Camrose is a city in Central Alberta, Canada, amid some of the richest farmland in the Prairies. It is located in a transitional region between prairie and boreal forest, known as Aspen Parkland. Camrose, which originally grew up along a railroad and now actively grows along Highway 13 is a relatively small city with a population of 18,000. It is a scenic community with many parks, leading to its moniker "The Rose City", offering a relaxed lifestyle with a large population of retirees. Beyond that, Camrose is a major economic center for many small farming communities in the surrounding area.
The area around Camrose was first settled around 1900. At that time, the nearby settlement of Wetaskiwin was a major center for pioneers; typically the last stop-off point before they set out in search of nearby land. The site that was to be Camrose was about a day's journey from Wetaskiwin along the railroad, which made it a popular place on the route of pioneers. Soon businessmen and other settlers arrived to stay. The settlers came primarily from Scandinavian countries, such as Norway and Sweden, and many also came from the United States. The five major ancestries of today’s population are Scandinavian (26.3%), German (25.6%), English (20.2%), Scottish (17.6%), Irish (14.4%). About 3.5% of residents refer to themselves as Aborigines.