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Whitehorse

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City of Whitehorse, Yukon
Ville de Whitehorse, Yukon
Downtown Whitehorse seen from the east side of the Yukon River
Downtown Whitehorse seen from the east side of the Yukon River
Flag of City of Whitehorse, Yukon Ville de Whitehorse, Yukon
Flag
Coat of arms of City of Whitehorse, Yukon Ville de Whitehorse, Yukon
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 

Our People, Our Strength (English)
Nos personnes, Notre force (French)
Country Canada
Territory Yukon
Established1898
Government
 • City MayorBev Buckway
 • Governing bodyWhitehorse City Council
 • MPsLarry Bagnell
 • MLAsTodd Hardy
Elaine Taylor
Arthur Mitchell
Glenn Hart
Don Inverarity
Archie Lang
Jim Kenyon
Ted Staffen
John Edzerza
Area
 • City416.43 km2 (160.8 sq mi)
 • Metro
8,488.48 km2 (3,277.4 sq mi)
Elevation
670–1,702 m (2,200–5,584 ft)
Population
 (2006)
 • City20,461
 • Density49.1/km2 (118.6/sq mi)
 • Metro
22,898
 • Metro density2.7/km2 (7/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
NTS Map105D11
GNBC CodeKABPC
WebsiteCity of Whitehorse

Whitehorse (Template:Pron-en) (2006 population 20,461; CA population 22,898) (known as White Horse until March 21, 1957)[1] is the capital of the Yukon, Canada. Whitehorse accounts for almost 3/4 of the territory's population and is the largest city in the three Canadian territories. Whitehorse is also famous for natural parks and landscapes, receiving the National Civic Lead award for its natural beauty.

Geography

Aerial view of Whitehorse, Yukon, July 1990. The Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport can be seen on the bluffs to the right of downtown Whitehorse.

Whitehorse is located at Historic Mile 918 (current kilometre post calibration is kilometre 1,425.3) of the Alaska Highway and is the former terminus of the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway from Skagway, Alaska (although the railway tracks still exist, the train only runs as a tourist attraction from Skagway to Carcross, south of Whitehorse). At the head of navigation on the Yukon River, the city was an important supply and centre during the Klondike Gold Rush. It has been the territorial capital since 1953,[2] when the seat was moved from Dawson City after the construction of the Klondike Highway. Whitehorse is in the mountain climate region, the tundra soil region, the Arctic vegetation region, and the boreal cordillera ecozone. The city gets its name from the White Horse Rapids, which were said to look like the mane of a white horse. Alternate stories have the rapids named after a First Nations Chief who drowned while crossing the rapids. The rapids have disappeared under Schwatka Lake, formed by the construction of a hydroelectric dam in 1958.

Neighbourhoods

In addition to the central Whitehorse City Centre area, the city also includes the smaller neighbourhoods of Porter Creek, Riverdale, Granger, Crestview, Cowley Creek, Marsh Lake, Copper Ridge, Valleyview, Hillcrest, Lobird and Takhini and the Kwanlin Dun First Nation settlement (locally known as "The Village").

Climate

Like most of the Yukon, Whitehorse has a dry subarctic climate. Whitehorse experiences an annual temperature average with daily highs of 21 °C (69.8 °F) in July and average daily lows of −22 °C (−7.6 °F) in January. The record high temperature was 34 °C (93.2 °F) in June 1969 and the lowest was −52 °C (−61.6 °F) in January 1947. Whitehorse has little precipitation with an average annual snowfall of 145 cm (57.09 in) and 163 mm (6.4 in) of rainfall.

According to Meteorological Service of Canada, Whitehorse has the distinction of being Canada's driest city, mainly because it lies in the rain shadow of the Coast Mountains.[3] Surprisingly, despite its relative cold, Whitehorse was ranked among Canadian cities with the most comfortable climate.[4]

Climate data for Whitehorse
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Source: Environment Canada

Infrastructure

Whitehorse is served by the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport and has scheduled service to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Fort Simpson, Yellowknife as well as Fairbanks, Alaska and Frankfurt, Germany during the summer months. The airport was developed as part of the Northwest Staging Route in 1941-42 and has two long paved runways. A wartime-era hangar served as terminal building from about 1960, and was replaced in December 1985 with a modern terminal; expansion of the terminal is to be completed in 2010.

Log cabin. The local zoning bylaw limits building heights to four storeys.

Surface access to Whitehorse is provided by a network of highways, including the international Alaska Highway connecting the Yukon with the Alaska, British Columbia, and Alberta highway networks.

The Yukon River is essentially navigable, but no passenger or freight services use the river at Whitehorse. Whitehorse has a number of taxi companies, as well as the city-owned Whitehorse Transit, which provides bus service on weekdays and Saturdays from morning until early evening. There is a waterfront tram, known as the "trolley", which provides transport along a short rail section along the Yukon River; it is chiefly tourist-oriented and is not yet integrated into the municipal transit system. It runs from the Rotary Peace Park, located on the south end of the city centre, up to the north end of the city centre at Spook Creek Station.

Whitehorse has been described as "pearls on a string", with its residential, industrial, and service subdivisions located along the main thoroughfares that carry traffic within city limits, with large gaps of undeveloped (often hilly) land between them. The Alaska Highway is the primary roadway, with branch roads reaching additional subdivisions. One such branch road, signed as "Highway 1A" and following Two Mile Hill Road, 4th Avenue, 2nd Avenue, and Robert Service Way, is the main access to downtown, Riverdale, and the Marwell Industrial Area. Other branch roads (Range Road, Hamilton Boulevard, Mayo Road) access smaller residential areas and recreational facilities. Whitehorse presently has no active railway service. The city is reached by the tracks of the White Pass and Yukon Route, of which only a small portion are currently maintained to run a small trolley service in the summer. The last scheduled service to Whitehorse occurred in October 1982. The White Pass Railway started scheduled service from Skagway, Alaska to Carcross, 72 kilometers (45 miles) south of Whitehorse, in the spring of 2007, but this was disrupted by high lake water levels in August 2007. Speculation of a trans-continental rail link to Alaska includes one possible route option through Whitehorse; a report has recommended a hub at Carmacks, with a spur line to Whitehorse and on to the Inside Passage of Alaska.

The city road network is adequate, although it is congested during rush hours and discussions occasionally occur as to how it might better be managed, such as designating one-way streets. There are some bottlenecks, such as the single two-lane bridge to the Riverdale subdivision. Street surfaces are in fairly good condition.

Education

Whitehorse has several schools as part of a Yukon-government operated public school system, and it is the home of the main campus of Yukon College.[6]

High schools:

Elementary schools (K-7):

Primary school (K-3):

French First Language school (K-12):

Specialized programs:

Outside of the one French First Language school, the territory does not have school boards; they do, however, have school councils for each school, composed of elected citizens (including parents of students in the school) and the administrators of the school. All teachers work directly, as Yukon Territorial employees, for the Department of Education.

Whitehorse also has Yukon College, a post-secondary institution with ties to the University of Northern British Columbia.

Whitehorse schools do not close for anything other than holidays. For example, unlike most school districts in more temperate climates, snow days are never called for snow (or other weather phenomena).

Culture

Some of the tourist attractions in Whitehorse are Miles Canyon, the SS Klondike sternwheeler, the Yukon Transportation Museum, the MacBride Museum, the Whitehorse trolley, the Old Log Church Museum,[7] the Beringia Centre, Yukon Gardens, "Log Skyscrapers", the Whitehorse fish ladder, the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, the Takhini Hot Springs, and the Yukon visitor centre.

Sports and recreation

Whitehorse's proximity to the wilderness and the Northern range of the Rockies allows its residents to enjoy a very active lifestyle. The city has hosted several large sporting events including the 2007 Canada Winter Games,[8] the Canadian Junior Freestyle Championships in 2006, the Arctic Winter Games[9] (2000, 1992, 1986, 1980, 1972).

A CA$45 million multiplex centre was built for the Canada Winter Games in 2007. Whitehorse also previously hosted the 1972, 1980, 1986, 1992 and 2000 Arctic Winter Games.

The city has an extensive trail network within its limits, estimated at 850 km (528 mi) in 2007,[10] including sections of the Trans Canada Trail. These trails are used for a variety of non-motorized and motorized activities.

Whitehorse is also home to the Yukon Quest, an international 1,000 mile sled dog race that is considered one of the toughest in the world. In 2010, the Yukon Quest will end in Whitehorse. The race alternates its starting and finishing points each year between Fairbanks, Alaska and Whitehorse, Yukon.

Recreational facilities

Whitehorse enjoys many recreational facilities.

The newest is the Canada Games Centre which houses:

  • Whitehorse Lion's Aquatic Centre (25 m pool, diving board, hot tub, sauna, waterslide, lazy river, and a family pool)
  • Three skating rinks (NorthwesTel Arena, Olympic Arena, Leisure Ice)
  • Fieldhouse (artificial turf)
  • Flexi-Hall (sprung hardwood floor)
  • Wellness Centre (weights and cardio)
  • Indoor Walking/Running Track
  • Child Play Area
  • Party and Meeting Rooms
  • Physio Plus
  • Two food services (coffee and sandwiches)

Other facilities include:

  • Takhini Arena skating rink
  • One seasonal outdoor rinks in each neighborhood
  • Two golf courses (Meadow Lakes Golf and Country Club, Mountain View Golf Course, and Wolf Creek under construction)
  • Better Bodies Cross Training Centre, home of Squash Yukon
  • Mount Sima, 350 m, operates 12 downhill runs from mid-December to April (two lifts, one lodge)
  • "Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre", home of the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club
  • Four outdoor tennis courts located at the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre.

Sports teams

Although there are no territorial junior league teams, the business community sponsors a number of local teams of baseball, basketball, broomball, hockey, soccer and Ultimate. High school teams are very active and partake in competitions with schools in neighboring Alaska, and a few local athletes have flourished on the Canadian sports scene. There is also a synchronized swimming team called the Northern Novas.

Military

An aerial view of Whitehorse Cadet Summer Training Centre (WCSTC)

Located just outside of downtown Whitehorse, Whitehorse Cadet Summer Training Centre (WCSTC) offers a variety of cadet based courses and activities throughout the summer. Most of these courses last 6 weeks and are mainly leadership and adventure oriented.

Historically, Whitehorse also was the location of units of the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force; the Canadian Army was the last to pull out in 1968, at the same time the armed forces were unified.

Media

Internet service, including broadband service, is available from a number of local providers, including the cable television and telephone companies. Internet rates are exceptionally costly, while the quality of service remains low. The local telephone service provider is Northwestel.

Television

Whitehorse has two local television stations, one being an ad channel and the other a community posting board, both in slideshow style format with radio in the background; also, the regional Yukon bureau of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation contributes daily to the regional pan-northern newscast that originates in Yellowknife. CBC television established a TV transmitter in Whitehorse in 1968, using the Frontier Coverage Package until Anik satellite broadcasts became available early in 1973. In addition, some local TV programs are produced for APTN.

*: The local cable system offers Vancouver's CBUFT in analog, with CBFT from Montreal offered only on digital; it is currently unknown if the channel 7 repeater is carrying CBUFT or CBFT, despite the call sign.

Whitehorse is served by a cable television company: WHTV (Northern Television Systems Ltd.), founded in 1958, but purchased by Northwestel as of 1 September 2007, carries 71 analog channels plus a digital service; Northwestel will invest and upgrade the system for HDTV late in 2007. WHTV was then renamed to "Northwestel Cable Inc." (www.tvnwt.com) As with all of Canada, direct satellite TV is available from Canada's two competing providers, Shaw Direct and Bell TV.

Radio

(CKRW simulcasts on both AM and FM transmitters.)

Print

Whitehorse has two newspapers. The Whitehorse Star, founded in 1900, progressed from a weekly to twice-weekly, three-times weekly during the 1960s and mid-1980s, ran five times per week briefly around 1980–1983, and has been published five times per week since about 1986. The Yukon News, founded in 1960 by Ken Shortt, was a weekly until 1967 when it was published five times per week for several years, and currently prints three times a week. Whitehorse also has periodicals for local special interests, such as L'Aurore boréale for the francophone community, and What's Up Yukon.

Demographics

Census Population
1941 754
1951 2,594
1961 5,031
1971 11,217
1981 14,814
1991 17,925
2001 19,058
2006 20,461

Template:Canada CP 2006

Notable residents

See also

  • Bob Smart's Dream, a 1906 poem by Robert Service that speculates about the Whitehorse of the future.

References

  1. ^ Robert G. Woodall, The Postal History of Yukon, Canada, Lawrence, MA, Quarterman, Revised edition, ©1976, ISBN0-88000-086-4, p.239
  2. ^ "The Whitehorse Interactive Traveller's Guide". pp. History->Facts->Whitehorse->The Name "Whitehorse". Retrieved 2006-07-03.
  3. ^ Weather Winners WebSite
  4. ^ Weather Winners WebSite
  5. ^ Canadian climate normals for 1971 to 2000, Environment Canada (2009). Retrieved on 2009-03-01.
  6. ^ Yukon Education Student Network - Schools
  7. ^ The Canadian Encyclopedia
  8. ^ Canada Games - Winter 2007
  9. ^ "Arctic Winter Games 2008".
  10. ^ City of Whitehorse 2007 Trail Plan
  11. ^ A one-man band’s long journey
  12. ^ Sports-Reference
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