Athabasca, Alberta
Encyclopedia
Athabasca is a town in northern Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It lies 145 kilometres (90.1 mi) north of Edmonton on Highway 2, on the banks of the Athabasca River
Athabasca River
The Athabasca River originates from the Columbia Glacier of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada...
. It is the centre of Athabasca County. Until 1913 it was known as Athabasca Landing.
History
Unlike many other towns in Alberta, Athabasca predates the railway. It was the terminus of the Edmonton to Athabasca Landing trail. Athabasca lies on a southern protrusion of the Athabasca River. During the fur tradeFur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
era, when rivers were the principal means of transportation, the Athabasca–Edmonton trail connected two different drainage basins. The Athabasca River flows north and is part of the Mackenzie River
Mackenzie River
The Mackenzie River is the largest river system in Canada. It flows through a vast, isolated region of forest and tundra entirely within the country's Northwest Territories, although its many tributaries reach into four other Canadian provinces and territories...
watershed, which leads to the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
. Edmonton lies across a height-of-land on the North Saskatchewan River
North Saskatchewan River
The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows east from the Canadian Rockies to central Saskatchewan. It is one of two major rivers that join to make up the Saskatchewan River....
in the Nelson River
Nelson River
The Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Its full length is , it has mean discharge of , and has a drainage basin of , of which is in the United States...
drainage basin, which empties into Hudson Bay. Edmonton was in Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land, or Prince Rupert's Land, was a territory in British North America, consisting of the Hudson Bay drainage basin that was nominally owned by the Hudson's Bay Company for 200 years from 1670 to 1870, although numerous aboriginal groups lived in the same territory and disputed the...
, Athabasca was not. The trail allowed goods to be portage
Portage
Portage or portaging refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter.The English word portage is derived from the...
d back and forth between river systems. Once agricultural settlement occurred the trail served a similar purpose. Eventually road and rail links would trace the same path.
The Athabasca Heritage Society has put up signs through the downtown as well as along the riverfront that explain and depict the history. It has also published a historical walking tour that is available from the town office, library and visitor information centre.
Demographics
The population of the Town of Athabasca according to its 2008 municipal census is 2,734.According to the Canada 2006 Census:
| * Population: | 2,575 (+6.6% from 2001) |
| * Land area: | 16.98 km² (6.6 sq mi) |
| * Population density: | |
| * National population rank (Out of 5,008): | Ranked 1,115th |
| * Median age:† | 36.2 (males: 33.4, females: 37.8) |
| * Total private dwellings: | 1,117 |
| * Dwellings occupied by permanent residents: | 1,062 |
| * Mean household income:↑ | $51,310 |
References:
- 2006 Community Profile
Footnotes:
↑ The data has not yet been released and is based on 2001 Census
Canada 2001 Census
The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This was a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. In...
.
Education
Athabasca University
Athabasca University is a Canadian university in Athabasca, Alberta. It is an accredited research institution which also offers distance education courses and programs. Courses are offered primarily in English with some French offerings. Each year, 32,000 students attend the university. It offers...
, a major centre for distance education
Distance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
.
The town has three public schools under the jurisdiction of Aspen View Public Schools Regional Division No. 19:
- Whispering Hills Primary School (WHPS) – Kindergarten to Grade 3
- Landing Trail Intermediate School (LTIS) – Grades 4 to 7
- Edwin Parr Composite School (EPCS) – Grades 8 to 12
Media
Athabasca is served by one newspaper, the Athabasca Advocate, and one radio station, 94.1 CKBA-FM, currently known as The River.Climate
Athabasca experiences a humid continental climateHumid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....
(Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Dfb) that borders on a subarctic climate
Subarctic climate
The subarctic climate is a climate characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and short, cool to mild summers. It is found on large landmasses, away from the moderating effects of an ocean, generally at latitudes from 50° to 70°N poleward of the humid continental climates...
(Köppen Dfc).
Notable people
- George RygaGeorge RygaGeorge Ryga was a Canadian playwright and novelist.Ryga was born in Deep Creek near Athabasca, Alberta to poor Ukrainian immigrant parents. Unable to continue his schooling past grade six, he worked at a variety of jobs, including radio copywriter...
- playwright, poet - Jay OnraitJay OnraitJay Michael Onrait is a Canadian television personality. He is the co-host, along with Dan O'Toole, for the late night broadcast of Sportscentre.-Personal:Onrait is a native of Athabasca, Alberta....
- TSNThe Sports NetworkThe Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
TV personality - Bryan MudrykBryan MudrykBryan Mudryk , son of principal at Boyle School, Bob Mudryk, is a Canadian sports anchor for TSN. He currently co-hosts the 10 PM and 2 AM ET weekend editions of SportsCentre, along with Holly Horton. He joined TSN in October 2005.Prior to joining TSN, Mudryk was a sports anchor and reporter at CTV...
- TSN TV personality