Athabasca (
2021 population 2,759), originally named Athabasca Landing, is a town in
northern Alberta
Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.
An informally defined cultural region, the boundaries of Northern Alberta are not fixed. Under some schemes, the region encompasses everything north of the cen ...
, Canada. It is located north of
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
at the intersection of
Highway 2 and
Highway 55
The following highways are numbered 55:
International
* European route E55
* Arab Mashreq route M55
Argentina
* San Luis Provincial Route 55
Australia
* Carnarvon Highway
* Castlereagh Highway
* Karoonda Highway
Belgium
* N55 road (Belgiu ...
, on the banks of the
Athabasca River
The Athabasca River (French: ''Rivière Athabasca'') is a river in Alberta, Canada, which originates at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park and flows more than before emptying into Lake Athabasca. Much of the land along its banks is ...
. It is the centre of
Athabasca County
Athabasca County is a municipal district in north central Alberta, Canada. It is located northeast of Edmonton and is in Census Division No. 13. Prior to an official renaming on December 1, 2009, Athabasca County was officially known as the ...
. It was known as Athabasca Landing prior to August 4, 1913.
History
![Alberta During the Territorial Period](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Alberta_During_the_Territorial_Period.jpg)
Of Cree origin. Early spellings: Araubaska (Peter Pond) and Athapescow (Arrowsmith). Various interpretations of the meaning: "where there are reeds" (Douglas); "meeting place of many waters" (Voorhis). Town was first called Athabasca Landing about 1889; name changed to Athabaska in 1904 and changed back to Athabasca in 1948. The provisional district of Athabasca was established in 1882, embracing the northern parts of modern Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Unlike many other towns in Alberta, Athabasca predates the railway. It was the terminus of the
Edmonton to Athabasca Landing trail.
[ Athabasca lies on a southern protrusion of the Athabasca River. During the fur 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
The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows event ...
in the Nelson River
The Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The river drains Lake Winnipeg and runs before it ends in Hudson Bay. Its full length (including the Saskatchewan River and Bow River) is , i ...
drainage basin, which empties into Hudson Bay. Edmonton was in Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land (french: Terre de Rupert), or Prince Rupert's Land (french: Terre du Prince Rupert, link=no), was a territory in British North America which comprised the Hudson Bay drainage basin; this was further extended from Rupert's Land t ...
but not Athabasca. The trail allowed goods to be portaged back and forth between river systems. Once agricultural settlement occurred, the trail served a similar purpose. Eventually, road and rail links would trace the same path.
The North-West Mounted Police stationed officers at Athabasca Landing for the summer of 1892, due to increased traffic on the trail.[ Inspector D.M. Howard, and eight constables, built a permanent post in 1893.
A massive forest fire in August 1913 destroyed a good portion of the town, including 30 businesses. There was no loss of life. Rebuilding of the town began immediately.
The Athabasca Heritage Society put up signs through the downtown as well as along the riverfront that explain and depict the history. It has also published a historical walking tour that is available from the town office, library and visitor information centre.
]
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population
The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...
conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Athabasca had a population of 2,759 living in 1,155 of its 1,325 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 2,965. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Athabasca recorded a population of 2,965 living in 1,194 of its 1,313 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 2,990. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.
Education
The town is home to Athabasca University, a major centre for distance education
Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...
and the town's largest employer.
The town has three public schools under the jurisdiction of Aspen View Public School Division No. 78
Aspen View Public School Division No. 78 or Aspen View Schools is a public school authority within the Canadian province of Alberta operated out of Athabasca.
See also
*List of school authorities in Alberta
The Canadian province of Alberta ...
:
*Whispering Hills Primary School (WHPS) – Kindergarten to Grade 3
*Landing Trail Intermediate School (LTIS) – Grades 4 to 6
*Edwin Parr Composite School (EPC) – Grades 7 to 12
Media
Local news is provided by the ''Athabasca Advocate'', an award-winning weekly newspaper. Athabasca's local radio station is 94.1 CKBA-FM, ''Boom''.
Climate
Athabasca experiences a humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''Dfb'') that borders on a subarctic climate (Köppen ''Dfc''). The highest temperature ever recorded in Athabasca was on July 18, 1941. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on January 11, 1911.
Infrastructure
Health care
Health care is provided at the Athabasca Healthcare Centre.
Notable people
*Bryan Mudryk
Bryan Mudryk ( ; born July 13, 1979) is a Canadian sportscaster for TSN. He is a frequent host of SportsCentre and a play-by-play announcer as part of TSN's curling broadcast team. He has been with TSN since October 2005.
Career
Personal ...
– TSN TV personality
*Jay Onrait
Jay Michael Onrait (born August 29, 1974) is a Canadian television personality and sports anchor who hosts ''SC with Jay Onrait'' on TSN. From 2003 to 2021, he has been frequently paired with fellow Canadian broadcaster Dan O'Toole.
In his fir ...
– TSN TV personality
*George Ryga
George Ryga (27 July 1932 – 18 November 1987) was a Canadian playwright, actor and novelist. His writings explored the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada, among other themes. His most famous work is ''The Ecstasy of Rita Joe''.
E ...
– playwright, poet
* Kay Heim – All-American Girls Professional Baseball Player
References
Alberta First
– Athabasca Facts and Statistics
External links
*
{{Authority control
1905 establishments in Alberta
Hudson's Bay Company trading posts
Towns in Alberta