Athabasca, Alberta
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Town of Athabasca | |
| Motto: Gateway to the Great New North | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Alberta |
| Region | Northern Alberta |
| Census division | 13 |
| County | Athabasca County |
| Founded | 1877 |
| Government [1] | |
| - Mayor | Colleen Powell |
| - Governing body | Athabasca Town Council |
| - Manager | Doug Topinka |
| - MP | Brian Jean (Cons-Fort McMurray—Athabasca) |
| - MLA | Jeff Johnson (PC-Athabasca-Redwater) |
| Area [2] | |
| - Total | 16.98 km² (6.6 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 533 m (1,749 ft) |
| Population (2006)[2] | |
| - Total | 2,575 |
| - Density | 151.7/km² (392.9/sq mi) |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
| Postal code span | T9S |
| Area code(s) | +1-780 |
| Website: Town of Atabasca | |
The town of Athabasca (2006 population 2,575) is located in northern Alberta, Canada. It lies 145 kilometres (90 mi) north of Edmonton on Highway 2, on the banks of the Athabasca River. It is the centre of Athabasca County.
Until 1913 it was known as Athabasca Landing.
The town is home to Athabasca University, a major centre for distance education.
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[edit] Demographics
According to the Canada 2006 Census:
| * Population: | 2,575 (+6.6% from 2001) |
| * Land area: | 16.98 km² (6.56 sq mi) |
| * Population density: | 151.7 people/km² (392.9/sq mi) |
| * National population rank (Out of 5,008): | Ranked 1,115th |
| * Median age:† | 36.2 (males: 33.4, females: 37.8) |
| * Total private dwellings: | 1,117 |
| * Dwellings occupied by permanent residents: | 1,062 |
| * Mean household income:↑ | $51,310 |
References:
- 2006 Community Profile[2]
Footnotes: ↑ The data has not yet been released and is based on 2001 Census.
[edit] History
Unlike so many other towns in Alberta, Athabasca predates the railway. It was the terminus of the Edmonton to Athabasca Landing trail. Athabasca lies on a southern protrusion of the Athabasca River. During the fur trade era, when rivers were the principal means of transportation, the Athabasca–Edmonton trail connected two different drainage basins. The Athabasca River flows north and is part of the Mackenzie River watershed, which leads to the Arctic Ocean. Edmonton lies across a height-of-land on the North Saskatchewan River in the Nelson River drainage basin, which empties into Hudson Bay. Edmonton was in Rupert's Land, Athabasca was not. The trail allowed goods to be portaged back and forth between river systems. Once agricultral settlement occurred the trail served a similar purpose. Eventually road and rail links would trace the same path.
[edit] Media
Athabasca is served by one newspaper, the Athabasca Advocate, and one radio station, 850 CKBA, currently known as The Fox. CKBA made headlines in 1998 when it hired Kevin Zahara to be the morning show's announcer. Being only 14 at the time, Zahara was the youngest morning radio announcer in Canada. Zahara later became one of the youngest Town Councillors, elected to Athabasca Town Council in 2002 at the age of 19. He accepted a promotion in 2003 in Edson and was elected to Edson Town council in 2007 receiving the most amount of votes. Currently he is an Assistant Program Director with NewCap Radio overseeing several radio stations.
[edit] Notable native
- George Ryga - playwright, poet
- Jay Onrait - TSN notable TV personality
[edit] References
- ^ Athabasca. Town Council. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
- ^ a b c Statistics Canada (Census 2006). Athabasca - Community Profile. Retrieved on 2007-06-09.
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- Alberta First - Athabasca Facts and Statistics
[edit] External links
- Town of Athabasca
- Athabasca County
- Historical Athabasca Landing
- Athabasca University
- Tourism website
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