The Gas City
Medicine Hat, Alberta – Canada’s sunniest city!
Rich in history, Medicine Hat, Alberta is named after the native word “Saamis” which
means medicine man’s hat. Multiple legends lead back to the origin of the name.
While staying at the Comfort Inn Medicine Hat, you must take a stroll to City Hall
where you can admire on a brick mural the depicted legend of the mythical serpent
and hunter.
In 1883, the CPR’s drilling in search for water hit natural gas west of town, striking
one of the largest gas fields in North America. Medicine Hat has therefore been
nicknamed “The Gas City” and is referred by locals as “The Hat”. In 1903, Medicine
Hat started its own gas utility that still operates today supplying residents with
natural gas as well as lighting the traditional lanterns in the historic district,
located near the Comfort Inn and Suites Medicine Hat Hotel.
Being Alberta’s sixth largest city, Medicine Hat is a thriving community of approximately
60,000 residents. There is plenty of pride and community spirit among residents
as well as the students of Medicine Hat College. The city is located approximately
293 km southeast of Calgary on the Trans Canada Highway, half way between Winnipeg
and Vancouver. Because of the rich resources such as clay, coal, farmland and natural
gas, many people continue to move to Medicine Hat each year creating significant
growth within the community. This prosperity has allowed the development of many
successful Medicine Hat businesses, and numerous
area attractions for visitors to enjoy.
As Canada’s sunniest city, Medicine Hat has more than 2,500 hours of annual sunshine.
Due to the long growing season, there is an abundance of beautiful landscapes, gardens
and wildlife to admire. While staying at the Comfort Inn Medicine Hat hotel, Police
Point Park -a 300 acre wildlife refuge, is an ideal place to experience the naturalistic
beauty of the region. The park is bursting with various plants, animals and birds.
Another memorable spot is Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. It is the highest
point in Canada between Labrador and the Rocky Mountains. This area is perfect for
skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts! An important destination spot special to Medicine
Hat is The Dinosaur Provincial Park, a world heritage site rich with fossil beds
containing pictographs and petroglyphs etched in sandstone dating back 75 million
years. For additional information on the local attractions, events, parks and links,
please visit our Medicine Hat Neighborhood Page
and Medicine Hat Attractions Page.
During your stay at the Comfort Inn hotel, you will be able to experience the passion,
history and culture of this unique city. Any time spent in Medicine Hat Alberta
will be remembered and cherished for a lifetime.
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