Summerside, a Canadian city located in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, is the second largest city in the province and serves as the primary service centre for the western part of the island. Officially incorporated as a town on April 1, 1877, Summerside expanded on April 1, 1995, when it amalgamated with the incorporated communities of St. Eleanors and Wilmot. This amalgamation also included annexing portions of the Community of Sherbrooke and the Lot 17 township. Summerside, named after an inn owned by George Linkletter II, the Summer Side House, is the second incorporated city in PEI, following the provincial capital of Charlottetown.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Summerside had a population of 16,001 living in 7,097 of its 7,393 total private dwellings. This represents a 7.8% increase from its 2016 population of 14,839. With a land area of 28.21 km2 (10.89 sq mi), Summerside had a population density of 567.2/km2 (1,469.1/sq mi) in 2021.
Summerside operates the only municipally-owned electric utility in Prince Edward Island. After buying Charlottetown Light & Power in 1918, Maritime Electric consolidated electric distribution on the island. Summerside Electric purchases the majority of its electricity from NB Power. In 2008, 76.5% of its power was acquired from NB Power. The city also owns a wind farm, Canada's first municipally owned and operated wind farm, which produces about 25% of the electricity for the entire city. Summerside is a supporter of clean electric vehicles, boasting over 10 electric car charging stations as of September 2013.
The Prince County Hospital, located in the city's north end, is the main referral hospital in the western part of the province. Island Emergency Medical Services operates two Advanced Life Support Paramedic Ambulances 24/7 from its base downtown.
Summerside experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with warm but somewhat moderate summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The highest temperature ever recorded in Summerside was 33.7 °C (92.7 °F) on 15 July 2013, while the coldest temperature ever recorded was −32.2 °C (−26 °F) on 12 January 1930.
Summerside is home to the Summerside Raceway, a standardbred harness racing track believed to be the oldest operating racing track in Canada. Other attractions include the Harbourfront Theatre, the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts, the Silver Fox Curling & Yacht Club, the Summerside Golf & Country Club, the PEI Sports Hall of Fame, and Spinnakers' Landing. The city has also redeveloped several waterfront industrial sites into new parkland, including a new waterfront boardwalk.
Summerside has a sister city relationship with Stirling, Scotland.
