Grande Prairie

Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grande_Prairoe_street.JPG
Author: Qyd


Grande Prairie is a city in northwestern Alberta, Canada. It is often called Swan City as the Trumpter swan is adopted as its official symbol. This is because the swan migration route and summer nesting grounds are near the city.

Grande Prairie is the largest city between Edmonton and Fairbanks, Alaska. It covers 72.8 sq km (28.11 sq mi) and has a of 55,000 people (2012 estimate). Its population has grown by some 7% in the past five years, making it one of the fastest growing cities in Canada.

Grande Prairie dates back to 1880, when the outpost of Le Grand Prairie was established by George Kenny for the Hudson's Bay Company. It was located 24 km (15 mi) to the northwest of the present city. At that time, the prairie was home of the Cree and Iroquois tribes of First Nations peoples.

Much of present-day Grande Prairie dates from the early 20th century, when the townsite was subdivided and developed. The city experienced an economic boom in the early 1970s when the Elmworth gas field was discovered, propelling a population growth from 12,000 to 24,000 in 1981, when the boom went bust.

Grande Prairie is located north of the 55th Parallel. The city is surrounded by farmland to the north, east and west, with forest land to the south. It experiences a northern continental climate with fairly cool summers. July is the hottest month with average high of 15.9°C. Winters are usually cold with some mild spells. Coldest month is January, when average temperature of -15°C. Extreme temperatures have been recorded, from as low as -52°C to as high as 34.5°C.

Visiting Grande Prairie

You can fly to Grande Prairie from Calgary and Edmonton. Arriving at the airport, you are limited to taking the taxi to reach downtown.

Places of Interest in Grande Prairie

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