Jasper is a

specialized municipality A specialized municipality is a unique type of municipal status in the Canadian province of Alberta. These unique local governments are formed without the creation of special legislation, and typically allow for the coexistence of urban and ru ...

and townsite in western Alberta within the

Canadian Rockies The Canadian Rockies (french: Rocheuses canadiennes) or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part ...

. The townsite is in the Athabasca River valley and is the commercial centre of Jasper National Park.

History

Established in 1813, Jasper House was first a

fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...

outpost of the

North West Company The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what is present-day Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario. With great weal ...

, and later Hudson's Bay Company, on the York Factory Express trade route to what was then called "

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

" (now British Columbia) and Fort Vancouver on the lower

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

. Jasper House was 35 km north of today's town of Jasper. Jasper Forest Park was established in 1907. The railway siding at the location of the future townsite was established by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1911 and originally named Fitzhugh after a Grand Trunk vice president (along the Grand Trunk's "alphabet" line). The Canadian Northern Railway began service to its ''Jasper Park'' station in 1912, about 700 m from GTP's Fitzhugh station. The townsite was surveyed in 1913 by H. Matheson. It was renamed Jasper after the former fur trade post. An internment camp was set up at Dominion Park in Jasper from February 1916 to August 1916. Jasper Forest Park was renamed Jasper National Park in 1930. By 1931, Jasper was accessible by road from Edmonton. In 1940, the scenic Icefields Parkway opened, connecting Jasper to Lake Louise and Banff in

Banff National Park Banff National Park is Canada's oldest National Parks of Canada, national park, established in 1885 as Rocky Mountains Park. Located in Alberta's Rockies, Alberta's Rocky Mountains, west of Calgary, Banff encompasses of mountainous terrain, wi ...

. The first step towards incorporation of Jasper occurred on August 31, 1995, when the ''Jasper Improvement District'' was formed from a portion of

Improvement District No. 12 Improvement District No. 12 (Jasper National Park), or Improvement District No. 12, is an List of communities in Alberta#Improvement districts, improvement district in Alberta, Canada. Coextensive with Jasper National Park in Alberta's Rockies, ...

(Jasper National Park). The improvement district was subsequently incorporated as a specialized municipality under the name of the ''Municipality of Jasper'' on July 20, 2001. The incorporation order established the Jasper townsite as the Town of Jasper and the surrounding balance of the specialized municipality as a rural service area that was deemed equivalent to a municipal district.

Geography

The Municipality of Jasper is in the western portion of the province of Alberta within Jasper National Park. It borders the province of British Columbia to the west and

to the north, east, and south. The Athabasca River, which originates from the Columbia Icefield, meanders northward through the municipality. The Miette River, Maligne River, and

Snaring River The Snaring River is a medium-sized river in the Canadian Rockies. It runs through parts of Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. The Snaring River is a significant tributary of the Athabasca River. The Snaring is named after a former local ...

all discharge into the Athabasca River within the Municipality of Jasper's limits. The Jasper townsite, which is approximately west of Edmonton, north of Banff, and east of the Yellowhead Pass, is at the intersection of

Highway 16 Route 16, or Highway 16, can refer to: International * Asian Highway 16 * European route E16 * European route E016 Australia - Thompsons Road (Victoria) - South Australia Canada ;Parts of the Trans-Canada Highway: * Yellowhead ...

( Yellowhead Highway) and

Highway 93 Route 93 or Highway 93 can refer to: International * European route E93 Australia - Victoria Canada * Alberta Highway 93 * British Columbia Highway 93 * Newfoundland and Labrador Route 93 * Ontario Highway 93 China * G93 Chengyu Ring E ...

(Icefields Parkway). It is near the confluence of the Athabasca River and Miette River. It lies between the

Victoria Cross Ranges The Victoria Cross Ranges ( to ) are a set of mountain ranges in the Canadian Rockies, located to the northwest of Jasper. Of the 19 peaks contained within this range, five are named after Canadian recipients of the Victoria Cross. The area of th ...

(northwest),

Pyramid Mountain Pyramid Mountain can refer to: ;Antarctica * Pyramid Mountain (Antarctica), in the Quartermain Mountains ;Canada *Pyramid Mountain (Alberta) in Jasper National Park, Alberta * Pyramid Mountain (Garibaldi Provincial Park) in Garibaldi Provincial P ...

(north),

Maligne Range The Maligne Range is a mountain range of the Canadian Rockies located directly southeast of Jasper, Alberta, Jasper townsite in Jasper National Park, Canada. The southern tail-end of the range finishes at Endless Chain Ridge. __NOTOC__ Mountains ...

(southeast) and Trident Ridge (southwest). Lakes near the Jasper townsite include Pyramid Lake, Patricia Lake, Lake Annette, Lake Edith,

Lac Beauvert Lac Beauvert, or Beauvert Lake () is a small lake (0.4 km²) in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. It is located next to the Jasper Park Lodge, a Fairmont Hotels and Resorts property. The lake is located 3 kilometres northeast of the tow ...

, Maligne Lake, and Medicine Lake.

Localities

The following localities are located within the Municipality of Jasper. *Bedson * Decoigne * Geikie *Henry House *Jasper *Jasper Lodge *Jasper National Park *Jasper Park Lodge *Medicine Lake *

Miette Hot Springs Miette Hot Springs are commercially developed hot springs located in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada, near Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. ...

*Sixth Bridge *Wynd

Climate

Jasper experiences a borderline Humid Continental/

Subarctic The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of humid continental regions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Scandinavia, Siberia, and the Cairngorms. Generally, ...

climate ( Köppen climate classification ''Dfb''/''Dfc''). The highest temperature ever recorded in Jasper was on June 30, 2021. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on January 24, 1916. Summers in Jasper are pleasant, with daily highs usually around 21.1 °C (70 °F) and lows around 7.2 °C (45 °F). Winters are cold, though may be considered mild by Canadian standards, with daily highs around -2.2 °C (28 °F) and lows around -11.7 °C (11 °F).

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 Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, the Municipality of Jasper had a population of 4,738 living in 1,674 of its 1,910 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 4,590. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Municipality of Jasper had a population of 4,590 living in 1,576 of its 1,702 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 4,432. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. The population of the Municipality of Jasper according to its 2011 municipal census is 5,236, a change of 10.3% over its 2008 municipal census population of 4,745. Jasper's 2011 population of 5,236 comprises 4,584 permanent and 652 non-permanent residents, while its 2007 census counted 4,235 permanent and 510 non-permanent residents.

Attractions

The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, the Marmot Basin ski resort, and the

Jasper Skytram The Jasper SkyTram is an aerial tramway on the mountain called The Whistlers near Jasper, Alberta, Canada. It is the highest and longest guided aerial tramway in Canada. It goes to a height of above sea level with a travel time of 7.5 minutes. Fr ...

, which carries visitors to

The Whistlers The Whistlers is a mountain summit located in Jasper National Park, in the Trident Range of the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. The municipality of Jasper is situated 7 kilometres to the northeast. Its nearest higher peak is Indian Peak, ...

' summit, are all near the townsite. Within the Jasper townsite are the Jasper Visitor Centre and the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives.

Government

Governance of Jasper is shared between the municipality and

Parks Canada Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs Canada),Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 48 National Parks, th ...

, an agency of the

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

Infrastructure

Transportation

Jasper railway station Jasper station is on the Canadian National Railway mainline in Jasper, Alberta. The station is served by Via Rail's ''The Canadian'' and is the eastern terminus for the Via Rail's Jasper – Prince Rupert train. The Rocky Mountaineer company tra ...

is served by Via Rail with two passenger services. '' The Canadian'' and the Jasper–Prince Rupert train both operate three times per week. Jasper Airport is located north of Jasper.

Education

Jasper's educational services are provided by: Grande Yellowhead Public School Division No. 77 *Jasper Elementary School (K–6 English & French Immersion) *

Jasper Junior Senior High School Jasper Junior Senior High School (JHS) is a public high school located in Jasper, Alberta, Canada. Building The school is housed in a building of masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in ...

(7–12 English & French Immersion) Greater North Central Francophone Education Region No. 2 * École Desrochers (K–12)

Media

Newspapers * '' Jasper Fitzhugh'' (locally-owned weekly) * ''The Local'' (locally owned weekly) Radio Television

Sister cities

* Hakone, Kanagawa, since July 4, 1972

Notable people

* Ian Herbers, NHL hockey player * John Hilworth, NHL hockey player * Erin Karpluk, actress *

Loni Klettl Loni Klettl (born 8 September 1959) is a Canadian former alpine skier who competed in the 1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi- ...

, Olympic Alpine skier - 1980 Lake Placid downhill *

Wyatt Tremblay Wyatt Tremblay is a Canadian editorial cartoonist who has worked for the '' Yukon News'' since 1992. Personal life Born in 1960 in Jasper, Alberta, he completed his schooling at F.H. Collins high school in Whitehorse, Yukon in 1978, with the in ...

, editorial cartoonist * Kirby Morrow (1973–2020), voice actor known for roles such as Miroku from '' InuYasha'', Hot Shot from '' Transformers: Cybertron'', and Cole from '' Ninjago'' * Brian Young,NHL Players from Jasper, Alberta , QuantHockey.com
Retrieved on March 19, 2011 NHL hockey player

References

External links

* * {{Canadian Rockies 1813 establishments in Canada 1995 establishments in Alberta Hudson's Bay Company trading posts Jasper National Park Populated places established in 1813 Specialized municipalities in Alberta