Winnipeg is not only the Longitudinal Centre of Canada, but also an important Canadian city and the capital of the Manitoba. It plays a prominent role in transportation, finance, manufacturing, agriculture and education and is known as the “Gateway to the West”. Downtown Winnipeg is the financial heart of the city and covers an area of about 2.5 kilometres² (about 1 mile²). Although downtown Winnipeg once housed, what was for a time, one of the world’s most successful department stores. The Eaton’s store on Portage Avenue is no longer the retail or commercial centre of the city.