Prince George, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Prince George, with a population of 71,030 (census agglomeration of 83,225), is the largest city in northern British Columbia
, Canada
, and is known as "BC's Northern Capital". Situated at the confluence of the Fraser
and Nechako
Rivers, and the crossroads of Highway 16 and Highway 97, the city plays an important role in the province's economy and culture.
fur trading post of Fort George, which was established in 1807 by Simon Fraser
and named in honour of King George III. The post was centred in the centuries-old homeland of the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation
, whose very name means "people of the confluence of the two rivers".
Throughout the 19th century Fort George remained unchanged, while Fort St. James
reigned as the main trading post and capital of the New Caledonia
area. Even during the Cariboo Gold Rush
, Fort George was isolated, although Quesnel
prospered as the Cariboo Road
was built to its doorstep, making it the main staging area for the miners going to the goldfields at Barkerville. Then, when the Collins Overland Telegraph Trail
was built in 1865-67, it bypassed Fort George, following the Blackwater Trail from Quesnel and continuing northwest towards Hazelton
.
(later CN Rail) would pass near the fur post. In 1906, agricultural settlement began around Fort George and then in 1909, development of the town began as two rival land speculation companies built the communities of South Fort George
and Central Fort George. South Fort George was built on the Fraser River near the Hudson's Bay Company
’s trading post and Central Fort George was built two miles (3 km) to the northwest on the Nechako River. Both communities flourished due to the marketing strategies of the land promoter for Central Fort George, George Hammond, who advertised the community all over Canada and Britain
, describing Fort George in glowing terms as being the future hub of British Columbia, having mild winters and being suitable for any agricultural endeavor (except for the growing of peaches). Ten paddle steamer
sternwheelers serviced the area, coming up on the Fraser River from Soda Creek
.
Properties were sold in both of the main townsites and many others nearby, such as Birmingham, Fort Salmon, Nechako Heights and Willow City. By 1913, South and Central Fort George each had a population of 1500 and were booming as thousands of rail construction workers came to town for supplies and entertainment. Both communities believed that the Grand Trunk Pacific station and townsite would be built in their town, and both were disappointed when the railway purchased the 1366 acres (5.5 km²) of land in between them from the Lhiedli T'enneh instead, even though Charles Vance Millar
, then the owner of the BC Express Company, was well into negotiations to purchase that property himself. The railway compensated Millar by giving him 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of the property and, by 1914, when the railway was completed, there were four major communities in Fort George: South, Central, Millar Addition
and the railway's townsite, Prince George, where the station was built. And, although George Hammond fought a series of bitter legal battles for a station for Central and for the right to incorporate, the railway won in the end and the City of Prince George was incorporated on 6 March 1915. The actual history of where the city's name is derived from is under dispute, but it is likely that the most obvious name of Fort George wasn't chosen because the Grand Trunk Pacific wanted to take credence away from the two rival townsites. Prince George could simply have been named after the ruling King George V
or for Prince George, Duke of Kent
the fourth son of King George V.
With the onset of the Great War in 1914, the local economy was devastated as many local men enlisted and the construction of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway was halted, creating a massive drop in population, a problem that was exacerbated by the ensuing Spanish Flu
epidemic of 1918. Prince George persevered through the 1920s and the Great Depression
of the 1930s and did not experience any significant growth until World War II
when an army camp for 6,000 soldiers was built at the foot of Cranbrook Hill, bringing new life to the struggling businesses and service industries. After the war, as the ravaged European cities rebuilt, the demand for lumber skyrocketed and Prince George, with its abundance of sawmill
s and spruce trees, prospered. Finally, in 1952, after 40 years of construction, the Pacific Great Eastern was completed and joined with the CN line at Prince George, and with the completion of Highways 16 and 97, Prince George finally fulfilled George Hammond’s long ago promise of being the hub of British Columbia.
, Prince George Pulp and Paper was built, followed by two more in 1966, Northwood Pulp and Intercontinental Pulp. New schools and more housing were needed and the new subdivisions of Spruceland, Lakewood, Perry and Highglen were built. Then, in 1975, Prince George amalgamated and extended its borders to include the Hart area to the north, Pineview to the south and the old town of South Fort George to the east. In 1981, Prince George was the second largest city in British Columbia with a population of 67,559, narrowly edging Victoria
out of the honor, whose population was then 64,379.
Due to its low-lying location at a confluence of rivers that can freeze, Prince George has suffered flooding on many occasions.
In late 2007 an ice jam formed on the Nechako River and soon grew to a length of more than 6 kilometres, causing widespread flooding in the city. Faster runoff due to devastation of nearby lodgepole pine
forests by the mountain pine beetle
was identified as a contributing factor. A state of emergency was declared on December 11. On January 14, 2008, with the ice jam still present, the Provincial Emergency Program approved an unprecedented plan to melt the ice by piping water from a pulp mill steam plant 2.7 km to the jam area where it would be mixed with well water and poured into the river at a temperature of 15 °C. In the interim an amphibious excavator was used for 10 days to move some of the ice.
Costing C$
400,000 to build and C$
3,000 per day to run, the "Warm Water System" was completed on January 29, by which time the ice jam had grown to 25 km long.
Prince George is located in the Fraser-Fort George Regional District
near the transition between the northern and southern portions of the Rocky Mountain Trench
. Prince George proper contains several areas: South Fort George, the Hart, the residential and light industrial neighbourhoods north of the Nechako River
; College Heights, the western part of the city used mostly for residence, and the Bowl, the valley that includes most of the city and the downtown. There are also a number of outlying areas that are also part of Prince George. Prince George encompasses two provincial electoral districts: Prince George-Mackenzie
and Prince George-Valemount
. Prior to 2008, these ridings were Prince George North
and Prince George-Mount Robson
. The cutbanks of the Nechako River are one of Prince George's many interesting geological features.
Local wild edible fruit include bunchberries, rose hips, blueberries, huckleberries, cranberries, chokecherries, strawberries, raspberries, saskatoons, currants, gooseberries, and soapberries (from which "Indian ice-cream
" is made). Morel mushrooms are also native to this area.
(Koppen climate classification
Dfb), but with winters that are milder than what the latitude and elevation may suggest: the January average is -9.6 C, and there are an average of 38 days from December to February where the high reaches or surpasses freezing. Winter months in which Pacific air masses dominate may thaw on a majority of days, as in January 2006 when the mean daily maximum temperature was 1.5 °C (35 °F). On the other hand, Arctic air masses can settle over the city for weeks at a time; in a rare case like January 1950, the temperature can stay well below freezing over a whole calendar month. Summer days are warm, with a July high of 22.1 °C (72 °F), but lows are often cool, with monthly lows averaging below 10 °C (50 °F). The transitions between winter and summer, however, are short. There is some precipitation year-round, but February through April is the driest period. Snow averages 216 centimetres (85 in) each year, sometimes, but not always, falling in May and October, rarely later or earlier, respectively, than that.
More people die in Prince George every year due to diseases associated with air pollutants than any other community in the province, according to data gathered by two B.C. physicians.
As many as 81 deaths each year in Prince George may be attributed to fine particulate exposure in the air.
According to the 2001 Canadian census
, there were 72,406 people living in 27,605 households within the city. Of these households, 23% were one-person households, below the 27% average provincewide, and 31% married couples with children, above the 26% average. Prince George had a smaller proportion of married couples than the province, 47% compared to 51%, but very similar persons per households. With 90% of Prince George residents being Canadian-born, and 87% with an English-only mother tongue, the city has few visible minorities. However, 10% identified themselves as Aboriginal, much higher than the 4% provincewide. Only 14% of residents between 20 and 64 years of age completed university, almost half the provincial average, and 22% did not complete high school, similar to the 19% provincial average.
In 2005, with a budget of $15,524,482 ($201 per capita) the 121 officer Prince George Royal Canadian Mounted Police
municipal detachment reported 13,800 Criminal Code of Canada
offenses. This translated into a crime rate of 179 Criminal Code offenses per 1,000 people, up from the previous year's rate of 177, and much higher than the provincial average rate of 125. In 2005, on the per 1,000 people basis, the city had higher crime rates compared to the provincial averages on all criminal code offenses except impaired driving (2.9 city, 3.1 provincially), theft from motor vehicles (17.1 city, 17.3 provincially), cannabis-related (3.3 city, 3.8 provincially), and business break and enters ( 3.45 city, 3.96 provincially). The city had slightly higher but comparable levels on all other offenses except arson (2.1 city, 0.7 provincially), motor vehicle thefts (12.1 city, 8.2 provincially), non-sexual assaults (17.6 city, 10.1 provincially), and shoplifting (8.5 city, 4.6 provincially). Prince George has been plagued with gang problems for a while and has had a steady rise in crime rate. Prince George was declared Canada's most dangerous City October 14, 2010 and declared the 4th in the country around 2007 by the Macleans Magazine.
Education is another key dominant part of this city. With the University of Northern British Columbia
, the College of New Caledonia
and School District #57, education adds more than $780 million into the local economy annually.
Forestry
dominated the local economy throughout the 20th century, including plywood
manufacture, numerous sawmills and three pulp mills as major employers and customers. The Mountain pine beetle
epidemic of the late 1980s and 1990s resulted in a short term boom in the forest industry as companies rushed to cut dead standing trees before the trees lost value. Sawmill closures and the creation of 'supermills' is already being seen in the area and more closures are expected.
Mining exploration and development may become the future of Prince George. Initiatives Prince George estimates that the Nechako Basin contains over 5000000 barrels (794,936,475 l) of oil.
Other industry includes two chemical plants, an oil refinery, brewery
, dairy
, machine shops, aluminum boat building, log home construction, value added forestry product and specialty equipment manufacturing. Prince George is also a staging centre for mining and prospecting, and a major regional transportation, trade and government hub. Several major retailers are expanding into the Prince George market, a trend expected to persist. In recent years, several market research call centre
s have opened in Prince George.
Heritage, College Heights, Hart Highlands and St. Lawrence Heights are prime residential areas, both commercial and residential development are growing at an accelerated rate and more subdivisions are planned for St. Lawrence Heights, West Cranbrook Hill and East Austin Road.
system encompasses 37 elementary, eight secondary, two junior secondary, and eight private schools. The public schools are all part of School District 57 Prince George
. It is also home to a public Francophone elementary and secondary school, both of which are part of School District 93 Conseil scolaire francophone
, a province wide Francophone school district. Post-secondary education choices include the regional College of New Caledonia
(CNC), which offers two-year university courses plus vocational and professional programs. Several BC universities, British Columbia Institute of Technology
(BCIT) and the Open Learning Agency
have integrated their local programs with CNC.
The University of Northern British Columbia
(UNBC) is the second newest university to be built in Canada in over 25 years. A total of 55 undergraduate programs, 15 masters programs and two PhD programs are now offered at UNBC as well as the new Northern Medical Program,
a joint program with the University of British Columbia intended to alleviate the shortage of physicians in the north. A degree-granting institution with regional teaching centres in nine BC communities and a sponsor for several research institutes, UNBC has recently completed the construction of the I.K. Barber Enhanced Forestry Lab. UNBC's hilltop campus overlooks the City of Prince George and offers spectacular views of the Rocky Mountains to the east. In 2005 and 2006, UNBC was ranked by Maclean's Magazine as being the best small university in Western Canada.
The College of New Caledonia
(CNC) is a post-secondary educational institution that serves the residents of central British Columbia. It was established in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada in 1969, and has since expanded across central British Columbia, with campuses in Quesnel, Mackenzie, Burns Lake, Valemount, Fort St. James, Fraser Lake and Vanderhoof. CNC enrolls about 5,000 students each year in approximately 90 distinct programs in business and management, community and continuing education, health sciences, adult basic education / upgrading, trades and industry, social services, and technologies. About 75 of these programs are available at CNC Prince George. As well, CNC offers university classes leading to degrees and professional programs in more than 50 subjects, with excellent transferability to universities in BC, Alberta, and elsewhere. All university classes are available at CNC Prince George, and many are available at other campuses.
Prince George's teams include the Prince George Cougars
of the Western Hockey League
(WHL), the Prince George Spruce Kings
of the British Columbia Hockey League
(BCHL), Youth Bowling Club (YBC) bowling teams (Nechako Bowling, 5th Avenue, and also a ten pin team), and Prince George Curling (Prince George Golf and Curling Club). Recently, the Duchess Park Secondary School Senior boys basketball team won the provincial AA title for the first time in 26 years.
The Spruce Kings hosted the RBC Royal Bank Cup May 5–13, 2007.
Prince George has been home to several NHLers including Murray Baron
, Dan Hamhuis
, Devin Setoguchi
,, Turner Stevenson
and Darcy Rota
. Eric Brewer and Zdeno Chara
were teammates on the Cougars in 1995 and 1996.
Prince George Citizen Field opened in the spring of 2006. The baseball facility has established itself as one of the most unusual diamonds in British Columbia.
Recreation facilities include 116 playgrounds and parks, baseball, soccer and lacrosse fields, eight golf courses, plus tennis courts, ice rinks and roller rinks, a new modern Aquatic Centre as well as an older swimming pool and the CN Centre
, which is a 5,995-seat multi-purpose arena. For hikers there is an 11 kilometer riverfront system of urban hiking trails called the Heritage Trails. Four provincial parks in the region provide downhill, cross-country and heli-skiing.
Parks include Fort George Park, Paddlewheel Park
, Rainbow Park, Connaught Hill, Foot Park, L.C. Gunn Park, Ginter's Property, Eskers Park, Forests for the World
, and Cottonwood Island Park. North of Prince George is the Huble Homestead and Giscome Portage
. The Otway Nordic Centre, operated by the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club, is home to one of the largest Nordic ski clubs in the province, and boasts more than 40 km of groomed trails (5 km of lit trails for evening skiing), a biathlon range, and a 1400 sq ft (130.1 m²). day lodge.
The Caledonia Ramblers Hiking Club offers weekly hikes in the city and surrounding countryside from May to October, as well as snowshoeing in the winter months; while the Prince George Section of the Alpine Club of Canada offers year-round hiking, scrambling, climbing, skiing and ice-climbing trips in the nearby Cariboo and Rocky Mountains and local crags. The Prince George Backcountry Recreation Society is an umbrella organization representing these and several other Prince George outdoor clubs.
For race fans, the Prince George Auto Racing Association (PGARA) offers a variety of racing events at the PGARA Speedway including the locally famous hit-to-pass races.
Prince George offers a Pride Centre for all LGBTQ and ally members in Prince George and the greater north. Located at the University of Northern British Columbia, the PC, an organization under the Northern Pride Centre Society, offers a safe space, resources, and support.
Prince George offers several nightclubs, sports bars, pubs and fine dining facilities.
The Treasure Cove Hotel and Casino is located at the junction of Highways 16 and 97.
Moviegoers can choose between the Famous Players six-plex or the Park Drive-in Theatre, which also offers mini-golf facilities and a go-kart track. As well, 'Cinema CNC' hosts two arts cinema series each year in the fall and winter, as well as a moving pictures film festival of Canadian films each February.
The official mascot of Prince George is Mr. P. G., an anthropomorphic
assortment of logs who greets newcomers to the city at the intersection of Highways 97 and 16. Mr. P.G. was one of five roadside attractions featured on the first series of the Canadian Roadside Attractions Series issued by Canada Post stamps
on July 6, 2009.
In 1960, the first Mr. PG was constructed as a symbol of the importance of the forest industry to Prince George. It was originally 40’ tall and made of spruce wood. The mascot was built to ride on a float in the Pacific National Exhibition parade in Vancouver, and was the prizewinner for best float. On the parade float, Mr. PG was hinged so it could bend down when the float encountered high wires. It could also speak. In between appearances, Mr. PG was kept on display at The Chamber of Commerce building and was later moved to the Tourist Information Centre.
In 1983, Mr. PG began to deteriorate and rot, and in the summer of 1983, a reconstructed Mr. PG was erected. The new Mr. PG had a yellow hardhat and a time capsule filled with memorabilia representing Prince George in 1983 in its chest.
Mr. PG is 8.138 meters high, his head is 1.5 metres in diameter. The statue is constructed of fiberglass and sheet metal painted to look like wood.
A 2005 cultural project that involved Prince George had 'Spirit Bears' placed throughout various locations around the city. The 'Spirit Bear' is a fiberglass statue of a bear that has various sceneries painted on it.
, west to Prince Rupert, east to Edmonton
, Alberta
and north to Fort St. John
.
There is an inland port
to Prince Rupert
in Prince George which is served by CN Rail.
Prince George Airport
, located 7 km (4.3 mi) from the city centre, is an airport with customs facilities. The primary air connection to the rest of the world is provided by multiple daily flights to Vancouver
on Air Canada
and Westjet
. Westjet's service also includes a weekly direct flight to Puerto Vallarta
, Mexico during the winter months. Central Mountain Air
and Northern Thunderbird fly to regional and smaller centres. Horizon Air
provided daily service to Seattle
for a few months in 2008, but the service no longer exists as of 2009. Charter services provide flights to outlying areas primarily by float plane though helicopter service is also available. An expansion study to allow the airport to handle 747s is currently underway .
CNR
freight lines operate out of Prince George as well as Via Rail
passenger service; the Jasper – Prince Rupert train overnights at the Prince George railway station
.
Local public transportation consists of the PG Transit bus service.
West of Prince George is Vanderhoof (95), Fraser Lake (154), Burns Lake (223), Terrace, British Columbia
(573), and Prince Rupert (717). East of Prince George is McBride
(206), Jasper
, and Edmonton
. North of Prince George is Mackenzie
(183), and Dawson Creek (403). And south of the city is Quesnel
(117), Williams Lake
(238), and Vancouver
(804).
elections every three years. Dan Rogers was elected mayor in November 2008, after Colin Kinsley, who had been mayor since 1997, decided to retire. Rogers, who had been a perennial top vote-getter in the races for council seats, narrowly lost to Kinsley in the 2005 race.
Prince George holds four of the fourteen seats at the Regional District of Fraser - Fort George
. School District 57, which includes not only the city of Prince George but a large, sparsely populated area to the East and North, is governed by seven elected school trustees.
Prince George is divided into three different provincial electoral districts: Prince George-Mount Robson
represented by Shirley Bond
, Prince George North
represented by Pat Bell
, and Prince George-Omineca
represented by John Rustad
. All three Members
of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
belong to the British Columbia Liberal Party
with Rustad first being elected in 2005
and Bond and Bell in 2001
. Bond has been serving as the Deputy Premier of British Columbia since 2004 and the Minister of Education since 2005, while Bell has been serving as the Minister of Agriculture and Lands since 2005.
Federally, Prince George is divided between the Cariboo—Prince George
and Prince George—Peace River
ridings. They are represented in the Canadian House of Commons
by Conservative Party
Members of Parliament Dick Harris
and Jay Hill
. Harris and Hill were both first elected in 1993
. Harris defeated the New Democratic Party
incumbent Brian Gardiner in the Prince George—Bulkley Valley
riding. Hill succeeded Frank Oberle
who held his riding since 1972 for the Progressive Conservative Party
and served as the Minister of Science and Technology and the Minister of Forestry.
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and is known as "BC's Northern Capital". Situated at the confluence of the Fraser
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
and Nechako
Nechako River
The Nechako River arises on the Nechako Plateau east of the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia and flows north toward Fort Fraser, then east to Prince George where it enters the Fraser River...
Rivers, and the crossroads of Highway 16 and Highway 97, the city plays an important role in the province's economy and culture.
History
The origins of Prince George can be traced to the North West CompanyNorth West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
fur trading post of Fort George, which was established in 1807 by Simon Fraser
Simon Fraser (explorer)
Simon Fraser was a fur trader and an explorer who charted much of what is now the Canadian province of British Columbia. Fraser was employed by the Montreal-based North West Company. By 1805, he had been put in charge of all the company's operations west of the Rocky Mountains...
and named in honour of King George III. The post was centred in the centuries-old homeland of the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
, whose very name means "people of the confluence of the two rivers".
1800s
Fort St. James, British Columbia
Fort St. James is a district municipality and former fur trading post in north-central British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the south-eastern shore of Stuart Lake in the Omineca Country, at the northern terminus of Highway 27, which connects to Highway 16 at Vanderhoof...
reigned as the main trading post and capital of the New Caledonia
New Caledonia (Canada)
New Caledonia was the name given to a district of the Hudson's Bay Company that comprised the territory largely coterminous with the present-day province of British Columbia, Canada. Though not a British colony, New Caledonia was part of the British claim to North America. Its administrative...
area. Even during the Cariboo Gold Rush
Cariboo Gold Rush
The Cariboo Gold Rush was a gold rush in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Although the first gold discovery was made in 1859 at Horsefly Creek, followed by more strikes at Keithley Creek and Antler Horns lake in 1860, the actual rush did not begin until 1861, when these discoveries were...
, Fort George was isolated, although Quesnel
Quesnel, British Columbia
-Demographics:Quesnel had a population of 9,326 people in 2006, which was a decrease of 7.1% from the 2001 census count. The median household income in 2005 for Quesnel was $54,044, which is slightly above the British Columbia provincial average of $52,709....
prospered as the Cariboo Road
Cariboo Road
The Cariboo Road was a project initiated in 1860 by the colonial Governor of British Columbia, James Douglas...
was built to its doorstep, making it the main staging area for the miners going to the goldfields at Barkerville. Then, when the Collins Overland Telegraph Trail
Russian American Telegraph
The Russian–American Telegraph, also known as the Western Union Telegraph Expedition and the Collins Overland Telegraph, was a $3,000,000 undertaking by the Western Union Telegraph Company in 1865-1867, to lay an electric telegraph line from San Francisco, California to Moscow, Russia.The route was...
was built in 1865-67, it bypassed Fort George, following the Blackwater Trail from Quesnel and continuing northwest towards Hazelton
Hazelton, British Columbia
Hazelton is a small town located at the junction of the Bulkley and Skeena Rivers in northern British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1866 and has a population of 293...
.
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
Finally in 1903, Fort George's fortune began to change when it was announced that the Grand Trunk Pacific RailwayGrand Trunk Pacific Railway
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historical Canadian railway.A wholly owned subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway , the GTPR was constructed by GTR using loans provided by the Government of Canada. The company was formed in 1903 with a mandate to build west from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the...
(later CN Rail) would pass near the fur post. In 1906, agricultural settlement began around Fort George and then in 1909, development of the town began as two rival land speculation companies built the communities of South Fort George
South Fort George
South Fort George is a suburb of Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.Before the arrival of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1914, the Prince George area was known as Fort George and was a Lheidli T'enneh village and Hudson's Bay Company store....
and Central Fort George. South Fort George was built on the Fraser River near the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
’s trading post and Central Fort George was built two miles (3 km) to the northwest on the Nechako River. Both communities flourished due to the marketing strategies of the land promoter for Central Fort George, George Hammond, who advertised the community all over Canada and Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, describing Fort George in glowing terms as being the future hub of British Columbia, having mild winters and being suitable for any agricultural endeavor (except for the growing of peaches). Ten paddle steamer
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
sternwheelers serviced the area, coming up on the Fraser River from Soda Creek
Soda Creek
Soda Creek is a rural subdivision 38 km north of Williams Lakein British Columbia, Canada. Located on the east bank of the Fraser River, Soda Creek was originally the home of the Xat'sull First Nation. Soda Creek Indian Reserve No. 1 is located on the left bank of the Fraser River, one mile...
.
Charles Vance Millar
Charles Vance Millar was a Canadian lawyer and financier. However, he is now best known for his penchant for practical jokes and his unusual will which reflected that sense of humor.-Early years:...
, then the owner of the BC Express Company, was well into negotiations to purchase that property himself. The railway compensated Millar by giving him 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of the property and, by 1914, when the railway was completed, there were four major communities in Fort George: South, Central, Millar Addition
Millar Addition
The Millar Addition is a suburb of Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. It is named in honor of its developer, Charles Vance Millar, who later became famous for leaving behind the most notorious will in Canadian history, which was the catalyst for the Stork Derby.-History:When the construction...
and the railway's townsite, Prince George, where the station was built. And, although George Hammond fought a series of bitter legal battles for a station for Central and for the right to incorporate, the railway won in the end and the City of Prince George was incorporated on 6 March 1915. The actual history of where the city's name is derived from is under dispute, but it is likely that the most obvious name of Fort George wasn't chosen because the Grand Trunk Pacific wanted to take credence away from the two rival townsites. Prince George could simply have been named after the ruling King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
or for Prince George, Duke of Kent
Prince George, Duke of Kent
Prince George, Duke of Kent was a member of the British Royal Family, the fourth son of George V and Mary of Teck, and younger brother of Edward VIII and George VI...
the fourth son of King George V.
War years
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
epidemic of 1918. Prince George persevered through the 1920s and the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the 1930s and did not experience any significant growth until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when an army camp for 6,000 soldiers was built at the foot of Cranbrook Hill, bringing new life to the struggling businesses and service industries. After the war, as the ravaged European cities rebuilt, the demand for lumber skyrocketed and Prince George, with its abundance of sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s and spruce trees, prospered. Finally, in 1952, after 40 years of construction, the Pacific Great Eastern was completed and joined with the CN line at Prince George, and with the completion of Highways 16 and 97, Prince George finally fulfilled George Hammond’s long ago promise of being the hub of British Columbia.
Modern history
In 1964 the first pulp millPulp mill
A pulp mill is a manufacturing facility that converts wood chips or other plant fibre source into a thick fibre board which can be shipped to a paper mill for further processing. Pulp can be manufactured using mechanical, semi-chemical or fully chemical methods...
, Prince George Pulp and Paper was built, followed by two more in 1966, Northwood Pulp and Intercontinental Pulp. New schools and more housing were needed and the new subdivisions of Spruceland, Lakewood, Perry and Highglen were built. Then, in 1975, Prince George amalgamated and extended its borders to include the Hart area to the north, Pineview to the south and the old town of South Fort George to the east. In 1981, Prince George was the second largest city in British Columbia with a population of 67,559, narrowly edging Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
out of the honor, whose population was then 64,379.
Due to its low-lying location at a confluence of rivers that can freeze, Prince George has suffered flooding on many occasions.
In late 2007 an ice jam formed on the Nechako River and soon grew to a length of more than 6 kilometres, causing widespread flooding in the city. Faster runoff due to devastation of nearby lodgepole pine
Lodgepole Pine
Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta, also known as Shore Pine, is a common tree in western North America. Like all pines, it is evergreen.-Subspecies:...
forests by the mountain pine beetle
Mountain pine beetle
The mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae, is a species of bark beetle native to the forests of western North America from Mexico to central British Columbia. It has a hard black exoskeleton, and measures about 5 millimeters, about the size of a grain of rice.Mountain pine beetles inhabit...
was identified as a contributing factor. A state of emergency was declared on December 11. On January 14, 2008, with the ice jam still present, the Provincial Emergency Program approved an unprecedented plan to melt the ice by piping water from a pulp mill steam plant 2.7 km to the jam area where it would be mixed with well water and poured into the river at a temperature of 15 °C. In the interim an amphibious excavator was used for 10 days to move some of the ice.
Costing C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
400,000 to build and C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
3,000 per day to run, the "Warm Water System" was completed on January 29, by which time the ice jam had grown to 25 km long.
Geography
Fraser-Fort George Regional District, British Columbia
The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George is a regional district located in the Central Interior of British Columbia. It is bounded by the Alberta border to the east, the Columbia-Shuswap and Thompson-Nicola Regional Districts to the south/southeast, Cariboo Regional District to the southwest,...
near the transition between the northern and southern portions of the Rocky Mountain Trench
Rocky Mountain Trench
The Rocky Mountain Trench, or the Trench or The Valley of a Thousand Peaks, is a large valley in the northern part of the Rocky Mountains. It is both visually and cartographically a striking physiographic feature extending approximately from Flathead Lake, Montana, to the Liard River, just south...
. Prince George proper contains several areas: South Fort George, the Hart, the residential and light industrial neighbourhoods north of the Nechako River
Nechako River
The Nechako River arises on the Nechako Plateau east of the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia and flows north toward Fort Fraser, then east to Prince George where it enters the Fraser River...
; College Heights, the western part of the city used mostly for residence, and the Bowl, the valley that includes most of the city and the downtown. There are also a number of outlying areas that are also part of Prince George. Prince George encompasses two provincial electoral districts: Prince George-Mackenzie
Prince George-Mackenzie
Prince George-Mackenzie is a provincial electoral district in British Columbia, Canada established by the Electoral Districts Act, 2008. It came into effect upon the dissolution of the BC Legislature in April 2009, and was first contested in the 2009 provincial election...
and Prince George-Valemount
Prince George-Valemount
Prince George-Valemount is a provincial electoral district in British Columbia, Canada established by the Electoral Districts Act, 2008. It came into effect upon the dissolution of the BC Legislature in April 2009, and was first contested in the 2009 provincial election...
. Prior to 2008, these ridings were Prince George North
Prince George North
Prince George North was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada from 1979 to 2009.- Demographics :- History :*John Heinrich, Social Credit *Lois Boone, NDP...
and Prince George-Mount Robson
Prince George-Mount Robson
Prince George-Mount Robson was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada from 1991 to 2009.- Member of Legislative Assembly :...
. The cutbanks of the Nechako River are one of Prince George's many interesting geological features.
Local wild edible fruit include bunchberries, rose hips, blueberries, huckleberries, cranberries, chokecherries, strawberries, raspberries, saskatoons, currants, gooseberries, and soapberries (from which "Indian ice-cream
Indian ice-cream
Sxusem or Indian ice-cream is a dessert made by native people throughout the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is made by crushing the saponin-containing berries of the Canada Buffaloberry . The liquid produced is mixed with equal parts of water and whipped with a whisk. This produces a...
" is made). Morel mushrooms are also native to this area.
Climate
The area has a humid continental climateHumid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....
(Koppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Dfb), but with winters that are milder than what the latitude and elevation may suggest: the January average is -9.6 C, and there are an average of 38 days from December to February where the high reaches or surpasses freezing. Winter months in which Pacific air masses dominate may thaw on a majority of days, as in January 2006 when the mean daily maximum temperature was 1.5 °C (35 °F). On the other hand, Arctic air masses can settle over the city for weeks at a time; in a rare case like January 1950, the temperature can stay well below freezing over a whole calendar month. Summer days are warm, with a July high of 22.1 °C (72 °F), but lows are often cool, with monthly lows averaging below 10 °C (50 °F). The transitions between winter and summer, however, are short. There is some precipitation year-round, but February through April is the driest period. Snow averages 216 centimetres (85 in) each year, sometimes, but not always, falling in May and October, rarely later or earlier, respectively, than that.
Water quality
Drinking water in Prince George is recognized throughout British Columbia as among the top quality drinking water in municipal systems. Samples from Prince George taps are used as a comparison for other cities because of the quality of the pristine aquifers. Adding fluoride to pristine water is a controversial issue in Prince George, especially when many communities such as Kitimat and Ft. St. John stopped adding it to their water supplies. Only three communities in B.C. still use fluoride in their water supply.Air pollution
The Prince George Airshed has many local sources of various air pollutants including several major industrial sources (pulp mills, sawmills and an oil refinery), vehicle emissions, locomotives, unpaved and paved road surfaces, vegetative burning and residential and commercial heating. Because the city and its local sources of air pollution are contained within a valley, there are often meteorological conditions that trap pollutants and result in episodes of poor air quality and unhealthy levels of air pollution exposure.More people die in Prince George every year due to diseases associated with air pollutants than any other community in the province, according to data gathered by two B.C. physicians.
As many as 81 deaths each year in Prince George may be attributed to fine particulate exposure in the air.
Demographics
| Canada 2001 Census Canada 2001 Census The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This was a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. In... |
||
| Prince George | British Columbia | |
| Median age | 33.9 years | 38.4 years |
| Under 15 years old | 21% | 18% |
| Over 65 years old | 7.6% | 14% |
| Visible minority | 6% | 21% |
| Protestant | 31% | 31% |
| Catholic | 21% | 17% |
According to the 2001 Canadian census
Canada 2001 Census
The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This was a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. In...
, there were 72,406 people living in 27,605 households within the city. Of these households, 23% were one-person households, below the 27% average provincewide, and 31% married couples with children, above the 26% average. Prince George had a smaller proportion of married couples than the province, 47% compared to 51%, but very similar persons per households. With 90% of Prince George residents being Canadian-born, and 87% with an English-only mother tongue, the city has few visible minorities. However, 10% identified themselves as Aboriginal, much higher than the 4% provincewide. Only 14% of residents between 20 and 64 years of age completed university, almost half the provincial average, and 22% did not complete high school, similar to the 19% provincial average.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
municipal detachment reported 13,800 Criminal Code of Canada
Criminal Code of Canada
The Criminal Code or Code criminel is a law that codifies most criminal offences and procedures in Canada. Its official long title is "An Act respecting the criminal law"...
offenses. This translated into a crime rate of 179 Criminal Code offenses per 1,000 people, up from the previous year's rate of 177, and much higher than the provincial average rate of 125. In 2005, on the per 1,000 people basis, the city had higher crime rates compared to the provincial averages on all criminal code offenses except impaired driving (2.9 city, 3.1 provincially), theft from motor vehicles (17.1 city, 17.3 provincially), cannabis-related (3.3 city, 3.8 provincially), and business break and enters ( 3.45 city, 3.96 provincially). The city had slightly higher but comparable levels on all other offenses except arson (2.1 city, 0.7 provincially), motor vehicle thefts (12.1 city, 8.2 provincially), non-sexual assaults (17.6 city, 10.1 provincially), and shoplifting (8.5 city, 4.6 provincially). Prince George has been plagued with gang problems for a while and has had a steady rise in crime rate. Prince George was declared Canada's most dangerous City October 14, 2010 and declared the 4th in the country around 2007 by the Macleans Magazine.
Economy
The economy of Prince George in the first decade of the 21st century has come to be dominated by service industries. The Northern Health Authority, centred in Prince George, has a $450 million annual budget and is investing more than $100 million in infrastructure over the coming years, as Prince George builds the BC Cancer Agency: Centre for the North, which will include radiation therapy facilities and associated buildings for modern cancer care.Education is another key dominant part of this city. With the University of Northern British Columbia
University of Northern British Columbia
The University of Northern British Columbia is a small, primarily undergraduate university whose main campus is in Prince George, British Columbia. UNBC also has regional campuses in the northern British Columbia cities of Prince Rupert, Terrace, Quesnel, and Fort St. John...
, the College of New Caledonia
College of New Caledonia
The College of New Caledonia is a post-secondary educational institution that serves the residents of the Central Interior of British Columbia. The college was established in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada in 1969 as a successor to the BC Vocational School. The first convocation of 37...
and School District #57, education adds more than $780 million into the local economy annually.
Forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
dominated the local economy throughout the 20th century, including plywood
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
manufacture, numerous sawmills and three pulp mills as major employers and customers. The Mountain pine beetle
Mountain pine beetle
The mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae, is a species of bark beetle native to the forests of western North America from Mexico to central British Columbia. It has a hard black exoskeleton, and measures about 5 millimeters, about the size of a grain of rice.Mountain pine beetles inhabit...
epidemic of the late 1980s and 1990s resulted in a short term boom in the forest industry as companies rushed to cut dead standing trees before the trees lost value. Sawmill closures and the creation of 'supermills' is already being seen in the area and more closures are expected.
Mining exploration and development may become the future of Prince George. Initiatives Prince George estimates that the Nechako Basin contains over 5000000 barrels (794,936,475 l) of oil.
Other industry includes two chemical plants, an oil refinery, brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
, dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
, machine shops, aluminum boat building, log home construction, value added forestry product and specialty equipment manufacturing. Prince George is also a staging centre for mining and prospecting, and a major regional transportation, trade and government hub. Several major retailers are expanding into the Prince George market, a trend expected to persist. In recent years, several market research call centre
Call centre
A call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing,...
s have opened in Prince George.
Heritage, College Heights, Hart Highlands and St. Lawrence Heights are prime residential areas, both commercial and residential development are growing at an accelerated rate and more subdivisions are planned for St. Lawrence Heights, West Cranbrook Hill and East Austin Road.
Education
Prince George's educationEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
system encompasses 37 elementary, eight secondary, two junior secondary, and eight private schools. The public schools are all part of School District 57 Prince George
School District 57 Prince George
School District 57 Prince George is a school district in central British Columbia. It covers a large area of the province around the city of Prince George. This includes communities of McBride, Valemount, and Mackenzie.-Schools:...
. It is also home to a public Francophone elementary and secondary school, both of which are part of School District 93 Conseil scolaire francophone
Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique
The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britanique is the French-language school board for all French schools located in British Columbia...
, a province wide Francophone school district. Post-secondary education choices include the regional College of New Caledonia
College of New Caledonia
The College of New Caledonia is a post-secondary educational institution that serves the residents of the Central Interior of British Columbia. The college was established in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada in 1969 as a successor to the BC Vocational School. The first convocation of 37...
(CNC), which offers two-year university courses plus vocational and professional programs. Several BC universities, British Columbia Institute of Technology
British Columbia Institute of Technology
The British Columbia Institute of Technology , is a public, coeducational, academic institution of higher education in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The polytechnic has five campuses located in the Metro Vancouver region, with the main campus in Burnaby...
(BCIT) and the Open Learning Agency
Open Learning Agency
The Open Learning Agency was a Crown Agency of the province of British Columbia, Canada.Its primary function is the management of the Knowledge, a public television station in BC, although it once played a larger role in education and a university function, before being scaled back by the BC...
have integrated their local programs with CNC.
The University of Northern British Columbia
University of Northern British Columbia
The University of Northern British Columbia is a small, primarily undergraduate university whose main campus is in Prince George, British Columbia. UNBC also has regional campuses in the northern British Columbia cities of Prince Rupert, Terrace, Quesnel, and Fort St. John...
(UNBC) is the second newest university to be built in Canada in over 25 years. A total of 55 undergraduate programs, 15 masters programs and two PhD programs are now offered at UNBC as well as the new Northern Medical Program,
a joint program with the University of British Columbia intended to alleviate the shortage of physicians in the north. A degree-granting institution with regional teaching centres in nine BC communities and a sponsor for several research institutes, UNBC has recently completed the construction of the I.K. Barber Enhanced Forestry Lab. UNBC's hilltop campus overlooks the City of Prince George and offers spectacular views of the Rocky Mountains to the east. In 2005 and 2006, UNBC was ranked by Maclean's Magazine as being the best small university in Western Canada.
The College of New Caledonia
College of New Caledonia
The College of New Caledonia is a post-secondary educational institution that serves the residents of the Central Interior of British Columbia. The college was established in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada in 1969 as a successor to the BC Vocational School. The first convocation of 37...
(CNC) is a post-secondary educational institution that serves the residents of central British Columbia. It was established in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada in 1969, and has since expanded across central British Columbia, with campuses in Quesnel, Mackenzie, Burns Lake, Valemount, Fort St. James, Fraser Lake and Vanderhoof. CNC enrolls about 5,000 students each year in approximately 90 distinct programs in business and management, community and continuing education, health sciences, adult basic education / upgrading, trades and industry, social services, and technologies. About 75 of these programs are available at CNC Prince George. As well, CNC offers university classes leading to degrees and professional programs in more than 50 subjects, with excellent transferability to universities in BC, Alberta, and elsewhere. All university classes are available at CNC Prince George, and many are available at other campuses.
Sports and recreation
| Club | Sport | League | Venue |
| Prince George Cougars Prince George Cougars The Prince George Cougars are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The team is based in Prince George, British Columbia, and plays its home games at the CN Centre... |
Ice hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... |
Western Hockey League Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada... (WHL) |
CN Centre CN Centre The CN Centre is a 5,967-seat multi-purpose arena, in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. It was designed by PBK Architects, opened in 1995 and is owned by the City of Prince George. There are 14 luxury suites... |
| Prince George Spruce Kings Prince George Spruce Kings The Prince George Spruce Kings are a Junior "A" Ice Hockey team based in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Interior Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League... |
Ice hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... |
British Columbia Hockey League British Columbia Hockey League The British Columbia Hockey League is a Junior "A" ice hockey league from British Columbia under Hockey Canada, a subsection of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Founded in Vernon in 1961, the BCHL now includes 16 teams. These teams play in two conferences, known as the Coastal and the Interior... (BCHL) |
Prince George Coliseum Prince George Coliseum The Prince George Coliseum is an indoor arena located in Prince George, British Columbia, that was built in 1958. It is located next to the Prince George Civic Centre on Dominion Street. It seats 1,800 and is home to the Prince George Spruce Kings of the British Columbia Hockey League... |
| UNBC Timberwolves | Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
British Columbia Colleges Athletic Association British Columbia Colleges Athletic Association The Pacific Western Athletic Association is a Canadian Athletics conference.-Members:* Camosun College* Capilano University* College of the Rockies* Columbia Bible College* Douglas College* Kwantlen University* Langara College* Quest University... (BCCAA) |
Northern Sports Center |
| UNBC Timberwolves | Soccer | British Columbia Colleges Athletic Association British Columbia Colleges Athletic Association The Pacific Western Athletic Association is a Canadian Athletics conference.-Members:* Camosun College* Capilano University* College of the Rockies* Columbia Bible College* Douglas College* Kwantlen University* Langara College* Quest University... (BCCAA) |
Glen Thompson fields |
| Prince George Fury Prince George Fury The Prince George Fury were a Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League team.- History :On October 14, 2009 the CMISL announced that a new expansion club will join the league in 2010 in the form of the Prince George Fury.-Year-by-Year:- Players :... |
Soccer | Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League The Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League or CMISL is a professional indoor soccer league that began full league play in January 2008. The league's president is Mel Kowalchuk... (CMISL) |
CN Centre CN Centre The CN Centre is a 5,967-seat multi-purpose arena, in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. It was designed by PBK Architects, opened in 1995 and is owned by the City of Prince George. There are 14 luxury suites... |
Prince George's teams include the Prince George Cougars
Prince George Cougars
The Prince George Cougars are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The team is based in Prince George, British Columbia, and plays its home games at the CN Centre...
of the Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
(WHL), the Prince George Spruce Kings
Prince George Spruce Kings
The Prince George Spruce Kings are a Junior "A" Ice Hockey team based in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Interior Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League...
of the British Columbia Hockey League
British Columbia Hockey League
The British Columbia Hockey League is a Junior "A" ice hockey league from British Columbia under Hockey Canada, a subsection of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Founded in Vernon in 1961, the BCHL now includes 16 teams. These teams play in two conferences, known as the Coastal and the Interior...
(BCHL), Youth Bowling Club (YBC) bowling teams (Nechako Bowling, 5th Avenue, and also a ten pin team), and Prince George Curling (Prince George Golf and Curling Club). Recently, the Duchess Park Secondary School Senior boys basketball team won the provincial AA title for the first time in 26 years.
The Spruce Kings hosted the RBC Royal Bank Cup May 5–13, 2007.
Prince George has been home to several NHLers including Murray Baron
Murray Baron
Murray McElwain Baron is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Flyers, St...
, Dan Hamhuis
Dan Hamhuis
Daniel Hamhuis is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League ....
, Devin Setoguchi
Devin Setoguchi
Devin Charlie Kenichi Setoguchi is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League . Known by the nicknames The Gooch, and Seto, Setoguchi is Half-Yonsei...
,, Turner Stevenson
Turner Stevenson
Turner Stevenson is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and Philadelphia Flyers. He won the Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 2003...
and Darcy Rota
Darcy Rota
Darcy Irwin Rota is a retired professional ice hockey player who spent eleven seasons in the National Hockey League...
. Eric Brewer and Zdeno Chara
Zdeno Chára
Zdeno Chára is a Slovak professional ice hockey defenseman. He is the captain of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and won the Norris Trophy while playing for them in 2008–09. At 6 ft 9 , he is the tallest player ever to play in the NHL...
were teammates on the Cougars in 1995 and 1996.
Prince George Citizen Field opened in the spring of 2006. The baseball facility has established itself as one of the most unusual diamonds in British Columbia.
Recreation facilities include 116 playgrounds and parks, baseball, soccer and lacrosse fields, eight golf courses, plus tennis courts, ice rinks and roller rinks, a new modern Aquatic Centre as well as an older swimming pool and the CN Centre
CN Centre
The CN Centre is a 5,967-seat multi-purpose arena, in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. It was designed by PBK Architects, opened in 1995 and is owned by the City of Prince George. There are 14 luxury suites...
, which is a 5,995-seat multi-purpose arena. For hikers there is an 11 kilometer riverfront system of urban hiking trails called the Heritage Trails. Four provincial parks in the region provide downhill, cross-country and heli-skiing.
Parks include Fort George Park, Paddlewheel Park
Paddlewheel Park
Paddlewheel Park is a small city park on the Fraser River in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.The park was built in honor of the upper Fraser River sternwheelers that landed there from 1909 until 1921....
, Rainbow Park, Connaught Hill, Foot Park, L.C. Gunn Park, Ginter's Property, Eskers Park, Forests for the World
Forests for the World
Forests for the World is a park located in Prince George, British Columbia. It has over of multi-use trails which pass both Small Reflection Lake and Shane Lake. Facilities include firepits, picnic tables, and a look-out tower.-External links:...
, and Cottonwood Island Park. North of Prince George is the Huble Homestead and Giscome Portage
Giscome Portage
The Giscome Portage was a portage between the Fraser River and Summit Lake in British Columbia, Canada. The south end of the portage is now the location of a heritage site, the Huble Homestead, which is located on the Fraser River, 40 km north of Prince George and 6 km off Highway...
. The Otway Nordic Centre, operated by the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club, is home to one of the largest Nordic ski clubs in the province, and boasts more than 40 km of groomed trails (5 km of lit trails for evening skiing), a biathlon range, and a 1400 sq ft (130.1 m²). day lodge.
The Caledonia Ramblers Hiking Club offers weekly hikes in the city and surrounding countryside from May to October, as well as snowshoeing in the winter months; while the Prince George Section of the Alpine Club of Canada offers year-round hiking, scrambling, climbing, skiing and ice-climbing trips in the nearby Cariboo and Rocky Mountains and local crags. The Prince George Backcountry Recreation Society is an umbrella organization representing these and several other Prince George outdoor clubs.
For race fans, the Prince George Auto Racing Association (PGARA) offers a variety of racing events at the PGARA Speedway including the locally famous hit-to-pass races.
Prince George offers a Pride Centre for all LGBTQ and ally members in Prince George and the greater north. Located at the University of Northern British Columbia, the PC, an organization under the Northern Pride Centre Society, offers a safe space, resources, and support.
Prince George offers several nightclubs, sports bars, pubs and fine dining facilities.
The Treasure Cove Hotel and Casino is located at the junction of Highways 16 and 97.
Moviegoers can choose between the Famous Players six-plex or the Park Drive-in Theatre, which also offers mini-golf facilities and a go-kart track. As well, 'Cinema CNC' hosts two arts cinema series each year in the fall and winter, as well as a moving pictures film festival of Canadian films each February.
Arts and culture
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
assortment of logs who greets newcomers to the city at the intersection of Highways 97 and 16. Mr. P.G. was one of five roadside attractions featured on the first series of the Canadian Roadside Attractions Series issued by Canada Post stamps
Canada Post stamp releases (2005-2009)
In the latter half of the decade, Canada Post continued to issue a large number of stamps with different designs and themes. One of the key changes in the decade was that Canada Post issued series of stamps on a yearly basis. An example is the 400th Anniversary of the French Settlement in North...
on July 6, 2009.
In 1960, the first Mr. PG was constructed as a symbol of the importance of the forest industry to Prince George. It was originally 40’ tall and made of spruce wood. The mascot was built to ride on a float in the Pacific National Exhibition parade in Vancouver, and was the prizewinner for best float. On the parade float, Mr. PG was hinged so it could bend down when the float encountered high wires. It could also speak. In between appearances, Mr. PG was kept on display at The Chamber of Commerce building and was later moved to the Tourist Information Centre.
In 1983, Mr. PG began to deteriorate and rot, and in the summer of 1983, a reconstructed Mr. PG was erected. The new Mr. PG had a yellow hardhat and a time capsule filled with memorabilia representing Prince George in 1983 in its chest.
Mr. PG is 8.138 meters high, his head is 1.5 metres in diameter. The statue is constructed of fiberglass and sheet metal painted to look like wood.
Art galleries and studios
- Two Rivers Gallery, which opened in June 2000, has two exhibition galleries named the North and South Canfor Galleries, a gift shop and a galleriaGalleriaGalleria , or The Galleria, is a common name for a shopping mall, ultimately deriving from the 19th-century Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan.- Australia :*Centro Galleria - Morley, Western Australia...
. It offers guided tours and art classes for both adults and children. - Studio 2880 houses the Artists' Workshop, the QuiltQuiltA quilt is a type of bed cover, traditionally composed of three layers of fiber: a woven cloth top, a layer of batting or wadding and a woven back, combined using the technique of quilting. “Quilting” refers to the technique of joining at least two fabric layers by stitches or ties...
ers', PottersPotteryPottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
', WeaveWeaveWeave may refer to:*Hair weave*Mozilla Weave*Weaving...
rs' and Spinners' Guilds. Its sister building, Studio 2820, is a TicketmasterTicketmasterTicketmaster Entertainment, Inc. is an independent American ticket sales and distribution company based in West Hollywood, California, USA, with operations in many countries around the world. In 2010 it merged with Live Nation to become Live Nation Entertainment...
outlet and houses the Artisan Gift Shoppe.
Live theatre and symphony
- Theatre Northwest is a professional theatre company producing stage productions throughout the year.
- The Prince George Theatre Workshop Society is a stage production company founded in the 1960s which puts on amateur theatre events throughout the year.
- The Prince George Playhouse (originally built by the Prince George Theatre Workshop Society, now owned by the City of Prince George) has many different uses such as amateur and professional theatre, musical events and major plays put on by local small businesses.
- The Prince George Symphony Orchestra (PGSO) is a mixed professional and semi-professional orchestraOrchestraAn orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
. The orchestra plays a number of concerts each year at venues around the city and occasionally tours other communities in northern British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. A majority of its concerts are held at the Vanier Hall, which is attached to the Prince George Secondary SchoolPrince George Secondary SchoolPrince George Secondary School is a public high school in Prince George, British Columbia , Canada, part of School District 57 Prince George. It has been at its present campus since 1968.-Awards:...
.
- The Street Spirits Theatre Company is a Prince George youth-oriented social-action theatre group that creates and presents plays using improv theatre techniques such as Theatre of the Oppressed and Workout Theatre, crafted by world-renowned directors and activists such as Augusto BoalAugusto BoalAugusto Boal was a Brazilian theatre director, writer and politician. He was the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical form originally used in radical popular education movements...
and David Diamond. The group has been running since 1999 and has been given several grants from organizations such as the Vancouver FoundationVancouver Foundation]Vancouver Foundation helps people give back to the communities they care about, in a way that is simple, convenient and lasting.Vancouver Foundation is the largest of Canada's 174 community foundations and have been around since 1943. Their focus is on improving our communities—the places where we...
and awards such as the Otto Rene Castillo Award. The group writes and performs interactive plays about issues affecting northern youth such as drug addiction, teen pregnancy and racism and has put out several movies including a feature-length film dealing with northern sex-trade recruitment entitled "Streetwise".
A 2005 cultural project that involved Prince George had 'Spirit Bears' placed throughout various locations around the city. The 'Spirit Bear' is a fiberglass statue of a bear that has various sceneries painted on it.
Museums and libraries
- The Exploration Place at the Fraser Fort George Regional Museum is located in Fort George Park and offers a wide variety of galleries and exhibits, including a paleontologyPaleontologyPaleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
exhibit, First Nations exhibit, children's gallery and the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame. - The Prince George Railway and Forestry MuseumPrince George Railway and Forestry MuseumThe Prince George Railway & Forestry Museum is in Prince George, British Columbia. Its collection consists of over sixty pieces of rolling stock , nine historical buildings and numerous smaller artifacts on an site...
opened in July 1986, coinciding with Expo'86 and 150 years of rail travel in Canada. The museum has one of the largest vintage rail collections in the province, including vintage rail cars, locomotives and historical buildings. Most of the museum pieces are located outdoors on the lot. Some historical buildings include a building showing the advancement of the telephone and a building that was once a train stop. There is also old firetrucks and forestry equipment. As well, there is a mini-train that goes around the museum lot for the kids. - The Prince George Public Library has two branches in the city, the Bob Harkins branch in the downtown area, which is considered the "main" library of the city and the smaller Nechako branch in the Hart.
Notable residents
- Murray BaronMurray BaronMurray McElwain Baron is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Flyers, St...
; former NHL defenceman, played for the Vancouver Canucks - Shirley BondShirley BondShirley Bond is currently serving as the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General and interim Attorney General of British Columbia, previously as Minister of Transportation and Minister of Education and Minister responsible for Early Learning and Literacy in the Executive Council of British...
; politician - Lois BooneLois BooneLois Ruth Boone is a Canadian politician. She served as MLA for Prince George North from 1986 to 1991, and Prince George-Mount Robson from 1991 to 2001, in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia...
; politician - Dean ButlerDean Butler (actor)Dean Butler was born May 20, 1956, in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, is an American movie and television actor and producer of documentaries....
; actor - Zdeno CharaZdeno CháraZdeno Chára is a Slovak professional ice hockey defenseman. He is the captain of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and won the Norris Trophy while playing for them in 2008–09. At 6 ft 9 , he is the tallest player ever to play in the NHL...
; NHL Defenceman, played for Ottawa and Boston - Denise ChongDenise Chong- Early life and schooling :A third generation Chinese Canadian, Chong was born in Vancouver, British Columbia on 9 June 1953, and was raised in Prince George. She studied economy at the University of British Columbia earning her bachelor degee in 1975...
; writer - Brian FawcettBrian FawcettBrian Fawcett is a Canadian writer and cultural analyst who currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.He was born and raised in Prince George, in northwest British Columbia, and graduated from Simon Fraser University as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. Before becoming a full time writer, he worked as an urban...
; writer - Morgan Fox; former Playboy Playmate and actress
- Charles JagoCharles JagoCharles Jago is an academic and university administrator.He was born and raised in St. Catharines, Ontario. He received his BA in Honors English and History from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario in 1965 and his PhD in History from Cambridge University in 1969...
; University Past-President, Member of Order of Canada - Bill Mahood; professional mixed martial arts competitor
- Brandon ManningBrandon ManningBrandon Manning is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He is currently playing with the Adirondack Phantoms of the American Hockey League....
(born 1990), Canadian professional ice hockey player - Barry McKinnonBarry McKinnonBarry Benjamin McKinnon is a Canadian poet.Born in Calgary, Alberta, he taught English at the College of New Caledonia in Prince George, British Columbia.-Bibliography:* The Golden Daybreak Hair. Toronto, ON: Aliquondo Press, 1967....
; writer - Bridget MoranBridget MoranBridget Moran , née Drugan, was a prominent social activist and author in British Columbia. Born in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland,...
; social activist and writer - Mayo MoranMayo MoranMayo Moran , a native of the Canadian province of British Columbia and daughter of author Bridget Moran and Pat Moran, has been Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Toronto since January 1, 2006, the first ever female dean of the Faculty of Law. She replaced former dean Ronald J...
; legal scholar - Nilesh PatelNilesh Patel (filmmaker)-Early life:Patel was raised in Prince George, British Columbia and attended Duchess Park Secondary School, where he was first exposed to the Brocket 99 audio tape. He attended the city's College of New Caledonia and then obtained a degree in molecular biology from the University of Victoria...
; filmmaker - Paul RamseyPaul Ramsey (Canadian politician)Paul Ramsey is a Canadian academic and politician. A member of the New Democratic Party, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Prince George-North in 1991 and re-elected in 1996, serving until 2001....
; politician - Daryl ReaughDaryl ReaughDaryl "Razor" Reaugh , is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender, now a color commentator for the Dallas Stars of the NHL, the The NHL on Versus and Hockey Night in Canada.-Playing career:...
; former NHL goaltender, commentator - Darcy RotaDarcy RotaDarcy Irwin Rota is a retired professional ice hockey player who spent eleven seasons in the National Hockey League...
; former NHL forward, played for the Vancouver Canucks - Anthony SedlakAnthony SedlakAnthony L. Sedlak is a Canadian chef, and the host of Food Network Canada's The Main. He was born in Prince George, British Columbia and grew up in North Vancouver....
; chef and host of Food Network Canada's The Main - Marylin StarMarylin StarMarilyn Star is an adult film actress.She worked as a student in Edmonton, before moving to Los Angeles and entering adult films. Her first film was More Dirty Debutantes 30 produced by Ed Powers...
; adult film actress - Turner StevensonTurner StevensonTurner Stevenson is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and Philadelphia Flyers. He won the Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 2003...
; former NHL forward - Lynda WilliamsLynda WilliamsLynda Williams is a science fiction author and blogger.Williams' fiction is centered around a series of ten novels set in the fictional Okal Rel Universe and published by Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing...
; writer
Transportation
Located at the intersection of Highways 97 and 16, Prince George is the hub for northern British Columbia. Considerable truck traffic passes through Prince George, which also has extensive facilities for maintenance of trucks and heavy equipment. Greyhound Bus Lines provides daily bus service south to VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, west to Prince Rupert, east to Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and north to Fort St. John
Fort St. John, British Columbia
The City of Fort St. John is a city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Peace River Regional District, the city covers an area of about 22 km² with 22,000 residents . Located at Mile 47, it is one of the largest cities along the Alaska Highway. Originally...
.
There is an inland port
Inland port
The term inland port is used in two different but related ways to mean either a port on an inland waterway or an inland site carrying out some functions of a seaport.- As a port on an inland waterway :...
to Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and home to some 12,815 people .-History:...
in Prince George which is served by CN Rail.
Prince George Airport
Prince George Airport
Prince George Airport is an airport that serves Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, and the surrounding area. It is located just within the southern boundary of the city, southeast, and is run by the Prince George Airport Authority....
, located 7 km (4.3 mi) from the city centre, is an airport with customs facilities. The primary air connection to the rest of the world is provided by multiple daily flights to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
on Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
and Westjet
WestJet
WestJet Airlines Ltd. is a Canadian low-cost carrier that provides scheduled and charter air service to 71 destinations in Canada, the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean. Founded in 1996, WestJet is currently the second largest Canadian air carrier, behind Air Canada, operating an average of...
. Westjet's service also includes a weekly direct flight to Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican balneario resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas.The 2010 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 255,725 making it the sixth-largest city in the state of Jalisco...
, Mexico during the winter months. Central Mountain Air
Central Mountain Air
Central Mountain Air Ltd. is a Canadian regional airline based in Smithers, British Columbia. It operates scheduled and charter services and transborder services...
and Northern Thunderbird fly to regional and smaller centres. Horizon Air
Horizon Air
Horizon Air Industries, Inc. is a regional low-cost airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. It is the eighth largest regional airline in the USA, serving 52 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico....
provided daily service to Seattle
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
The Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , also known as Sea–Tac Airport or Sea–Tac , is an American airport located in SeaTac, Washington, at the intersections of State Routes 99 and 509 and 518, about west of Interstate 5...
for a few months in 2008, but the service no longer exists as of 2009. Charter services provide flights to outlying areas primarily by float plane though helicopter service is also available. An expansion study to allow the airport to handle 747s is currently underway .
CNR
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
freight lines operate out of Prince George as well as Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
passenger service; the Jasper – Prince Rupert train overnights at the Prince George railway station
Prince George railway station
The Prince George railway station is on the Canadian National Railway mainline in Prince George, British Columbia. Via Rail's Jasper – Prince Rupert train service overnights at the Prince George station between Prince Rupert and Jasper.- External links :*...
.
Local public transportation consists of the PG Transit bus service.
West of Prince George is Vanderhoof (95), Fraser Lake (154), Burns Lake (223), Terrace, British Columbia
Terrace, British Columbia
Terrace is a city on the Skeena River in British Columbia, Canada. The Kitselas people, a tribe of the Tsimshian Nation, have lived in the Terrace area for thousands of years. The community population fell between 2001 and 2006 from 12,109 with a regional population of 19,980 to 11,320 and...
(573), and Prince Rupert (717). East of Prince George is McBride
McBride
The name "McBride" and "MacBride" is the English spelling for the Irish name "Mac Giolla Brídhe" meaning son of the followers of St. Brigid .McBride is the name of several persons:...
(206), Jasper
Jasper
Jasper, a form of chalcedony, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. This mineral breaks with a smooth surface, and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for vases, seals, and at one time for...
, and Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
. North of Prince George is Mackenzie
Mackenzie
-People:* Mackenzie , surname origin, and a list of people with the surname..* Mackenzie , name origin, and a list of people with the name.* Clan Mackenzie, a Scottish clan.- Fictional characters:...
(183), and Dawson Creek (403). And south of the city is Quesnel
Quesnel
-Places:* Quesnel, British Columbia* Quesnel Forks, British Columbia* Quesnell, Alberta-People:* Chantal Quesnel, Canadian actress* François Quesnel, 16th century French artist.* Frédéric-Auguste Quesnel, Canadian lawyer and politician...
(117), Williams Lake
Williams Lake
Williams Lake is the name of several places:CanadaWilliams Lake is the name of several places:CanadaWilliams Lake is the name of several places:Canada:Cities and towns:...
(238), and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
(804).
Annual events
- The Prince George Exhibition, also known as the PGX started in 1912 and is the city's largest summer event. The four day show is held each August and attractions include a large midway, food fair, trade show, art and horticultureHorticultureHorticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
exhibitions, 4-h4-H4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture , with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The name represents...
exhibitions and many other attractions. - The Forest Expo was started in 1985 and provides a showcase to educate the general public about the importance of our forests, while displaying the latest in forestry technology, supplies and services.
- The Prince George Coldsnap Festival (formerly known as the Prince George Folk Festival) is a national folk musicFolk musicFolk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
festival held annually in the winter at various venues throughout Prince George. Past artists have included John DenverJohn DenverHenry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
, Bruce CockburnBruce CockburnBruce Douglas Cockburn OC is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His most recent album was released in March 2011. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.-Biography:...
, Sarah HarmerSarah HarmerSarah Harmer is a Canadian singer-songwriter and activist.-Biography:Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sister Mary started taking her to concerts by the well-known Tragically Hip. At the age of 17, she...
, Janis IanJanis IanJanis Ian is an American songwriter, singer, musician, columnist, and science fiction author. Ian first entered the folk music scene while still a teenager in the mid-sixties; most active musically in that decade and the 1970s, she has continued recording into the 21st century...
, Alpha Ya Ya Diallo. 2006 saw Matthew GoodMatthew GoodMatthew Frederick Robert Good is a Canadian rock musician. He was the lead singer for the Matthew Good Band, one of Canada's most successful alternative rock bands in the 1990s, before dissolving the band in 2002...
, Fred EaglesmithFred EaglesmithFrederick John Elgersma , known by the stage name Fred Eaglesmith, is a Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter, one of nine children raised by a farming family in rural Southern Ontario. As a teenager Eaglesmith hopped a freight train out to Western Canada, and began writing songs and...
, The PaperboysThe PaperboysThe Paperboys are a Canadian folk music band from Vancouver that formed in 1991. The Paperboys blend Celtic folk with bluegrass, Mexican, Eastern European, African, zydeco, soul and country influences...
, and many others. Local musicians include: The Goat Island Extrapolation, and Shae Morin. - Canadian Northern Children's Festival is held in Fort George Park and features many hands-on activities for children, roving performers, face painting and clowns.
- Prince George celebrates BC River's Day on the last Sunday in September at Fort George Park with a live free music festival. 2006's performers included Marcel Gagnon and Fear Zero among many others.
- The Father's Day Show and Shine is held in Fort George Park and features vendors, live performers and both vintage and modern cars. 2007's event saw an estimated 25,000 visitors and 365 cars were on display.
- The Snow Daze Winter Festival is held each February. Some of the featured events include the Mr. PG pageant, curling, bed races, OTL (over the line) baseball, Texas hold'em poker tournament and snow golf.
Government and politics
The City of Prince George's council-manager form of municipal government is governed by a mayor and an eight-member council; these positions are subject to at-largePlurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...
elections every three years. Dan Rogers was elected mayor in November 2008, after Colin Kinsley, who had been mayor since 1997, decided to retire. Rogers, who had been a perennial top vote-getter in the races for council seats, narrowly lost to Kinsley in the 2005 race.
Prince George holds four of the fourteen seats at the Regional District of Fraser - Fort George
Fraser-Fort George Regional District, British Columbia
The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George is a regional district located in the Central Interior of British Columbia. It is bounded by the Alberta border to the east, the Columbia-Shuswap and Thompson-Nicola Regional Districts to the south/southeast, Cariboo Regional District to the southwest,...
. School District 57, which includes not only the city of Prince George but a large, sparsely populated area to the East and North, is governed by seven elected school trustees.
Prince George is divided into three different provincial electoral districts: Prince George-Mount Robson
Prince George-Mount Robson
Prince George-Mount Robson was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada from 1991 to 2009.- Member of Legislative Assembly :...
represented by Shirley Bond
Shirley Bond
Shirley Bond is currently serving as the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General and interim Attorney General of British Columbia, previously as Minister of Transportation and Minister of Education and Minister responsible for Early Learning and Literacy in the Executive Council of British...
, Prince George North
Prince George North
Prince George North was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada from 1979 to 2009.- Demographics :- History :*John Heinrich, Social Credit *Lois Boone, NDP...
represented by Pat Bell
Pat Bell
Pat Bell is British Columbia's Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation. He is the British Columbia Liberal Party MLA for the riding of Prince George North. Bell also serves as member of the Cabinet Priorities and Planning Committee....
, and Prince George-Omineca
Prince George-Omineca
Prince George-Omineca was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada from 1991 to 2009.- Demographics :- Member of Legislative Assembly :Its MLA is John Rustad, whose experience is in the forest industry...
represented by John Rustad
John Rustad
John Rustad is a BC Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Canadian province of British Columbia. He currently represents the constituency of Prince George-Omineca, which he has held since the 2005 election. In 2009, this riding was dissolved and he became the MLA for Nechako...
. All three Members
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
belong to the British Columbia Liberal Party
British Columbia Liberal Party
The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
with Rustad first being elected in 2005
British Columbia general election, 2005
The 38th British Columbia general election was held on May 17, 2005, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia , Canada. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...
and Bond and Bell in 2001
British Columbia general election, 2001
The British Columbia general election of 2001 was the 37th provincial election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 18, 2001, and held on May 16, 2001...
. Bond has been serving as the Deputy Premier of British Columbia since 2004 and the Minister of Education since 2005, while Bell has been serving as the Minister of Agriculture and Lands since 2005.
Federally, Prince George is divided between the Cariboo—Prince George
Cariboo—Prince George
Cariboo—Prince George is a federal electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004.-Geography:...
and Prince George—Peace River
Prince George—Peace River
Prince George—Peace River is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968.-Geography:...
ridings. They are represented in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
by Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
Members of Parliament Dick Harris
Dick Harris
Richard M. "Dick" Harris is a Canadian politician. He is a Member of Parliament and member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He also was a member of the Reform Party of Canada and the Canadian Alliance. He represents the electoral district of Cariboo—Prince George, and formerly Prince...
and Jay Hill
Jay Hill
Jay D. Hill PC is a former Canadian politician and member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He was the Member of Parliament for the riding of Prince George—Peace River from 1993 until his retirement in 2010. He also served as Government House Leader in the Canadian House of Commons during his...
. Harris and Hill were both first elected in 1993
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
. Harris defeated the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
incumbent Brian Gardiner in the Prince George—Bulkley Valley
Prince George—Bulkley Valley
Prince George–Bulkley Valley was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 2004.- History :...
riding. Hill succeeded Frank Oberle
Frank Oberle, Sr.
Frank Oberle, Sr., PC is a businessman and former Canadian politician.Born in Forchheim near Karlsruhe, Germany, Oberle moved with his family to German-occupied Poland in 1941. There he was placed in a Hitler Youth indoctrination program...
who held his riding since 1972 for the Progressive Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
and served as the Minister of Science and Technology and the Minister of Forestry.