Geographically, Manitoba is located in the center of Canada and north of North Dakota. The province is 251,000 sq mi or 652,600 sq km in size. The population is 1,145,000, with the largest portion of 676,700 in the capital city of Winnipeg.

Winnipeg is only 20 kilometres from the longitudinal centre of Canada and 300 kilometres from the geographic centre of North America.

I feel that the city is just the right size: big enough to support a wide variety of activities, yet small enough to have a real sense of community and to allow for quick and easy travel.

In 1862, the fur-runners' trail came down from the Assiniboine River, and crossed the main trail running down the Red River about a quarter mile north of the established settlement at The Forks. It was here that Henry McKenney opened a general dry goods store on a patch of tall prairie grass. Today, the intersection of these two trails is one of the most famous in Canada - Portage and Main, reputed to be the windiest corner in the country. But the intersection of Main Street and Portage Avenue is the heart of the city center.