Fort McKay
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Fort McKay Fort MacKay |
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| Hamlet | |
Aerial view of Fort McKay
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 Fort McKay
Location of Fort McKay in Alberta
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| Coordinates: 57°11′12″N 111°38′12″W / 57.18676°N 111.63676°WCoordinates: 57°11′12″N 111°38′12″W / 57.18676°N 111.63676°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Census division | No. 16 |
| Specialized municipality | RM of Wood Buffalo |
| Established | 1820 |
| Named | 1912 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Don Scott |
| • Governing body |
Wood Buffalo Municipal Council
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| Area | |
| • Total | 9.53 km2 (3.68 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 260 m (850 ft) |
| Population (2016) | |
| • Total | 742 |
| • Density | 77.9/km2 (202/sq mi) |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| Postal code span | T0P |
| Area code(s) | 780, 587, 825 |
| Highways | Highway 63 |
| Waterways | Athabasca River |
| Website | RM of Wood Buffalo |
Fort McKay (/məˈkaɪ/ mə-KEYE) or Fort MacKay is a community in northeast Alberta, Canada that is located at the confluence of the Athabasca and MacKay rivers. It is approximately 54 km (34 mi) north of Fort McMurray via Highway 63 and Fort McKay Road. The community has an elevation of 260 m (850 ft).
The majority of the community is situated on lands of the Fort McKay First Nation (FMFN). The smaller portion of the community, known as Fort MacKay before 2018, is located adjacent to the FMFN lands to the south within the Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo. The portion of the community within the RM of Wood Buffalo is designated as a hamlet.
The community was named in 1912 after Dr. Williams Morrison MacKay, the first president of the Northern Alberta Medical Association. The community's name is spelled Fort McKay by the Fort McKay First Nation. In August 2012, the Fort McKay Métis Community requested the RM of Wood Buffalo to change the name of the hamlet to Fort McKay. The change was recognized by the RM on January 22, 2018.
Fort McKay hosted 5000 evacuees from the 2016 Fort McMurray Wildfire but itself was put under an evacuation notice due to the northward advance of the flames toward the community.
Fort McKay has a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc). and falls into the NRC Plant Hardiness Zone 3a. Summers are mild and short, and winters can be long and cold.
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