Why did Manitoba chose Winnipeg as their capital?

Answer 1

Winnipeg is located at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, on the eastern edge of the Canadian prairies. The Winnipeg area was a trading center for Aboriginal peoples prior to the arrival of Europeans. The first fort was built there in 1738, and in 1812 it was settled as the Red River Colony.

After the Dominion of Canada was created in 1867, the province of Manitoba was formed in 1870. However, at that time Manitoba was just a small rectangle in the southern part of the present-day province. Winnipeg was near the center of the province, and was incorporated as the City of Winnipeg in 1873. By 1911, the city was the third largest in Canada, and remained so until surpassed by Vancouver in the 1920s. In 1912, the province of Manitoba was expanded to its present size, absorbing a large portion of what had been the District of Keewatin.

Today, Winnipeg is the seventh-largest municipality in Canada, and the Winnipeg metropolitan area is home to 60% of Manitoba's population.