Strathcona was a city in Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, located on the south of the North Saskatchewan River

North Saskatchewan River

The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows east from the Canadian Rockies to central Saskatchewan. It is one of two major rivers that join to make up the Saskatchewan River....

 opposite of the City of Edmonton. It amalgamated with Edmonton on February 1, 1912

1912 in Canada

-Events:*February 1 - Strathcona merges with Edmonton, Alberta*April 1 - The Parliament of Canada passes Quebec Boundaries Extension Act that transferred to the Province of Quebec the territory bounded by the Eastmain River, the Labrador coast, and Hudson and Ungava Bays, extending the northern...

.

On May 29, 1899

1899 in Canada

-Events:*January 20 - About 2000 Doukhobors arrive in Halifax, Nova Scotia*June 21 - Treaty No. 8 cedes much of northern Alberta to the federal government...

, Strathcona was incorporated as a town named after "Lord Strathcona, a pioneer fur trader and clerk whose real name was Donald A. Smith

Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal

Sir Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, GCMG, GCVO, PC, DL was a Scottish-born Canadian fur trader, financier, railroad baron and politician.-Early life:...

". It became a city on March 15, 1907

1907 in Canada

-Events:*March 6 - William Pugsley becomes premier of New Brunswick, replacing Lemuel John Tweedie*May 24 - Boer War Memorial unveiled*May 30 - King Edward VII grants the Coat of Arms of Alberta...

.

In 1902

1902 in Canada

-Incumbents:*Prime Minister: Wilfrid Laurier*Governor General: Earl of Minto*Premier of British Columbia: James Dunsmuir then Edward Prior*Premier of Manitoba: R.P. Roblin*Premier of New Brunswick: Lemuel J. Tweedie...

, alarmed by fires that swept through many prairie communities at the time, Strathcona's town council passed an ordinance requiring that all buildings be constructed of materials like brick that are resistant to fire. This, along with municipal development moving north of the river after amalgamation, means Strathcona has one of the largest stocks of vintage buildings in western Canada.

The University of Alberta

University of Alberta

The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...

 was established in the City of Strathcona in 1908

1908 in Canada

-Incumbents:*Prime Minister: Sir Wilfrid Laurier*Governor General: Earl Grey*Premier of Alberta: Alexander Rutherford*Premier of British Columbia: Richard McBride*Premier of Manitoba: R.P. Roblin*Premier of New Brunswick: Clifford Robinson then John Hazen...

.

Today, those parts of the former City of Strathcona around Whyte Avenue are known as Old Strathcona

Old Strathcona

Old Strathcona is an historic district located in south-central Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Once the commercial core of the separate city of Strathcona, the area is now Edmonton's main arts and entertainment district, and in 2007 was named Alberta's second "Provincial Historic Area"...

, which is a provincially-recognized heritage district. The former City of Strathcona corresponds to a larger area which includes land that was merely annexed and not yet developed.