenue — even when there aren’t that many streets? 🤔
It all goes back to the Grand Trunk Pacific Town and Development Company, the group behind many early town layouts along the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. These towns — like Evansburg, Junkins (now Wildwood), Peers, and Edson — were designed with almost identical plans. The railway ran east-west, the train station sat on the north side, and Main Street ran north from the station. Streets often had names like King, Queen, and Princess, while avenues were numbered from 1st Avenue upward.
So how did Main Street become 50th Street?
In the 1940s, Northwestern Utilities began connecting Alberta communities to natural gas. They preferred Edmonton’s numbered street system, where 101 Street and 101 Avenue marked the city’s midpoint. They encouraged smaller towns to adopt a similar system — nicknamed the “50/50 Model.”
By switching to this system, communities could more easily integrate with regional mapping and utilities. It also made life simpler for postmen, gasmen, and visitors trying to find their way around.
Throughout the 1940s and 50s, towns across central Alberta — including Evansburg, Wildwood, Peers, Niton Junction, Robb, and Cadomin — made the change.
So next time you drive down 50th Street, you’re actually travelling through a little piece of Alberta’s planning history! 🗺️✨
