Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Encyclopedia
Yellowknife (2006 population
: 18,700) is the capital and largest city of the Northwest Territories
(NWT), Canada
. It is located on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake
, approximately 400 km (248.5 mi) south of the Arctic Circle
, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River
. Yellowknife and its surrounding water bodies were named after a local Dene tribe once known as the 'Copper Indians' or 'Yellowknife Indians' (now referred to locally as the Yellowknives
Dene
First Nation) who traded tools made from copper
deposits near the Arctic Coast. The current population is ethnically mixed. Of the eleven official languages of the Northwest Territories, five are spoken in significant numbers in Yellowknife: Dene Suline
, Dogrib
, South and North Slavey
, English
, and French
. In the Dogrib language, the city is known as Somba K'e ("where the money is").
Yellowknife was first settled in 1935, after gold
had been found in the area; Yellowknife soon became the centre of economic activity in the NWT, and became the capital of the Northwest Territories in 1967. As gold production began to wane, Yellowknife shifted from being a mining
town to being a centre of government services in the 1980s. However, with the discovery of diamond
s north of Yellowknife in 1991, this shift has begun to reverse.
people had occupied this region; by the 1930s they had a settlement on a point of land on the east side of Yellowknife Bay, Dettah
. The current municipal area of Yellowknife was occupied by prospectors who ventured into the region in the mid-1930s.
A Klondike
-bound prospector, B.A. Blakeney, made the first discovery of gold in the Yellowknife Bay area in the late 19th century. The discovery was viewed as unimportant in those days because of the Klondike Gold Rush
and because Great Slave Lake was too far away to attract attention.
In the late 1920s, aircraft were first used to explore Canada's Arctic
regions. Samples of uranium
and silver
were uncovered at Great Bear Lake
in the early 1930s, and prospectors began fanning out to find additional metals. In 1933 two prospectors, Herb Dixon and Johnny Baker, canoed down the Yellowknife River from Great Bear Lake to survey for possible mineral deposits. They found gold samples at Quyta Lake, about 30 km (18.6 mi) up the Yellowknife River, and some additional samples at Homer Lake.
The following year, Johnny Baker returned as part of a larger crew to develop the previous gold finds and search for more. Gold was found on the east side of Yellowknife Bay in 1934 and the short-lived Burwash Mine
was developed. When government geologists uncovered gold in more favourable geology on the west side of Yellowknife Bay in the fall of 1935, a small staking rush occurred. Con Mine
was the most impressive gold deposit and its development created the excitement that led to the first settlement of Yellowknife in 1936–1937; the mine entered production on September 5, 1938.
The population of Yellowknife quickly grew to 1,000 by 1940, and by 1942, five gold mines were in production in the Yellowknife region. However, by 1944, gold production had ground to a halt as men were needed for the war effort
. An exploration program at the Giant Mine
property on the north end of town had suggested a sizable gold deposit in 1944. This new find resulted in a massive post-war staking rush to Yellowknife. It also resulted in new discoveries at the Con Mine, greatly extending the life of the mine. The Yellowknife townsite expanded from the Old Town waterfront, and the new townsite was established during 1945–1946. The Discovery Mine
, with its own townsite, operated 81 km (50.3 mi) to the north-northeast of Yellowknife from 1950 to 1969.
Between 1939 and 1953, Yellowknife was controlled by the Northern Affairs department
(now Indian and Northern Affairs Canada) of the Government of Canada
. A small council, partially elected and partially appointed, made decisions. By 1953, Yellowknife had grown so much that it was made a municipality, with its own council and town hall. The first mayor of Yellowknife was John "Jock" McNiven
. In September 1967, Yellowknife officially became the capital of the Northwest Territories. This important new status sparked what has been coined as the third boom in Yellowknife. New sub-divisions were established to house an influx of government workers.
In 1978 the Soviet
nuclear-powered satellite Kosmos 954 crashed to Earth near Yellowknife. There were no known casualties, although a small quantity of radioactive nuclear fuel
was released into the environment, and Operation Morning Light—an attempt to retrieve it—was only partially successful. A new mining rush and fourth building boom for Yellowknife began with the discovery of diamonds 300 km (186.4 mi) north of the city in 1991. The last of the gold mines in Yellowknife closed in 2004. Today, Yellowknife is primarily a government town and a service centre for the diamond mines. On April 1, 1999, its purview as capital of the NWT was reduced when the territory of Nunavut
was split from the NWT. As a result, jurisdiction for that region of Canada was transferred to the new capital city of Iqaluit. Consequently, Yellowknife lost its standing as the Canadian capital city with the smallest population.
climate and averages less than 300 mm (11.8 in) of precipitation annually, as the city lies in the rain shadow
of mountain ranges to the west. Thanks to its location on Great Slave Lake, Yellowknife has a frost-free growing season
that averages slightly over 100 days. Most of the limited precipitation falls between June and October, with April being the driest month of the year and August being the wettest. Snow that falls in winter accumulates on the ground until the spring thaw.
Yellowknife is located on the Canadian Shield
, which was scoured down to rock during the last ice age. The surrounding landscape is very rocky and slightly rolling, with many small lakes in addition to the larger Great Slave Lake. Trees such as pine
and birch
are abundant in the area, as are smaller bushes, but there are also many areas of relatively bare rock with lichen
. Yellowknife's high latitude causes a large variation between day and night. Daylight Hours range from five hours of daylight in December to twenty hours in June. Twilight
lasts all night from late May to early July.
Yellowknife has a municipal government
system and is governed by the Yellowknife City Council
, which consists of an elected Mayor
and eight Councillors
. The Government of the Northwest Territories delegates powers to the municipality through legislative acts and regulations. Council meetings are held in the Council Chambers at City Hall on the second and fourth Monday of each month, and are open to the public. Municipal elections are held every three years. The current mayor of Yellowknife is Gordon Van Tighem
.
Yellowknife is represented in the territorial government by seven of the 19 Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories (MLAs). These MLAs are elected every four years and sit in the Northwest Territories Legislative Building
, located in Yellowknife. The MLAs elect the Speaker of the House
as well as six Cabinet Ministers and the Premier
, which forms the Cabinet
. In addition, a Commissioner
is appointed by the Federal Government to fulfill a similar role to that of the Lieutenant Governor
. The Northwest Territories is one of only two federal, provincial or territorial jurisdictions in Canada that operates under a consensus system of government
.
The Northwest Territories is in the federal electoral riding of the Western Arctic
and has one Member of Parliament
and one Senator, currently Dennis Bevington
and Nick Sibbeston
, respectively. Yellowknife is home to seven of the 19 electoral districts in the Northwest Territories, the Frame Lake, Great Slave
, Kam Lake, Range Lake, Weledeh, Yellowknife Centre
and Yellowknife South
ridings.
As the largest city in the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife is the hub for mining, industry, transportation, communications, education, health, tourism, commerce, and government activity in the territory. Historically, Yellowknife's economic growth came from gold mining, and later government; however, because of falling gold prices and increased operating costs, the final gold mine closed in 2004, marking a turning point for Yellowknife's economy.
After a downturn in the 1990s during the closure of the gold mines and the downsizing of the government workforce in 1999, Yellowknife's economy has recovered, largely because of the diamond boom; the Ekati Diamond Mine
, owned and operated by BHP Billiton
, opened in 1998. A second mine, Diavik Diamond Mine
, began production in 2003. Production from the two operating mines in 2004 was 12618000 carat (2,523.6 kg; 5,563.6 lb), valued at over C$
2.1 billion. This ranked Canada third in world diamond production by value, and sixth by weight. A third mine, De Beers
' Snap Lake Diamond Mine
, received final approval and funding in 2005 and went into production in 2007. De Beers also applied in 2005 for a permit to open the Gahcho Kue Diamond Mine Project
on the property formerly known as Kennady Lake. Upon receipt of approval, construction is expected to start in 2010 and the mine will reach full production by 2012. As well, growth and expansion in natural gas development and exploration sectors has contributed to this growth. Economic growth in the Northwest Territories was 10.6% in 2003.
The major employers in Yellowknife include: the Territorial Government, the Federal Government, Diavik Diamond Mines Incorporated (a subsidiary of Rio Tinto Group
)/Harry Winston Diamond Corporation, BHP Billiton, First Air
, NorthwesTel
, RTL Robinson Trucking, and the City of Yellowknife. Government employment accounts for 7,644 jobs, a large percentage of those in Yellowknife.
During winter, the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road
is opened for semi-trailer truck
traffic to take supplies from Yellowknife north to various mines located in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. This ice road
is usually open from the end of January through late March or early April, and Yellowknife becomes the dispatch point for the large number of truck drivers that come north to drive on the ice roads. During the 2007 ice road season, several drivers were featured on the History Channel TV series Ice Road Truckers
.
Tourism is the largest renewable industry in the NWT and Yellowknife is the main entry point for visitors. Many of these tourists are Japanese
, and come to experience the Northern climate and traditional lifestyle, as well as to see the Northern Lights
. In 2004-05, visitors to the territory spent C$100.5 million.
The City of Yellowknife raises 50% of its operating revenue through property tax
ation. Yellowknife School Districts also raise a portion of their operating revenue through property taxation. Property taxes in Yellowknife are calculated through property assessment and the municipal and education mill rates. Mill rates in 2005 were 13.84 (residential) and 19.87 (commercial).
Canadian North
, a regional airline, is headquartered in Yellowknife.
, tantalum
and uranium mines in the vicinity. Most mines in the Yellowknife area are within the Kam Group, a part of the Yellowknife greenstone belt.
; Yellowknife is the headquarters for G Division, and houses more than 30 officers. Municipal enforcement services are provided by bylaw enforcement officer
s, who are employed by the city. The Yellowknife Fire Department handles the city's fire, ambulance, rescue, and hazardous materials responses. A point of debate in recent years has been the implementation of 911 services in Yellowknife (currently one must dial one of two local numbers) through a partnership with five other Northwest Territories communities; the cost of installation is high (currently estimated at around $1 million a year), and there have been a number of incidents where emergency services have been either misdirected, or improperly dispatched. Health services are provided through the local Stanton Territorial Hospital.
Electricity is provided to Yellowknife by Northland Utilities
, serving 6,350 residential and 800 commercial customers. Yellowknife operates almost entirely on hydroelectricity
from the Snare-Bluefish systems, provided by the Northwest Territories Power Corporation
(NTPC). NTPC's local production capacity is 67.9 megawatts, 30.89MW from 10 generators at the Jackfish Diesel Plant, 28.8MW from Snare Lake, and 7.5MW from Miramar Bluefish. The City of Yellowknife provides pressurized potable water
throughout the majority of the city, and has a network of gravity-fed sewage lines; trucked water and sewage is provided in areas not serviced by piped infrastructure. Sewage
, with the aid of lift stations, is pumped to a series of lakes, referred to as Fiddler's Lake Lagoon, where it is held and allowed to naturally decompose. Water is obtained from the Yellowknife River and is disinfected with chlorine
and liquid fluoride
is added, but is not otherwise filtered or treated. Residential garbage removal is through a user pay system, in which residents are allowed three 77 l (162.7 US pt) garbage bags per week; any additional bags must have a purchased tag. The City of Yellowknife Solid Waste Management Facility is located on the Ingraham Trail
(Highway 4) 2 km (1.2 mi) north of the city; salvaging is encouraged, and the dump is infamous for the number of still useful items often found in it.
Yellowknife, while isolated geographically, has a modern transportation system. The Yellowknife Airport
is the busiest airport in northern Canada
, having 70,699 aircraft movements in 2007 and handling over 400,000 passenger and 30,000 tonnes of cargo yearly. It has two asphalt runways, one 7500 ft (2,286 m) strip and another of 5000 ft (1,524 m); while the Yellowknife Airport is classified as an airport of entry
by NAV CANADA
and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency
, it is certified for general aviation
aircraft only. The Yellowknife airport also serves as a Forward Operating Location for CF-18 Fighter planes. However the airport can accommodate 747s
and other wide-body aircraft
for emergency landings. Air traffic control
services, ILS
(Category 1), and radar services are provided by NAV CANADA.
Yellowknife Transit
is the public transportation agency in the city, and is the only transit system in the Northwest Territories.
Road construction in Yellowknife is often a challenge due to the presence of permafrost
, and roads often need to be leveled and resurfaced every 10 to 20 years. All roads in Yellowknife are paved, and road width varies from 9 metre. During the winter, snow removal is done on a regular schedule by the City of Yellowknife. Speed limits are 45 km/h (28 mph) on most roads, 30 km/h (18.6 mph) in school zone
s, and 70 km/h (43.5 mph) on highways. School zones and Playground zones are in effect 24 hours per day 7 days per week. The highway system in the NWT is maintained by the Government of the Northwest Territories. Highway 4 (Ingraham Trail) and Highway 3
(Yellowknife Highway) both run through Yellowknife and are all-weather roads. One well-known, almost infamous, road in Yellowknife is Ragged Ass Road
, after which Tom Cochrane
named an album.
As of 2009, there were 19,711 people and 6,630 (2006) household
s in the city. The population density was 142.86 people/km² (369.85 people/sq. mi). The 2006 Census found that 22.2% of residents identified as aboriginal
.
In Yellowknife, the population is slightly disproportionate in terms of age distribution compared to the national average; the average age is 32.2, compared to a Canada-wide average of 39.5. As of the 2009 figures, 13.8% of residents were 9 or under, 6.2% were from 10 to 14 years old, 15.9% were from 15 to 24, 35.2% were from 25 to 44, 22.5% were from 45 to 59, and 6.4% were 60 or older. From 1996 to 2009, the average annual growth rate
was 0.6% for the total population; broken down by age, it was -1.3% for < 15 years, and 6.9% for 60 years and older.
In 2006, two-person households with a least one child were the most common size at 36.2%. Overall just over one quarter of all households had only two occupants with no children. The average income
in the city was C$57,246, and the average income for a family was C$124,200, with 10.6% of all families earning less than $30,000. Minimum wage
is C$9.00 in Yellowknife. Average household expenditures were C$103,762 in 2007. In 2004, the unemployment rate
was at 5.0%, an all-time low, and as of 2006 5.7%; the employment rate for males was 81.7%, for females it was 76.7%.
The crime rate
in Yellowknife for 2008 was 34.9 (per 1,000 persons) for violent crime
s, and 47.2.5 (per 1,000 persons) for property crimes. There were 324 births and 51 deaths in 2006.
Almost 82% of residents spoke English as their mother tongue and almost 4% spoke French. More than 4% spoke an aboriginal language as their first language
, including 1.3% who spoke Inuktitut
, another 1.3% who spoke Dogrib, and 0.6% who spoke North Slavey, 0.5% who spoke Dene/Chipewyan, and 0.4% who spoke South Slavey. Other languages spoken in Yellowknife include Tagalog
at 2.3%, Vietnamese
at 1.6%, Chinese
at 1.1%, German
at 0.7% and Spanish
at 0.4%.
Yellowknife is home to just over 500 recent immigrants (arriving between 2001 and 2006) who now make up just under 3% of the population; 36% of these immigrants came from the Philippines
, while 18% came from Ghana
, 9% from Vietnam
, 7% from the United States
, and 5% came from China
.
Almost 73% of residents identified as Christian
while 24% said they had no religious affiliation in 2001. For specific denominations Statistics Canada
found that 36% of residents identified as Roman Catholic
, 11% as Anglican
, 10% for the United Church
, about 2% each as Baptist
, Lutheran
, and Pentecostal
, and more than 1% for The Salvation Army
. There were also 135 Buddhists, 125 Muslims, and 15 Jews.
Folk on the Rocks
is a local music festival that has been an annual occurrence since 1980, and features a wide variety of musical acts, and is not limited to only Folk. In the past, it has drawn acts such as Buffy Sainte-Marie
, the Trailer Park Boys
, The Weakerthans
, African Guitar Summit
, Chirgilchin
, The Odds, Stan Rogers
, Gord Downie, Mad Bomber Society
, Gob
, Sam Roberts Band, Sloan
, Great Lake Swimmers
, and Hawksley Workman
. The Midnight Sun Golf Tournament, with games played through the city's well-lit summer nights, is also a significant cultural event. In previous years, there was an annual summer festival known as Raven Mad Daze, a street festival celebrated as part of the summer solstice
. The festival was not celebrated in 2007 because an organizer was not found for the event. During the winter, there is the Snowking Winter Festival
, featuring a snow castle on Great Slave Lake, and Caribou Carnival, which is held every March on Frame Lake and has ice sculpting
competitions, dogsled races
, and a fireworks
display. In 2008
, Yellowknife hosted the Arctic Winter Games
.
In 2007 The White Stripes played in Yellowknife for their tour of Canada. The entire tour was recorded for a documentary called Under Great White Northern Lights
.
Some notable places to visit in Yellowknife include:
Other notable attractions include the Ingraham Trail, local fishing lodges, bush plane
tours, the unique architecture of Old Town with the Bush Pilots
monument, and any of the numerous lakes surrounding Yellowknife, many of which include beach
es.
, published by Northern News Services
, is the major newspaper serving Yellowknife, published twice weekly on Wednesday and Friday. Northern News Services also publishes Northwest Territories News/North
every Monday, which serves the entire NWT. As well, there is L'Aquilon
, a French language newspaper published weekly.
The major radio stations based in Yellowknife are: CFYK
1340, which broadcasts CBC Radio One
network programs and locally produced programs; CFYK-FM
95.3, which broadcasts the programming of the CBC Radio 2 network from CBU-FM
in Vancouver
; CJCD-FM
100.1, which plays largely adult contemporary music
; CKLB-FM
101.9, a community radio
station; and CIVR-FM
103.5, a French-language community radio station.
Local broadcast television stations include: CFYK-TV
channel 8 cable 10, which is the flagship station for CBC North
, the northern feed of CBC Television
; CHTY channel 11 cable 9, is the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network
; CH4127
channel 13 cable 4, is the French feed of CBC, Télévision de Radio-Canada
. No part of the Northwest Territories is designated as a mandatory market for digital television conversion
; only CFYK-TV announced their intentions to convert its main transmitter in Yellowknife to digital.
Two magazines are based in Yellowknife: Above & Beyond - Canada's Arctic Journal
and Up Here Magazine, both offering northern-related news and lifestyle articles.
, Nevada
, United States
Fairbanks
, Alaska
, United States
Yakutsk
, Sakha Republic, Russia
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
: 18,700) is the capital and largest city of the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
(NWT), 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 is located on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake
Great Slave Lake
Great Slave Lake is the second-largest lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada , the deepest lake in North America at , and the ninth-largest lake in the world. It is long and wide. It covers an area of in the southern part of the territory. Its given volume ranges from to and up to ...
, approximately 400 km (248.5 mi) south of the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River
Yellowknife River
The Yellowknife River is a river in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It flows south and empties into Yellowknife Bay, part of Great Slave Lake, at the city of Yellowknife. The name of the river derives from the Yellowknife tribe, a First Nations people that formerly lived in the area.The city of...
. Yellowknife and its surrounding water bodies were named after a local Dene tribe once known as the 'Copper Indians' or 'Yellowknife Indians' (now referred to locally as the Yellowknives
Yellowknives
The Yellowknives, Yellow Knives, Copper Indians, Red Knives or T'atsaot'ine are Aboriginal peoples of Canada, one of the five main groups of the Dene indigenous people that live in the Northwest Territories of Canada...
Dene
Dene
The Dene are an aboriginal group of First Nations who live in the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dené speak Northern Athabaskan languages. Dene is the common Athabaskan word for "people" . The term "Dene" has two usages...
First Nation) who traded tools made from copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
deposits near the Arctic Coast. The current population is ethnically mixed. Of the eleven official languages of the Northwest Territories, five are spoken in significant numbers in Yellowknife: Dene Suline
Dene Suline language
Dene Suline or Chipewyan is the language spoken by the Chipewyan people of central Canada. It is a part of the Athabaskan family...
, Dogrib
Dogrib language
Dogrib, the English translation of the indigenous name ' , is a Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the First Nations Tłı̨chǫ people of the Canadian territory Northwest Territories...
, South and North Slavey
Slavey language
Slavey is an Athabaskan language spoken among the Slavey First Nations of Canada in the Northwest Territories where it also has official status....
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. In the Dogrib language, the city is known as Somba K'e ("where the money is").
Yellowknife was first settled in 1935, after gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
had been found in the area; Yellowknife soon became the centre of economic activity in the NWT, and became the capital of the Northwest Territories in 1967. As gold production began to wane, Yellowknife shifted from being a mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
town to being a centre of government services in the 1980s. However, with the discovery of diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s north of Yellowknife in 1991, this shift has begun to reverse.
History
Traditionally, First NationsFirst Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
people had occupied this region; by the 1930s they had a settlement on a point of land on the east side of Yellowknife Bay, Dettah
Dettah, Northwest Territories
Dettah or Detah is a First Nations community in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Located just outside the capital of Yellowknife, it is a drive from that town by ice road in winter or a drive via the Ingraham Trail...
. The current municipal area of Yellowknife was occupied by prospectors who ventured into the region in the mid-1930s.
A Klondike
Klondike, Yukon
The Klondike is a region of the Yukon in northwest Canada, east of the Alaska border. It lies around the Klondike River, a small river that enters the Yukon from the east at Dawson....
-bound prospector, B.A. Blakeney, made the first discovery of gold in the Yellowknife Bay area in the late 19th century. The discovery was viewed as unimportant in those days because of the Klondike Gold Rush
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
and because Great Slave Lake was too far away to attract attention.
In the late 1920s, aircraft were first used to explore Canada's Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
regions. Samples of uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
were uncovered at Great Bear Lake
Great Bear Lake
Great Bear Lake is the largest lake entirely within Canada , the third or fourth largest in North America, and the seventh or eighth largest in the world...
in the early 1930s, and prospectors began fanning out to find additional metals. In 1933 two prospectors, Herb Dixon and Johnny Baker, canoed down the Yellowknife River from Great Bear Lake to survey for possible mineral deposits. They found gold samples at Quyta Lake, about 30 km (18.6 mi) up the Yellowknife River, and some additional samples at Homer Lake.
The following year, Johnny Baker returned as part of a larger crew to develop the previous gold finds and search for more. Gold was found on the east side of Yellowknife Bay in 1934 and the short-lived Burwash Mine
Burwash Mine
The Burwash Mine was a small gold property discovered in the fall of 1934 by Johnny Baker and Hugh Muir at Yellowknife Bay, Northwest Territories. The town of Yellowknife did not exist yet at that point, but the discovery of gold at Burwash was the catalyst that brought more gold prospectors into...
was developed. When government geologists uncovered gold in more favourable geology on the west side of Yellowknife Bay in the fall of 1935, a small staking rush occurred. Con Mine
Con Mine
The Con Mine was a large gold mine located in the Northwest Territories, just south of Yellowknife. The property was staked by Cominco in September 1935 in response to the discovery of visible gold nearby. The advent of winter prevented any prospecting from being conducted, but work in the summer...
was the most impressive gold deposit and its development created the excitement that led to the first settlement of Yellowknife in 1936–1937; the mine entered production on September 5, 1938.
Military history of Canada during the Second World War
The Second World War officially began on September 1, 1939, with the German invasion of Poland. Britain and France declared war on the Nazi Third Reich on September 3, 1939...
. An exploration program at the Giant Mine
Giant Mine
The Giant Mine was a large gold mine located on the Ingraham Trail just outside ofYellowknife, Northwest Territories. Gold was discovered on the property in 1935 by Johnny Baker, but the true extent of the gold deposits were not known until 1944 when a massive gold-bearing shear zone was uncovered...
property on the north end of town had suggested a sizable gold deposit in 1944. This new find resulted in a massive post-war staking rush to Yellowknife. It also resulted in new discoveries at the Con Mine, greatly extending the life of the mine. The Yellowknife townsite expanded from the Old Town waterfront, and the new townsite was established during 1945–1946. The Discovery Mine
Discovery Mine
The Discovery Mine was a gold mine 81 kilometers northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories that operated between 1950 and 1969. Gold was discovered here by Alfred Giauque in 1944....
, with its own townsite, operated 81 km (50.3 mi) to the north-northeast of Yellowknife from 1950 to 1969.
Between 1939 and 1953, Yellowknife was controlled by the Northern Affairs department
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
The Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for policies relating to Aboriginal peoples...
(now Indian and Northern Affairs Canada) of the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
. A small council, partially elected and partially appointed, made decisions. By 1953, Yellowknife had grown so much that it was made a municipality, with its own council and town hall. The first mayor of Yellowknife was John "Jock" McNiven
John G. McNiven
John Graham "Jock" McNiven was a mine engineer, mine operator and politician from the Northwest Territories, Canada....
. In September 1967, Yellowknife officially became the capital of the Northwest Territories. This important new status sparked what has been coined as the third boom in Yellowknife. New sub-divisions were established to house an influx of government workers.
In 1978 the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
nuclear-powered satellite Kosmos 954 crashed to Earth near Yellowknife. There were no known casualties, although a small quantity of radioactive nuclear fuel
Nuclear fuel
Nuclear fuel is a material that can be 'consumed' by fission or fusion to derive nuclear energy. Nuclear fuels are the most dense sources of energy available...
was released into the environment, and Operation Morning Light—an attempt to retrieve it—was only partially successful. A new mining rush and fourth building boom for Yellowknife began with the discovery of diamonds 300 km (186.4 mi) north of the city in 1991. The last of the gold mines in Yellowknife closed in 2004. Today, Yellowknife is primarily a government town and a service centre for the diamond mines. On April 1, 1999, its purview as capital of the NWT was reduced when the territory of Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
was split from the NWT. As a result, jurisdiction for that region of Canada was transferred to the new capital city of Iqaluit. Consequently, Yellowknife lost its standing as the Canadian capital city with the smallest population.
Geography and climate
Yellowknife has a subarcticSubarctic
The Subarctic is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic and covering much of Alaska, Canada, the north of Scandinavia, Siberia, and northern Mongolia...
climate and averages less than 300 mm (11.8 in) of precipitation annually, as the city lies in the rain shadow
Rain shadow
A rain shadow is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area. The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems, casting a "shadow" of dryness behind them. As shown by the diagram to the right, the warm moist air is "pulled" by the prevailing winds over a mountain...
of mountain ranges to the west. Thanks to its location on Great Slave Lake, Yellowknife has a frost-free growing season
Growing season
In botany, horticulture, and agriculture the growing season is the period of each year when native plants and ornamental plants grow; and when crops can be grown....
that averages slightly over 100 days. Most of the limited precipitation falls between June and October, with April being the driest month of the year and August being the wettest. Snow that falls in winter accumulates on the ground until the spring thaw.
Yellowknife is located on the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
, which was scoured down to rock during the last ice age. The surrounding landscape is very rocky and slightly rolling, with many small lakes in addition to the larger Great Slave Lake. Trees such as pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
and birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
are abundant in the area, as are smaller bushes, but there are also many areas of relatively bare rock with lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
. Yellowknife's high latitude causes a large variation between day and night. Daylight Hours range from five hours of daylight in December to twenty hours in June. Twilight
Twilight
Twilight is the time between dawn and sunrise or between sunset and dusk, during which sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere illuminates the lower atmosphere, and the surface of the earth is neither completely lit nor completely dark. The sun itself is not directly visible because it is below...
lasts all night from late May to early July.
Law and government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
system and is governed by the Yellowknife City Council
Yellowknife City Council
The Yellowknife City Council is the governing body of the city of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. The council consists of a mayor and eight councilors elected to three year terms. The current mayor of Yellowknife is Gordon Van Tighem. First elected in October 2000, he was acclaimed in...
, which consists of an elected Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and eight Councillors
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
. The Government of the Northwest Territories delegates powers to the municipality through legislative acts and regulations. Council meetings are held in the Council Chambers at City Hall on the second and fourth Monday of each month, and are open to the public. Municipal elections are held every three years. The current mayor of Yellowknife is Gordon Van Tighem
Gordon Van Tighem
Gordon Van Tighem is a Canadian politician. Born in Calgary, Alberta, he is a graduate of the University of Manitoba. He moved to Yellowknife from Edmonton in 1992 with his family. He is currently the mayor of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and was elected in October 2000, and he was acclaimed...
.
Yellowknife is represented in the territorial government by seven of the 19 Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories (MLAs). These MLAs are elected every four years and sit in the Northwest Territories Legislative Building
Northwest Territories Legislative Building
The Northwest Territories Legislative Building is the home of the Government of the Northwest Territories. The most recent building was built in 1993 and commenced usage in 1994. The Government has used many permanent and temporary facilities throughout its history.The current building is two...
, located in Yellowknife. The MLAs elect the Speaker of the House
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories
The Speaker is the presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories The speakership has changed many times from 1876 to 1888 the presiding officer of the assembly was the Lieutenant-Governor of the Northwest Territories, however Members of the Legislative Assembly would...
as well as six Cabinet Ministers and the Premier
Premier of the Northwest Territories
The Premier of the Northwest Territories is the first minister for the Northwest Territories,Canada. He or she is the territory's head of government and de facto chief executive, although the powers of the office are considerably less than those of a provincial premier.Unlike provincial premiers,...
, which forms the Cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
. In addition, a Commissioner
Commissioners of Northwest Territories
The Commissioner of the Northwest Territories is the Canadian federal government’s representative in Northwest Territories and the territory's Chief Executive Officer...
is appointed by the Federal Government to fulfill a similar role to that of the Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor (Canada)
In Canada, a lieutenant governor is the viceregal representative in a provincial jurisdiction of the Canadian monarch and head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, who resides predominantly in her oldest realm, the United Kingdom...
. The Northwest Territories is one of only two federal, provincial or territorial jurisdictions in Canada that operates under a consensus system of government
Consensus government
Consensus government is a form of consensus democracy government in Canada in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, as well as Nunatsiavut, an autonomous area in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador....
.
The Northwest Territories is in the federal electoral riding of the Western Arctic
Western Arctic
Western Arctic is a federal electoral district and senate division in Northwest Territories, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979....
and has one Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and one Senator, currently Dennis Bevington
Dennis Bevington
Dennis Fraser Bevington is a politician from the Northwest Territories, Canada. Born in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories he served as mayor of that town of 2,500 from 1988 to 1997. As mayor he made the town quadrilingual, recognizing Chipewyan and Cree as official languages.He is also a...
and Nick Sibbeston
Nick Sibbeston
Nick G. Sibbeston is a Canadian Senator. He attended residential school in Fort Simpson, Providence, Inuvik, and Yellowknife, and the University of Alberta where he graduated with Bachelor of Arts and Law degrees.-Political career:...
, respectively. Yellowknife is home to seven of the 19 electoral districts in the Northwest Territories, the Frame Lake, Great Slave
Great Slave
Great Slave is a territorial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, Canada.It is one of seven districts that represent Yellowknife and the current Member of the Legislative Assembly is Glen Abernethy...
, Kam Lake, Range Lake, Weledeh, Yellowknife Centre
Yellowknife Centre
Yellowknife Centre is a territorial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, Canada.It is one of seven districts that represent Yellowknife and the current Member of the Legislative Assembly is Robert Hawkins....
and Yellowknife South
Yellowknife South
Yellowknife South is a territorial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, Canada.It is one of seven districts that represent Yellowknife and the current Member of the Legislative Assembly is Bob McLeod....
ridings.
Economy
After a downturn in the 1990s during the closure of the gold mines and the downsizing of the government workforce in 1999, Yellowknife's economy has recovered, largely because of the diamond boom; the Ekati Diamond Mine
Ekati Diamond Mine
The EKATI Diamond Mine is Canada's first surface and underground diamond mine. It is located north-east of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and about south of the Arctic circle, near Lac de Gras. EKATI is a joint venture between BHP Billiton Canada Inc...
, owned and operated by BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
, opened in 1998. A second mine, Diavik Diamond Mine
Diavik Diamond Mine
The Diavik Diamond Mine is a diamond mine in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, about north of Yellowknife.It has become an important part of the regional economy, employing 700, grossing C$100 million in sales, and producing 8 million carats of diamonds annually...
, began production in 2003. Production from the two operating mines in 2004 was 12618000 carat (2,523.6 kg; 5,563.6 lb), valued at over C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
2.1 billion. This ranked Canada third in world diamond production by value, and sixth by weight. A third mine, De Beers
De Beers
De Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...
' Snap Lake Diamond Mine
Snap Lake Diamond Mine
The Snap Lake Diamond Mine is located about northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and, according to De Beers, was their first mine outside Africa and Canada's first completely underground diamond mine....
, received final approval and funding in 2005 and went into production in 2007. De Beers also applied in 2005 for a permit to open the Gahcho Kue Diamond Mine Project
Gahcho Kue Diamond Mine Project
The Gahcho Kué Diamond Project is located on the Canadian tundra in the Northwest Territories. It is situated at Kennady Lake , in the Akaitcho Treaty 8 Territory AK claim block, which is southeast of the Snap Lake Diamond Mine Project and approximately east northeast of Yellowknife...
on the property formerly known as Kennady Lake. Upon receipt of approval, construction is expected to start in 2010 and the mine will reach full production by 2012. As well, growth and expansion in natural gas development and exploration sectors has contributed to this growth. Economic growth in the Northwest Territories was 10.6% in 2003.
The major employers in Yellowknife include: the Territorial Government, the Federal Government, Diavik Diamond Mines Incorporated (a subsidiary of Rio Tinto Group
Rio Tinto Group
The Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
)/Harry Winston Diamond Corporation, BHP Billiton, First Air
First Air
Bradley Air Services Limited, operating as First Air, is an airline headquartered in Kanata, Ontario, Canada. It operates services to 30 communities in Nunavut, Nunavik, and the Northwest Territories. The majority of its fleet is available for charters worldwide...
, NorthwesTel
Northwestel
Northwestel Inc. is the incumbent local exchange carrier and long distance carrier in Northern Canada. The company name is a portmanteau, sometimes spelled NorthwesTel, for Northwest Telecommunications.-Modern corporate history:...
, RTL Robinson Trucking, and the City of Yellowknife. Government employment accounts for 7,644 jobs, a large percentage of those in Yellowknife.
During winter, the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road
Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road
Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road is an annual ice road first built in 1982 to service mines and exploration activities in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut in Northern Canada. Between long, the road is said to be the world's longest heavy haul ice road and operates for eight to ten weeks...
is opened for semi-trailer truck
Semi-trailer truck
A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or articulated truck or articulated lorry, is an articulated vehicle consisting of a towing engine , and a semi-trailer A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) articulated truck...
traffic to take supplies from Yellowknife north to various mines located in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. This ice road
Ice road
Ice roads are frozen, human-made structures on the surface of bays, rivers, lakes, or seas in the far north. They link dry land, frozen waterways, portages and winter roads, and are usually remade each winter. Ice roads allow temporary transport to areas with no permanent road access...
is usually open from the end of January through late March or early April, and Yellowknife becomes the dispatch point for the large number of truck drivers that come north to drive on the ice roads. During the 2007 ice road season, several drivers were featured on the History Channel TV series Ice Road Truckers
Ice Road Truckers
Ice Road Truckers is a documentary-style reality television series that premiered on History on June 17, 2007.-History:In 2000, History aired a 46-minute episode titled "Ice Road Truckers" as part of the Suicide Missions series...
.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
, and come to experience the Northern climate and traditional lifestyle, as well as to see the Northern Lights
Aurora (astronomy)
An aurora is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the high latitude regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere...
. In 2004-05, visitors to the territory spent C$100.5 million.
The City of Yellowknife raises 50% of its operating revenue through property tax
Property tax
A property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...
ation. Yellowknife School Districts also raise a portion of their operating revenue through property taxation. Property taxes in Yellowknife are calculated through property assessment and the municipal and education mill rates. Mill rates in 2005 were 13.84 (residential) and 19.87 (commercial).
Canadian North
Canadian North
Canadian North Inc. is an airline based in the Northwest Tower in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. It operates scheduled passenger services to major communities in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Southern gateways include Edmonton and Ottawa...
, a regional airline, is headquartered in Yellowknife.
Regional mines
Yellowknife was originally established as a supply centre for numerous gold mines operating in the region in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The following is a list of the major mines, all of which are now closed. There were also tungstenTungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
, tantalum
Tantalum
Tantalum is a chemical element with the symbol Ta and atomic number 73. Previously known as tantalium, the name comes from Tantalus, a character in Greek mythology. Tantalum is a rare, hard, blue-gray, lustrous transition metal that is highly corrosion resistant. It is part of the refractory...
and uranium mines in the vicinity. Most mines in the Yellowknife area are within the Kam Group, a part of the Yellowknife greenstone belt.
| Mine | Years of Operation | Minerals Mined |
|---|---|---|
| Con Mine Con Mine The Con Mine was a large gold mine located in the Northwest Territories, just south of Yellowknife. The property was staked by Cominco in September 1935 in response to the discovery of visible gold nearby. The advent of winter prevented any prospecting from being conducted, but work in the summer... (includes Rycon) |
1938–2003 | gold |
| Giant Mine Giant Mine The Giant Mine was a large gold mine located on the Ingraham Trail just outside ofYellowknife, Northwest Territories. Gold was discovered on the property in 1935 by Johnny Baker, but the true extent of the gold deposits were not known until 1944 when a massive gold-bearing shear zone was uncovered... |
1948–2004 | gold |
| Ptarmigan and Tom Mine Ptarmigan and Tom Mine The Ptarmigan and Tom Mine were gold producers located in the Northwest Territories, Canada at Yellowknife. The property was staked by prospectors in 1936 and acquired by Cominco in 1938. The mine first produced between 1941-1942 but closed due to wartime restrictions. The old property was... |
1941–1942, 1985–1997 | gold |
| Negus Mine Negus Mine Negus Mine was a gold producer at Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, from 1939 to 1952. It produced 255,807 troy ounces of gold from 490,808 tons of ore milled. The underground workings were acquired by adjacent Con Mine in 1953 and were used for ventilation purposes until Con Mine closed... |
1939–1952 | gold |
| Burwash Mine Burwash Mine The Burwash Mine was a small gold property discovered in the fall of 1934 by Johnny Baker and Hugh Muir at Yellowknife Bay, Northwest Territories. The town of Yellowknife did not exist yet at that point, but the discovery of gold at Burwash was the catalyst that brought more gold prospectors into... |
1935 | gold |
| Thompson-Lundmark Mine Thompson-Lundmark Mine The Thompson-Lundmark Mine was a gold producer from 1941-1943, and 1947-1949 near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Gold was discovered here in 1938 by Fred W. Thompson and Roy Lundmark; they staked 46 claims that were incorporated into the mine. Underground and shaft work began in 1939, and... |
1941–1943, 1947–1949 | gold |
| Discovery Mine Discovery Mine The Discovery Mine was a gold mine 81 kilometers northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories that operated between 1950 and 1969. Gold was discovered here by Alfred Giauque in 1944.... |
1950–1969 | gold |
| Camlaren Mine Camlaren Mine The Camlaren Mine was a small Gold Mine 80 kilometres north-east of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada at Gordon Lake. It consists of a property totaling about 981 hectares. The two claims that make up the property were staked in 1936 by prospectors Don Cameron and the Mclaren brothers and... |
1962–1963, 1980–1981 | gold |
| Beaulieu Mine Beaulieu Mine The Beaulieu Mine was a post-World War II gold mining operation near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. It entered production in October 1947, but by the end of November only 7 troy ounces of rough gold were recovered. Additional gold was recovered during 1948, but altogether the mine recovered... |
1947–1948 | gold |
| Outpost Island Mine Outpost Island Mine The Outpost Island Mine was a gold and tungsten producer 94 kilometres southeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories on an island of Great Slave Lake. Gold was discovered here in 1935 by prospectors, and some development was undertaken in 1936-1938... |
1941–1942, 1951–1952 | gold, copper, tungsten |
| Ruth Mine Ruth Mine The Ruth Mine was a small gold producer near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. It operated briefly during 1942 and then again in 1959, extracting only 550 troy ounces of gold thus far.... |
1942, 1959 | gold |
| Rayrock Mine Rayrock Mine The Rayrock Mine was a uranium producing venture in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located on the south side of Maryleer Lake and the north shore of Fault Lake, 169 kilometers northwest of Yellowknife and 74 kilometres northwest of Rae. Radioactive deposits were originally staked in 1948... |
1957–1959 | uranium |
| References: | ||
Infrastructure
Emergency services
Policing in Yellowknife is provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceRoyal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
; Yellowknife is the headquarters for G Division, and houses more than 30 officers. Municipal enforcement services are provided by bylaw enforcement officer
Bylaw enforcement officer
A bylaw enforcement officer is a law enforcement employee of a municipality, county or regional district, charged with the enforcement of non-criminal bylaws, rules, laws, codes or regulations enacted by local governments....
s, who are employed by the city. The Yellowknife Fire Department handles the city's fire, ambulance, rescue, and hazardous materials responses. A point of debate in recent years has been the implementation of 911 services in Yellowknife (currently one must dial one of two local numbers) through a partnership with five other Northwest Territories communities; the cost of installation is high (currently estimated at around $1 million a year), and there have been a number of incidents where emergency services have been either misdirected, or improperly dispatched. Health services are provided through the local Stanton Territorial Hospital.
Utilities and services
Northland Utilities
Northland Utilities is an investor-owned company that, through two operating companies, provides electricity to customers in the Northwest Territories, Canada....
, serving 6,350 residential and 800 commercial customers. Yellowknife operates almost entirely on hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
from the Snare-Bluefish systems, provided by the Northwest Territories Power Corporation
Northwest Territories Power Corporation
The Northwest Territories Power Corporation was established about 1988 to acquire and operate the former Northern Canada Power Commission assets within the Northwest Territories, which at that time also included Nunavut....
(NTPC). NTPC's local production capacity is 67.9 megawatts, 30.89MW from 10 generators at the Jackfish Diesel Plant, 28.8MW from Snare Lake, and 7.5MW from Miramar Bluefish. The City of Yellowknife provides pressurized potable water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
throughout the majority of the city, and has a network of gravity-fed sewage lines; trucked water and sewage is provided in areas not serviced by piped infrastructure. Sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
, with the aid of lift stations, is pumped to a series of lakes, referred to as Fiddler's Lake Lagoon, where it is held and allowed to naturally decompose. Water is obtained from the Yellowknife River and is disinfected with chlorine
Chlorine
Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
and liquid fluoride
Water fluoridation
Water fluoridation is the controlled addition of fluoride to a public water supply to reduce tooth decay. Fluoridated water has fluoride at a level that is effective for preventing cavities; this can occur naturally or by adding fluoride...
is added, but is not otherwise filtered or treated. Residential garbage removal is through a user pay system, in which residents are allowed three 77 l (162.7 US pt) garbage bags per week; any additional bags must have a purchased tag. The City of Yellowknife Solid Waste Management Facility is located on the Ingraham Trail
Ingraham Trail
Highway 4, known more commonly as the Ingraham Trail, extends from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to Tibbitt Lake, approximately east of Yellowknife...
(Highway 4) 2 km (1.2 mi) north of the city; salvaging is encouraged, and the dump is infamous for the number of still useful items often found in it.
Transportation
Yellowknife Airport
Yellowknife Airport is located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. The airport is part of the National Airports System, and is operated by the government of the Northwest Territories. The airport has regular scheduled passenger service, and is also used as a forward operating base for...
is the busiest airport in northern Canada
Northern Canada
Northern Canada, colloquially the North, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut...
, having 70,699 aircraft movements in 2007 and handling over 400,000 passenger and 30,000 tonnes of cargo yearly. It has two asphalt runways, one 7500 ft (2,286 m) strip and another of 5000 ft (1,524 m); while the Yellowknife Airport is classified as an airport of entry
Airport of Entry
An airport of entry is an airport that provides customs and immigration services for incoming flights. These services allow the airport to serve as an initial port of entry for foreign visitors arriving in a country.-Africa:-Americas:-Asia:...
by NAV CANADA
NAV CANADA
Nav Canada is a privately run, not-for-profit corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation system .The company employs approximately 2,000 air traffic controllers , 800 flight service specialists and 700 technologists...
and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency
Canada Border Services Agency
The Canada Border Services Agency is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border enforcement, immigration enforcement and customs services....
, it is certified for general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
aircraft only. The Yellowknife airport also serves as a Forward Operating Location for CF-18 Fighter planes. However the airport can accommodate 747s
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
and other wide-body aircraft
Wide-body aircraft
A wide-body aircraft is a large airliner with two passenger aisles, also known as a widebody aircraft or twin-aisle aircraft. The typical fuselage diameter is . In the typical wide-body economy cabin, passengers are seated seven to ten abreast, allowing a total capacity of 200 to 850 passengers...
for emergency landings. Air traffic control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
services, ILS
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
(Category 1), and radar services are provided by NAV CANADA.
Yellowknife Transit
Yellowknife Transit
Yellowknife Transit is the public transportation agency in the city of Yellowknife, and is the only transit system in Canada's Northwest Territories. There are three regular bus routes which run from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. on Saturday, with two express...
is the public transportation agency in the city, and is the only transit system in the Northwest Territories.
Road construction in Yellowknife is often a challenge due to the presence of permafrost
Permafrost
In geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...
, and roads often need to be leveled and resurfaced every 10 to 20 years. All roads in Yellowknife are paved, and road width varies from 9 metre. During the winter, snow removal is done on a regular schedule by the City of Yellowknife. Speed limits are 45 km/h (28 mph) on most roads, 30 km/h (18.6 mph) in school zone
School zone
A school zone refers to an area on a street near a school or near a crosswalk leading to a school that has a likely presence of younger pedestrians. School zones generally have a reduced speed limit during certain hours.-Fines:...
s, and 70 km/h (43.5 mph) on highways. School zones and Playground zones are in effect 24 hours per day 7 days per week. The highway system in the NWT is maintained by the Government of the Northwest Territories. Highway 4 (Ingraham Trail) and Highway 3
Yellowknife Highway
Highway 3, known more commonly as the Yellowknife Highway, but also the Great Slave Highway, connects Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to Highway 1, from a junction north of the Alberta border. Built in 1968, the highway is now completely paved and realigned after years of work concluded in...
(Yellowknife Highway) both run through Yellowknife and are all-weather roads. One well-known, almost infamous, road in Yellowknife is Ragged Ass Road
Ragged Ass Road (street)
Ragged Ass Road is a well-known street in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories; Tom Cochrane named his album Ragged Ass Road after it. The street itself was named by Lou Rocher and his friends after a season of hard work and no profit; they were sitting around one night, drinking and joking that they...
, after which Tom Cochrane
Tom Cochrane
Tom Cochrane, OC Canadian musician and humanitarian, best known for his hit songs "Life Is a Highway", "Lunatic Fringe", "Human Race" and "I Wish You Well". Cochrane fronted the Canadian rock band Red Rider and has won seven Juno Awards...
named an album.
Layout
Yellowknife, like most other urban centres, has distinct commercial, industrial, and residential areas. Frame Lake, Niven Lake, Range Lake, and Old Town are the residential sectors, with some of the population living in high-rises in the downtown core. Niven Lake is the only area under active development and expansion. Downtown Yellowknife is home to most of the city's commercial activity, though some retail does exist in Range Lake. Industrial activity is limited to the Kam Lake and airport subdivisions.Demographics
| Federal Census | Population |
|---|---|
| 1951 | 2,724 |
| 1961 | 3,245 |
| 1971 | 6,122 |
| 1981 | 9,483 |
| 1991 | 15,179 |
| 2001 | 16,541 |
| 2006 | 18,700 |
As of 2009, there were 19,711 people and 6,630 (2006) household
Household
The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....
s in the city. The population density was 142.86 people/km² (369.85 people/sq. mi). The 2006 Census found that 22.2% of residents identified as aboriginal
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
.
In Yellowknife, the population is slightly disproportionate in terms of age distribution compared to the national average; the average age is 32.2, compared to a Canada-wide average of 39.5. As of the 2009 figures, 13.8% of residents were 9 or under, 6.2% were from 10 to 14 years old, 15.9% were from 15 to 24, 35.2% were from 25 to 44, 22.5% were from 45 to 59, and 6.4% were 60 or older. From 1996 to 2009, the average annual growth rate
Economic growth
In economics, economic growth is defined as the increasing capacity of the economy to satisfy the wants of goods and services of the members of society. Economic growth is enabled by increases in productivity, which lowers the inputs for a given amount of output. Lowered costs increase demand...
was 0.6% for the total population; broken down by age, it was -1.3% for < 15 years, and 6.9% for 60 years and older.
In 2006, two-person households with a least one child were the most common size at 36.2%. Overall just over one quarter of all households had only two occupants with no children. The average income
Income
Income is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...
in the city was C$57,246, and the average income for a family was C$124,200, with 10.6% of all families earning less than $30,000. Minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
is C$9.00 in Yellowknife. Average household expenditures were C$103,762 in 2007. In 2004, the unemployment rate
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
was at 5.0%, an all-time low, and as of 2006 5.7%; the employment rate for males was 81.7%, for females it was 76.7%.
The crime rate
Crime statistics
Crime statistics attempt to provide statistical measures of the crime in societies. Given that crime is usually secretive by nature, measurements of it are likely to be inaccurate....
in Yellowknife for 2008 was 34.9 (per 1,000 persons) for violent crime
Violent crime
A violent crime or crime of violence is a crime in which the offender uses or threatens to use violent force upon the victim. This entails both crimes in which the violent act is the objective, such as murder, as well as crimes in which violence is the means to an end, such as robbery. Violent...
s, and 47.2.5 (per 1,000 persons) for property crimes. There were 324 births and 51 deaths in 2006.
Almost 82% of residents spoke English as their mother tongue and almost 4% spoke French. More than 4% spoke an aboriginal language as their first language
First language
A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
, including 1.3% who spoke Inuktitut
Inuktitut
Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...
, another 1.3% who spoke Dogrib, and 0.6% who spoke North Slavey, 0.5% who spoke Dene/Chipewyan, and 0.4% who spoke South Slavey. Other languages spoken in Yellowknife include Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
at 2.3%, Vietnamese
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
at 1.6%, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
at 1.1%, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
at 0.7% and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
at 0.4%.
Yellowknife is home to just over 500 recent immigrants (arriving between 2001 and 2006) who now make up just under 3% of the population; 36% of these immigrants came from the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, while 18% came from Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, 9% from Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, 7% from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and 5% came from China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
Almost 73% of residents identified as Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
while 24% said they had no religious affiliation in 2001. For specific denominations Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada is the Canadian federal government agency commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. Its headquarters is in Ottawa....
found that 36% of residents identified as Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, 11% as Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
, 10% for the United Church
United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in Canada...
, about 2% each as Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
, Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
, and Pentecostal
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
, and more than 1% for The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
. There were also 135 Buddhists, 125 Muslims, and 15 Jews.
Events
Folk on the Rocks
Folk on the Rocks is an outdoor music festival held on the third weekend in July every year on the shores of Long Lake in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada every summer. The non-profit festival was founded in 1980....
is a local music festival that has been an annual occurrence since 1980, and features a wide variety of musical acts, and is not limited to only Folk. In the past, it has drawn acts such as Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie, OC is a Canadian Cree singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. Throughout her career in all of these areas, her work has focused on issues of Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Her singing and writing repertoire includes...
, the Trailer Park Boys
Trailer Park Boys
Trailer Park Boys is a Canadian comedy mockumentary television series created and directed by Mike Clattenburg that focuses on the misadventures of a group of trailer park residents, some of whom are ex-convicts, living in the fictional Sunnyvale Trailer Park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The...
, The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans are a four-piece Canadian indie rock band.-History:The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by John K. Samson, after he left the punk band Propagandhi to start a publishing company. Samson joined forces with bassist John P...
, African Guitar Summit
African Guitar Summit
African Guitar Summit is a group of nine Canadian musicians, all of African origin, who gathered in Toronto to participate in a unique project for CBC Radio’s On Stage program....
, Chirgilchin
Chirgilchin
Chirgilchin, meaning "dance of the air in the heat of the day" or "miracle" in Tuvan, is a group of Tuvan musicians performing traditional Tuvan music. It was established in 1996....
, The Odds, Stan Rogers
Stan Rogers
Stanley Allison "Stan" Rogers was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter.Rogers was noted for his rich, baritone voice and his finely crafted, traditional-sounding songs which were frequently inspired by Canadian history and the daily lives of working people, especially those from the fishing...
, Gord Downie, Mad Bomber Society
Mad bomber society
Mad Bomber Society is a six-piece ska band that was started in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1992. After years of playing solely in Edmonton, they began touring Western Canada. Their first studio album was released in 2001...
, Gob
Gob (band)
Gob is a Canadian punk band from Langley, British Columbia formed in 1993, The Band consists of Tom Thacker, Theo Goutzinakis, Gabe Mantle and Steven Fairweather. Gob's most successful album is World According to Gob and their most successful song to date is I Hear You Calling...
, Sam Roberts Band, Sloan
Sloan (band)
Sloan is a Toronto-based alternative rock quartet from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Throughout their 20-year tenure Sloan has released 10 LPs , two EPs, a live album, a "best of" collection and no less than thirty singles...
, Great Lake Swimmers
Great Lake Swimmers
Great Lake Swimmers is a Canadian band built around the melodic folk rock songs of singer-songwriter Tony Dekker. Originally from Wainfleet, Ontario, the band is currently based in Toronto....
, and Hawksley Workman
Hawksley Workman
Ryan Corrigan , better known by the stage name Hawksley Workman, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter who has garnered critical acclaim for his blend of cabaret pop and glam rock. Workman has released eleven full length albums throughout his career...
. The Midnight Sun Golf Tournament, with games played through the city's well-lit summer nights, is also a significant cultural event. In previous years, there was an annual summer festival known as Raven Mad Daze, a street festival celebrated as part of the summer solstice
Solstice
A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year when the Sun's apparent position in the sky, as viewed from Earth, reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes...
. The festival was not celebrated in 2007 because an organizer was not found for the event. During the winter, there is the Snowking Winter Festival
Snowking Winter Festival
The Snowking Winter Festival is an annual festival held each March in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada.The festival is a major winter tourist draw to Yellowknife. It centres around the snow castle, built from snow with window panes of ice. Each winter the castle is built on Yellowknife...
, featuring a snow castle on Great Slave Lake, and Caribou Carnival, which is held every March on Frame Lake and has ice sculpting
Ice sculpture
Ice sculpture is a form of sculpture that uses ice as the raw material. Sculptures from ice can be abstract or realistic and can be functional or purely decorative...
competitions, dogsled races
Dogsled racing
Sled dog racing is a winter dog sport most popular in the Arctic regions of the United States, Canada, Russia, and some European countries. It involves the timed competition of teams of sleddogs that pull a sled with the dog driver or musher standing on the runners...
, and a fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
display. In 2008
2008 Arctic Winter Games
Approximately 2,000 athletes, coaches, team staff and officials participated in the 2008 Arctic Winter Games in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories in Canada, celebrating the 20th event. The 2008 games took place from March 9 through March 15. Events were held in and around the city of Yellowknife...
, Yellowknife hosted the Arctic Winter Games
Arctic Winter Games
The Arctic Winter Games is an international biennial celebration of circumpolar sports and culture.-Background:The Arctic Winter Games were founded in 1969 under the leadership of Governor Walter J. Hickel of Alaska, Stuart M. Hodgson, Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, and Yukon...
.
In 2007 The White Stripes played in Yellowknife for their tour of Canada. The entire tour was recorded for a documentary called Under Great White Northern Lights
Under Great White Northern Lights
Under Great White Northern Lights is the documentary film and first live album by The White Stripes. The film, directed by Emmett Malloy, documents the band's summer 2007 tour across Canada and contains live concert and off-stage footage. The album collects various recordings from throughout the...
.
Places
- The Wildcat CafeThe Wildcat CafeThe Wildcat Cafe is a popular summer restaurant in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada located in what was then the central business district of the city. It is a vintage log cabin structure and represents the mining camp style of early Yellowknife. The structure is a City of Yellowknife...
, which first opened in 1937. The popular restaurant still operates in its original building during the summer, which was moved to its current location after being saved from demolition in the late 1970s. - The Gold Range BarThe Gold RangeThe Gold Range is a Canadian hotel located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.The Gold Range, on 50th Street, is a notorious location with a reputation stretching across the Canadian Arctic. It was built on the site of The Veterans Hotel, which was destroyed by fire in 1956...
, (Also known as The Strange Range and listed in the circa 1989 phonebook as such) one of the oldest and most colorful drinking establishments in the Northwest Territories and featured in Mordecai RichlerMordecai RichlerMordecai Richler, CC was a Canadian Jewish author, screenwriter and essayist. A leading critic called him "the great shining star of his Canadian literary generation" and a pivotal figure in the country's history. His best known works are The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Barney's Version,...
's novel Solomon Gursky Was HereSolomon Gursky Was HereSolomon Gursky Was Here is a novel by Canadian author Mordecai Richler first published by Viking Canada in 1989.-Summary:The novel tells of several generations of the fictional Gursky family, who are connected to several disparate events in the history of Canada, including the Franklin Expedition... - Downtown contains the Capital Area Park, a short but pleasant stroll by City Hall, the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, the Legislature, and the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre.
- The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage CentrePrince of Wales Northern Heritage CentreThe Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre is the Government of the Northwest Territories' museum and archives. Located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, the PWNHC acquires and manages objects and archival materials that represent the cultures and history of the Northwest...
is a museum containing exhibits of the history and culture of InuitInuitThe Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
, InuvialuitInuvialuitThe Inuvialuit or Western Canadian Inuit are Inuit people who live in the western Canadian Arctic region. They, like all other Inuit, are descendants of the Thule who migrated eastward from Alaska...
, Dene, MétisMétis people (Canada)The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
and non-aboriginal peoples of the NWT. It's found just north of downtown on an attractive location overlooking Frame Lake. - Near the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, the Northwest Territories Legislative Building houses the territory's legislative assembly.
- The Northern Arts and Cultural Centre, which is located in Sir John Franklin High School and is the city's largest indoor stage for theatre and musical presentations.
Bush plane
A bush airplane is a general aviation aircraft serving remote, undeveloped areas of a country, usually the African bush, Alaskan and Canadian tundra or the Australian Outback...
tours, the unique architecture of Old Town with the Bush Pilots
Bush flying
Bush flying is a term for aircraft operations carried out in remote, inhospitable regions of the world. Bush flying involves operations in rough terrain where there are often no prepared landing strips or runways, frequently necessitating that bush planes be equipped with abnormally large tires,...
monument, and any of the numerous lakes surrounding Yellowknife, many of which include beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es.
Media
The YellowkniferYellowknifer
The Yellowknifer is a newspaper based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and owned by Northern News Services. The first edition of the Yellowknifer was published on March 22, 1972 by J.W. Sigvaldson, who remains the present publisher. Both a Wednesday and a Friday edition are printed weekly,...
, published by Northern News Services
Northern News Services
Northern News Services is a news company based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories with approximately 60 employees; they are one of the few remaining independent newspapers in Canada, producing all their own content, instead of relying on syndicated news...
, is the major newspaper serving Yellowknife, published twice weekly on Wednesday and Friday. Northern News Services also publishes Northwest Territories News/North
News/North
News/North is a newspaper based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, with offices in Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, and owned by Northern News Services. The newspaper is printed in two separate editions, Northwest Territories News/North and Nunavut News/North that reports on news throughout...
every Monday, which serves the entire NWT. As well, there is L'Aquilon
L'Aquilon
L'Aquilon is a Canadian weekly community newspaper, which serves the Franco-Ténois community in the Northwest Territories. The newspaper, which publishes 1,000 copies every Friday, operates from offices in Yellowknife and Hay River....
, a French language newspaper published weekly.
The major radio stations based in Yellowknife are: CFYK
CFYK (AM)
CFYK is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 1340 AM in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The station broadcasts the programming of the CBC Radio One network and locally produced programs.-Local programming:...
1340, which broadcasts CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...
network programs and locally produced programs; CFYK-FM
CBU-FM
CBU-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts the programming of the CBC Radio 2 network in Vancouver, British Columbia. The station broadcasts at 105.7 FM.The station was originally launched in 1947 as an FM simulcast of CBU...
95.3, which broadcasts the programming of the CBC Radio 2 network from CBU-FM
CBU-FM
CBU-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts the programming of the CBC Radio 2 network in Vancouver, British Columbia. The station broadcasts at 105.7 FM.The station was originally launched in 1947 as an FM simulcast of CBU...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
; CJCD-FM
CJCD-FM
CJCD-FM, branded as Mix 100, is a Canadian radio station broadcasting at 100.1 FM in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The station airs a hot AC format and is the only commercial station licensed to broadcast in the Northwest Territories. The station also has a rebroadcaster CJCD-FM-1 at 100.1 FM...
100.1, which plays largely adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....
; CKLB-FM
CKLB-FM
CKLB is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 101.9 FM in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Owned by the Native Communications Society of the Northwest Territories, the station was licenced in 1985 and broadcasts a community radio format for the territory's First Nations population...
101.9, a community radio
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
station; and CIVR-FM
CIVR-FM
CIVR-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 103.5 FM in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Branded as Radio Taïga, the station airs a community radio format for Yellowknife's Franco-Ténois community.-History:...
103.5, a French-language community radio station.
Local broadcast television stations include: CFYK-TV
CFYK-TV
CFYK-TV is the television call sign for the CBC's television station in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. It is the flagship station of the CBC North television service....
channel 8 cable 10, which is the flagship station for CBC North
CBC North
CBC North is the name for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's radio and television service in the Canadian Arctic. Originally known as the CBC Northern Service, its first operations began in 1958 with radio broadcasts including the takeover of CFYK, originally a Royal Canadian Signal...
, the northern feed of CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
; CHTY channel 11 cable 9, is the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network
Aboriginal Peoples Television Network
Aboriginal Peoples Television Network is a Canadian broadcast and cable television network. APTN airs and produces programs made by, for and about Aboriginal Peoples...
; CH4127
CBFT
CBFT is the flagship station of Télévision de Radio-Canada, the French language television network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Its studios and master control are located at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal....
channel 13 cable 4, is the French feed of CBC, Télévision de Radio-Canada
Télévision de Radio-Canada
Télévision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in French as Société Radio-Canada. Headquarters are at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, which is also home to the network's flagship station, CBFT-DT...
. No part of the Northwest Territories is designated as a mandatory market for digital television conversion
Digital television in Canada
Digital television in Canada is transmitted using the ATSC standards developed for and in use in the United States. Because Canada and the U.S...
; only CFYK-TV announced their intentions to convert its main transmitter in Yellowknife to digital.
Two magazines are based in Yellowknife: Above & Beyond - Canada's Arctic Journal
Above&Beyond
above&beyond, which runs under the byline "Canada's Arctic Journal", is a Canadian magazine that features northern-related lifestyle and news features...
and Up Here Magazine, both offering northern-related news and lifestyle articles.
Notable residents
- Alex Debogorski, local truck driver and personality on Ice Road TruckersIce Road TruckersIce Road Truckers is a documentary-style reality television series that premiered on History on June 17, 2007.-History:In 2000, History aired a 46-minute episode titled "Ice Road Truckers" as part of the Suicide Missions series...
. - Margot KidderMargot KidderMargaret Ruth "Margot" Kidder is a Canadian-born American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Lois Lane in the four Superman movies opposite Christopher Reeve, a role that brought her to widespread recognition....
, film and television actress best known for playing Lois Lane in the Superman movies of the 1970s and 1980s. - Kevin KoeKevin KoeKevin Koe is a Canadian curler. Originally from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, he now resides in Grande Prairie, Alberta and curls out of Edmonton, Alberta. He is the skip of the current World champion team....
, World Champion Curler. - Tobias MehlerTobias MehlerTobias Mehler is a Canadian actor who has appeared in film and television productions. Some notable roles include d'Artagnan on Young Blades, Zak Adama on Battlestar Galactica and Lieutenant Graham Simmons in Stargate SG-1...
, film and television actor best known for his roles on Battlestar GalacticaBattlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
and Stargate SG-1Stargate SG-1Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
. - Vic MercrediVic MercrediVictor Dennis Mercredi is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger of Métis ancestry.-Hockey career:...
, MétisMétis people (Canada)The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
hockey player, first person born in the NWT to be drafted into the National Hockey LeagueNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. - Dustin MilliganDustin MilliganDustin Wallace Milligan is a Canadian film and television actor known for his role as Ethan Ward on 90210.-Life and career:...
, film and television actor; lead actor in the first season of the Beverly Hills, 9021090210 (TV series)90210 is an American teen drama television series developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but is now produced by CBS...
spinoff. - John SissonsJohn SissonsJohn Howard Sissons was a barrister, author, judge and a Canadian federal politician.-Early life:Sissons was born in Orillia, Ontario and, at the age of four, contracted polio, which injured his leg and he walked with a limp for the rest of his life...
, politician and the first judge of the Supreme Court of the Northwest TerritoriesSupreme Court of the Northwest TerritoriesThe Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories is the name of two different superior courts for the Canadian territory of the Northwest Territories, which have existed at different times.The first Supreme Court of the North-West Territories was created in 1885...
. - Les StroudLes StroudLes Stroud is a Canadian musician, filmmaker, and survival expert best known as the creator, writer, producer, director, cameraman and host of the television series Survivorman...
, film maker and survival expertSurvivalismSurvivalism is a movement of individuals or groups who are actively preparing for future possible disruptions in local, regional, national, or international social or political order...
best known as the host of the television program SurvivormanSurvivormanSurvivorman is a Canadian-produced television program, broadcast in Canada on the Outdoor Life Network , and internationally on Discovery Channel and Science Channel...
. - Max Ward, pioneering bush pilot and founder of WardairWardairWardair Canada was a privately-run Canadian airline, founded by Max Ward in 1953 under the name Wardair Ltd, before formally changing its name to "Wardair Canada" in 1976...
airlineAirlineAn airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
s (later sold to Canadian AirlinesCanadian AirlinesCanadian Airlines International Ltd. was a Canadian airline that operated from 1987 until 2001. The airline was Canada's second largest airline after Air Canada, and carried more than 11.9 million passengers to over 160 destinations in 17 countries on five continents at its height in 1996...
). - Tom Dornbos, was the first person to deliver water with a yolk to residents in Yellowknife for 25 cents a pail. He arrived in 1941, and passed away November 1st, 1981. He was 89 years old.
Sister cities
RenoReno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Fairbanks
Fairbanks
Fairbanks may refer to:Places in the United States*Fairbanks, Alaska, city*Fairbanks, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Fairbanks, Mendocino County, California, former settlement*Fairbanks, Indiana, unincorporated community...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Yakutsk
Yakutsk
With a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
, Sakha Republic, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
See also
- History of Northwest Territories capital citiesHistory of Northwest Territories capital citiesThe history of Northwest Territories capital cities begins with the purchase of the Territories by Canada from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1869 and includes a varied and often difficult evolution. Northwest Territories is unique amongst the other provinces and territories of Canada in that it has...
- Yellowknife Water AerodromeYellowknife Water AerodromeYellowknife Water Aerodrome , is adjacent to the "old town" section of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada on both Back Bay and East Bay of Great Slave Lake. It's open from the middle of June until October and may be used by ski equipped aircraft in the winter....
- CFNA HQ YellowknifeCFNA HQ YellowknifeCanadian Forces Northern Area Headquarters Yellowknife is a Canadian Forces base located in the city of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories....