Gander, Newfoundland
| Gander | |||
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| Town | |||
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| Motto: "Volet Gander" (Latin) "May Gander soar" |
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 Gander
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| Coordinates: 48°57′25″N 54°36′32″W / 48.95694°N 54.60889°W | |||
| Country |
 Canada
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| Province |
 Newfoundland and Labrador
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| Census division | Division No. 6, Newfoundland and Labrador | ||
| Settled | 1936 | ||
| Incorporated | 1958 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Gander Town Council | ||
| • Mayor | Claude Elliott | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 104.25 km2 (40.25 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 128 m (420 ft) | ||
| Population (2016) | |||
| • Total | 11,688 | ||
| • Density | 112.1/km2 (290/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | Newfoundland Time (UTC-3:30) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Newfoundland Daylight (UTC-2:30) | ||
| Postal code span | A1V | ||
| Area code(s) | 709 | ||
| Highways | Route 1, Route 330 | ||
| Website | Town of Gander (official site) | ||
Gander is a town located in the northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Gander Bay, 100 km (62 mi) south of Twillingate and 90 km (56 mi) east of Grand Falls-Windsor. Located on the northeastern shore of Gander Lake, it is the site of Gander International Airport, once a key important refuelling stop for transatlantic aircraft, and still a preferred emergency landing point for aircraft facing on-board medical or security issues.
Most of the streets in Gander are named after famous aviators, including Alcock and Brown, Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, Eddie Rickenbacker, Marc Garneau and Chuck Yeager.
Gander was chosen for the construction of an airport in 1935 because of its location close to the northeast tip of the North American continent. In 1936, construction of the base began, and the town started to develop. On January 11, 1938, Captain Douglas Fraser made the first landing at "Newfoundland Airport", now known as Gander International Airport, or "CYQX", in a single-engine biplane, Fox Moth VO-ADE.
During the Second World War, as many as 10,000 Canadian, British and American military personnel resided in Gander. The area became a strategic post for the Royal Air Force Air Ferry Command, with approximately 20,000 American- and Canadian-built fighters and bombers stopping at Gander en route to Europe. After the war, the airbase became a civilian airport, and the location of the town was moved a safe distance from the runways. Construction of the present town site began in the 1950s, and the present municipality was incorporated in 1958; the settlement around the airport was eventually abandoned.
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Wikipedia