Spirit River, Alberta
Encyclopedia
Spirit River is a town in northern Alberta
, Canada
. It is located 78 km (48.5 mi) north of Grande Prairie
at the junction of Highway 49 and Highway 731.
The community is largely agricultural
, being located in the fertile Peace Country. Together with neighboring Rycroft, it is a service centre for the oil and gas
industry. It's hospital, clinic and pharmacy make it the medical center for a large area extending 200 km east-west from the Smoky River to the BC boundary and 100 km north-south from the Peace River (largest in Alberta) to Woking, including the villages of Rycroft, Wanham, Eaglesham and Woking. The Spirit River Regional Academy is the high school for most of this area and St. Marie Catholic School goes up to grade 8. Offices for Alberta Agriculture, the Municipal District of Spirit River, County of Saddle Hills and the Peace-Wapiti School Board are located in the town. A paved airport serves medical emergency flights and private aircraft but there is no commercial service.
Northern Alberta
Northern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.Its primary industry is oil and gas, with large heavy oil reserves being exploited at the Athabasca Oil Sands and Wabasca Area in the east of the region...
, 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...
. It is located 78 km (48.5 mi) north of Grande Prairie
Grande Prairie, Alberta
Grande Prairie is a city in the northwestern part of the province of Alberta in Western Canada. It is located on the southern edge of the Peace River Country . The city is surrounded by the County of Grande Prairie No...
at the junction of Highway 49 and Highway 731.
The community is largely agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, being located in the fertile Peace Country. Together with neighboring Rycroft, it is a service centre for the oil and gas
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
industry. It's hospital, clinic and pharmacy make it the medical center for a large area extending 200 km east-west from the Smoky River to the BC boundary and 100 km north-south from the Peace River (largest in Alberta) to Woking, including the villages of Rycroft, Wanham, Eaglesham and Woking. The Spirit River Regional Academy is the high school for most of this area and St. Marie Catholic School goes up to grade 8. Offices for Alberta Agriculture, the Municipal District of Spirit River, County of Saddle Hills and the Peace-Wapiti School Board are located in the town. A paved airport serves medical emergency flights and private aircraft but there is no commercial service.
Demographics
In 2006, Spirit River had a:- population of 1,148 living in 466 dwellingsHouseA house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
(a 4.4% increase from 2001), - a land area of 2.81 km² (1.1 sq mi), and
- a population densityPopulation densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 409.2 /km2.