Uranium City

Uranium City
Northern settlement
Main Street on a foggy Day
Uranium City
Coordinates: 59°33′57″N 108°36′52″W / 59.56583°N 108.61444°W / 59.56583; -108.61444Coordinates: 59°33′57″N 108°36′52″W / 59.56583°N 108.61444°W / 59.56583; -108.61444
Country	Canada
Province	Saskatchewan
Census division	Division No. 18
Post office founded	N/A
Incorporated (village)	N/A
Incorporated (town)	N/A
Government
• Mayor	Andrew Montgrand
Area
• Total	6.25 km2 (2.41 sq mi)
Population (2016)
• Total	73
• Density	11.7/km2 (30/sq mi)
Time zone	CST (UTC−6)
Forward sortation area	S0J
Area code(s)	306
NTS Map	074N10
GNBC Code	HAISA

Uranium City is a northern settlement in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. Located on the northern shores of Lake Athabasca near the border of the Northwest Territories, it is 230 m (750 ft) above sea level. The settlement is 760 km (470 mi) northwest of Prince Albert, 760 km (470 mi) northeast of Edmonton and 48 km (30 mi) south of the Northwest Territories-Saskatchewan boundary. For census purposes, it is located within the province's Division No. 18 territory.

In 1949 athabascaite was discovered by S. Kaiman while he was researching radioactive materials around Lake Athabasca near Uranium City.

In 1952, the provincial government decided to establish a community to service the mines in the Beaverlodge uranium area developed by Eldorado Mining and Refining, a federal crown corporation. In 1954 the local newspaper, The Uranium Times, noted that 52 mines were operating and 12 open-pit mines were next to Beaverlodge Lake. Initially, most of the residences in Uranium City were simply tents.

Some of the mines operating in the area included the Gunnar Mine, the Lorado Mine, and the Fay-Ace-Verna Mine in Eldorado, Saskatchewan.

Two options were considered for communities in the region: small communities near the mine site or larger more centralized communities with adequate services. Not wanting to replicate some of the problems associated with small mining towns at the time in Northern Ontario, the government pushed for the second option and modelled Uranium City after the community of Arvida, Quebec.