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Grande Prairie

Grande Prairie
City
City of Grande Prairie
100 Street, looking south from 100 Avenue
100 Street, looking south from 100 Avenue
Flag of Grande Prairie
Flag
Official seal of Grande Prairie
Seal
Nickname(s): Swan City
Grande Prairie is located in Alberta
Grande Prairie
Grande Prairie
Location of Grande Prairie in Alberta
Coordinates: 55°10′15″N 118°47′41″W / 55.17083°N 118.79472°W / 55.17083; -118.79472Coordinates: 55°10′15″N 118°47′41″W / 55.17083°N 118.79472°W / 55.17083; -118.79472
Country Canada
Province Alberta
Region Northern Alberta
Census division 19
Incorporated  
 • Village April 30, 1914
 • Town March 15, 1919
 • City January 1, 1958
Government
 • Mayor Bill Given
 • Governing body
 • City Manager Robert M. Nicolay
 • MP Chris Warkentin (Conservative)
 • MLA Wayne Drysdale (Progressive Conservative), Todd Loewen (Wildrose)
Area (2016)
 • Land 132.73 km2 (51.25 sq mi)
Elevation 650 m (2,130 ft)
Population (2016)
 • Total 63,166
 • Density 475.9/km2 (1,233/sq mi)
 • Municipal census (2015) 68,556
Time zone MST (UTC−7)
 • Summer (DST) MDT (UTC−6)
Postal code span T8V to T8X
Area code(s) +1-780, +1-587
Highways Highway 43
Highway 40
Waterways Wapiti River Bear River (Bear Creek)
Website Official website

Grande Prairie is a city in northwest Alberta, Canada within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Highway 43 (part of the CANAMEX Corridor) and Highway 40 (the Bighorn Highway), approximately 456 km (283 mi) northwest of Edmonton. The city is surrounded by the County of Grande Prairie No. 1.

Grande Prairie was the seventh-largest city in Alberta in 2016 with a population of 63,166, and was one of Canada's fastest growing cities between 2001 and 2006.

The city adopted the trumpeter swan as an official symbol due to its proximity to the migration route and summer nesting grounds of this bird. For that reason, Grande Prairie is sometimes nicknamed the "Swan City". The dinosaur has emerged as an unofficial symbol of the city due to paleontology discoveries in the areas north and west of the Grande Prairie.

Grande Prairie was named for the large prairie which lies to the north, east, and west of it. In the 18th century, the prairie was occupied by bands of the Dane-zaa (Beaver) peoples, who began trading with the North West Company at Dunvegan in the early 19th century. The earliest recorded reference to the prairie was by trader Samuel Black in 1824. In 1880, a Hudson's Bay Company post called La Grande Prairie was established by George Kennedy 15 miles (24 km) northwest of the present city. In the late 19th century, the prairie was settled by Cree and Iroquois from around Jasper and Lac Ste. Anne. When 17 townships were surveyed for homesteading in 1909, a land rush soon followed, with many settlers arriving over the Edson Trail. In 1910, the Grande Prairie Townsite was sub-divided. By 1912, it included a bank, hotel, post office, and land office, making it a district metropolis. In 1916, it became the terminus of the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway from Edmonton.


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