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City Spotlight: Grande Prairie Alberta

Are you looking for work in a new city; you may want to consider Grande Prairie Alberta. In this guide we are going to introduce you to Grande Prairie, its population, climate, and economy.

Location

Grande Prairie is the main city in northwestern Alberta in western Canada. The city is located on the southern edge of Peace River County and almost on the border with British Columbia. Grande Prairie is located north of the 55th parallel and is 465 kilometers (289 miles) northwest of Edmonton. The city is bounded by farmland to the north, east, and west, and by immense boreal forest to the south. The city is on the edge of the aspen parkland which contains the northernmost area of aspen in North America which has long been altered from widespread oil and gas drilling.

Climate

Grande Prairie has a climate typical of northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. Winters in Grande Prairie are often very cold with some mild spells and the summers are typically mild throughout the day and cool at night. Hot days over 30°C (86°F) are uncommon, and only occur one to two times per year which is not unexpected for a northern Alberta climate. Winters vary from year to year.

The average temperature in Grande Prairie in January is -15°C however temperatures as low as -52°C have been recorded in previous years.

Population

Grande Prairie is one of Canada’s fastest growing cities and as of the 2006 Canadian census Grande Prairie has a total population of 47,076. Grande Prairie is Alberta’s seventh largest incorporated city and is the largest city between Edmonton, Alberta and Fairbanks, Alaska.

Economy

Grande Prairie has one of the most diverse economies in all of Alberta. Their economy covers agriculture, forestry, oil, and natural gas. There have been two major oilfield discoveries in this area with the Elmworth and Deep Basin fields which has brought substantial oil and natural gas development to the area. Major employers in Grande Prairie are Weyerhaeuser Canada Ltd., Burlington Resources, Bonus Well Servicing, Schlumberger, Devon Energy Corporation, Talisman Energy, and EnCana.

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