As recently as 1941 Edmonton had 94,000 people, making it the ninth largest city in Canada. By 1981 it ranked fifth with a population of 515,800 for the city proper (area within the city limits) and 741,000 for the entire metropolitan area. Growth has been slower since then, but still considerable. In 1996 Edmonton was still Canada's fifth largest city, with a population of 616,306; the entire metropolitan area had a population of 862,597. Alberta's other large city, Calgary, has more people in its city proper but fewer in its metropolitan area.
Immigration, especially from the United Kingdom and continental Europe, has always been a major factor in Edmonton's growth. Although the population today is highly mixed, nearly half of Edmonton residents have some British ancestry. Among those reporting an unmixed origin in the 1991 census, British descent is the most common (17 percent of the total population), followed by German (6 percent), Ukrainian (6 percent), and Chinese (4 percent).Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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