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Have you
been thinking about making the move to Fort McMurray
Alberta but don’t know anything about the city? Well
we have the right guide for you; in this article we
highlight the city of Fort McMurray Alberta, its
location, history, population, climate, and economy.
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Welcome to Fort McMurray
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Fort
McMurray, or as it is commonly referenced to in the
media “Fort McMoney” is an oil boom town located in
Northeastern Alberta in the Regional Municipality of
Wood Buffalo. Although it has a large enough
population and many people think of it as a city,
Fort McMurray is technically not a city as it is
un-incorporated.
Location
Fort McMurray is located in northeastern Alberta
Approximately 435 kilometers (270 miles) northeast
of Edmonton on highway 63 and about 60 kilometers
(37 miles) west of Saskatchewan. It is located in
the boreal forest at the convergence of the
Athabasca River and the Clearwater River.
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Clearwater River in Fort McMurray,
Alberta |
History
Before European settlers arrived in the 18th
century, the First Nations tribes “The Cree” were
the dominant peoples of the Fort McMurray area and
were known to use the oil sands to waterproof their
canoes and housing.
Fort McMurray has played a considerable role in the
history and developments within the Canadian
petroleum industry. Oil exploration is believed to
have been going on in Fort McMurray since the early
20th century, but wasn’t seriously examined until
1921 when the Alcan Oil Company showed interest in
developing a refining plant in Fort McMurray to
separate the oil from the sands.
Abasands Oil was actually the first company that
successfully extracted oil from the oil sands
through a process known as “hot water extraction” in
the 1930s.
In 1967, the Great Canadian Oil Sands Plant opened
for business and Fort McMurray’s economy skyrocketed
and has been skyrocketing ever since.
Population
As of 2006 Fort McMurray’s population is 64,441 and
has sustained an average annual growth rate of
almost 9% since 1999. Fort McMurray’s population is
forecasted to reach the 100,000 mark by 2012. Native
Albertans make up almost half of Fort McMurray’s
population while the second largest denomination of
people in Fort McMurray are people from Newfoundland
and Labrador, with 20% of the population.
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Highway #63 in Fort McMurray, Alberta |
Climate
Fort McMurray is a very cold place to be in the
winter but has moderate temperatures in the summer.
Fort McMurray’s climate is actually classified as
sub arctic. In January, the average temperature in
Fort McMurray is -19.8°C (-3.6°F) while the average
temperature in July is 16.6°C (61.9°F).
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A winter day at Vista Ridge in Fort
McMurray, Alberta |
Economy
Fort McMurray is located close to the Athabasca Oil
Sands and serves as a base of operations for many of
the companies and employees that work in the Oil
Sands. Fort McMurray is considered one of the major
cores of oil production in Alberta and its economy
is largely based on the oil sands industry. Fort
McMurray’s economy also relies on oil pipelines,
natural gas, and forestry.
Links of Interest
Official Fort McMurray Website
Wikipedia: Fort McMurray, Alberta
Fort McMurray Airport
Fort McMurray Today
Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce
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