Jasper, Alberta

For other uses, see Jasper (disambiguation).

Municipality of Jasper
—  Specialized municipality  —
View of Jasper from the summit of The Whistlers
Municipality of Jasper Location of Jasper in Alberta
Coordinates: 52°52′23″N 118°04′56″W / 52.87306°N 118.08222°W / 52.87306; -118.08222Coordinates: 52°52′23″N 118°04′56″W / 52.87306°N 118.08222°W / 52.87306; -118.08222
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Alberta's Rockies
Census division	15
Founded	1813
Incorporated [1]  - Improvement district	August 31, 1995
- Specialized municipality	July 20, 2001
Government
– Mayor	Richard Ireland
– Governing bodies	Jasper Municipal Council & Parks Canada
– MP	Rob Merrifield
– MLA	Robin Campbell
Area[2]
– Total	925.52 km2 (357.3 sq mi)
Elevation	1,062 m (3,484 ft)
Population (2006)[2]
– Total	4,265
– Density	4.6/km2 (11.9/sq mi)
Time zone	MST (UTC−7)
– Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC−6)
Postal code span	T0E
Area code(s)	+1-780
Highways	Yellowhead Highway Icefield Parkway
Waterways	Athabasca River Miette River
Website	Municipality of Jasper

Jasper is a specialized municipality in western Alberta, Canada. It is the commercial centre of Jasper National Park, located in the Canadian Rockies in the Athabasca River valley.

Jasper is 362 kilometres (225 mi) west of Edmonton. Jasper is 290 kilometres (180 mi) north of Banff, Alberta, with the Icefields Parkway connecting the Jasper townsite to Lake Louise in Banff National Park. It was established as a specialized municipality on July 20, 2001^[3] and the governance of Jasper is shared between the Municipality of Jasper and the federal Parks Canada agency.^[4]

History

Established in 1813, Jasper House was first a North West Company, and later Hudson's Bay Company, fur trade outpost on the York Factory Express trade route to what was then called "New Caledonia" (now British Columbia), and Fort Vancouver in Columbia District on the lower Columbia River.^[5]

Jasper National Park was established in 1907. The railway siding at the location of the future townsite was established by Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1911 and originally named Fitzhugh after a Grand Trunk vice president^[6] (along the Grand Trunk's "alphabet" line). The Canadian Northern Railway also began service to Fitzhugh in 1912.^[7] The townsite was surveyed in 1913 by H. Matheson,^[7] and subsequently renamed Jasper after the former fur trade post. By 1931, Jasper was accessible by road from Edmonton, and in 1940 the scenic Icefields Parkway opened, connecting Banff and Jasper.

Geography

Jasper town site

Jasper is located in the Athabasca River valley, at the confluence with Miette River. It lies between the Victoria Cross Ranges (northwest), Pyramid Mountain (north), Maligne Range (southeast) and Indian Ridge (southwest). Jasper is connected to the west via the Yellowhead Highway and the Yellowhead Pass to Prince George and to the east to Edmonton. Toward the south, the Icefield Parkway leads to Banff and Banff National Park.

Located near Jasper are Pyramid Lake and Patricia Lake, as well as Lake Annette, Lake Edith, Lac Beauvert, Maligne Lake, Medicine Lake and numerous other smaller lakes. The Jasper Tramway, which takes visitors to The Whistlers' summit, and the Marmot Basin ski resort are also located near the town, as is the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. The Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives is located in the Jasper town site, as is the Jasper Visitor Centre.

Transportation

Jasper railway station, seen from Connaught Drive

Jasper railway station is served by Via Rail with two passenger services. The Canadian and the Jasper – Prince Rupert train both operate three times per week.^[8]

Demographics

The population of the Municipality of Jasper according to its 2008 municipal census is 4,745, which includes a permanent population of 4,235 and a shadow (non-permanent) population of 510.^[9]

In 2006, Jasper had a population of 4,265 living in 1,817 dwellings, a 2.0% increase from 2001. The specialized municipality has a land area of 925.52 km² (357.35 sq mi) and a population density of 4.6 /km² (12 /sq mi).^[2]

According to the 2001 census, Jasper had a population of 4,180 (down from 4,301 in 1996) on a land area of 925.43 km² (357.31 sq mi).^[10] The population density was 4.5/km² (11.65/sq mi), and the median household income was $53,485. An average value of private dwelling of $247,658 was registered in 2001.

Media

• Newspapers
  • The Fitzhugh (locally-owned weekly)
  • Jasper Booster (weekly) (The Booster has ceased publication. It printed its last issue on March 11, 2009.)

• Radio Stations
  • CJAG-FM 92.3 Athabasca Hotel
  • CFXP-FM 95.5 Newcap Broadcasting
  • CBXJ-FM 98.1 CBC Radio One

Climate

Jasper experiences a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc) that borders on a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb).

Climate data for Jasper
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	13.3 (55.9)	16.5 (61.7)	20 (68)	26.5 (79.7)	30.4 (86.7)	32.8 (91.0)	36.7 (98.1)	35 (95)	32.4 (90.3)	27.2 (81.0)	16.7 (62.1)	15 (59)	36.7 (98.1)
Average high °C (°F)	−5 (23)	−0.9 (30.4)	4.7 (40.5)	10.8 (51.4)	15.8 (60.4)	19.3 (66.7)	21.9 (71.4)	21.6 (70.9)	16.4 (61.5)	10.1 (50.2)	0.4 (32.7)	−4.8 (23.4)	9.2
Daily mean °C (°F)	−9.8 (14.4)	−6.3 (20.7)	−1.2 (29.8)	4.3 (39.7)	9.1 (48.4)	12.8 (55.0)	15 (59)	14.5 (58.1)	9.8 (49.6)	4.5 (40.1)	−4 (25)	−9.2 (15.4)	3.3
Average low °C (°F)	−14.6 (5.7)	−11.8 (10.8)	−7.1 (19.2)	−2.3 (27.9)	2.4 (36.3)	6.2 (43.2)	8.1 (46.6)	7.4 (45.3)	3.3 (37.9)	−1.2 (29.8)	−8.5 (16.7)	−13.6 (7.5)	−2.6
Record low °C (°F)	−46.7 (−52.1)	−43.3 (−45.9)	−36.7 (−34.1)	−28.9 (−20.0)	−13.9 (7.0)	−6.7 (19.9)	−1.7 (28.9)	−3 (27)	−11.1 (12.0)	−28.7 (−19.7)	−38.8 (−37.8)	−42.2 (−44.0)	−46.7 (−52.1)
Precipitation mm (inches)	26.9 (1.059)	16 (0.63)	17.6 (0.693)	18.8 (0.74)	29.9 (1.177)	55 (2.17)	60.1 (2.366)	59.1 (2.327)	37.3 (1.469)	28.7 (1.13)	24.5 (0.965)	24.8 (0.976)	398.7 (15.697)
Source: Environment Canada[11]

Education

Grande Yellowhead Regional Division No. 35

• Jasper Elementary School (K–6 English, K–3 French)
• Jasper Junior Senior High School (7–12)

Greater North Central Francophone Education Region No. 2

• École Desrochers (K–12)

Notable residents

• Erin Karpluk, actress
• Wyatt Tremblay, editorial cartoonist
• Brian Young^[12], NHL hockey player
• Ian Herbers, NHL hockey player
• John Hilworth, NHL hockey player

See also

• List of communities in Alberta
• Specialized municipalities of Alberta

References

1. ^ Alberta Municipal Affairs (2010-09-17). "Municipal Profile – Municipality of Jasper". http://www.municipalaffairs.alberta.ca/cfml/MunicipalProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=BasicReport&MunicipalityType=SMUN&stakeholder=418&profileType=HIST&profileType=CONT&profileType=STAT&profileType=FINA&profileType=GRAN&profileType=TAXR&profileType=ASSE. Retrieved 2010-10-02. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Statistics Canada (Census 2006). "Jasper - Community Profile". http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/profiles/community/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=4815033&Geo2=PR&Code2=48&Data=Count&SearchText=Jasper&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&GeoLevel=&GeoCode=4815033. Retrieved 2007-06-11. 
3. ^ Jasper municipal profile - Alberta Municipal Affairs
4. ^ Municipality of Jasper - About Jasper
5. ^ Parks Canada - Jasper House National Historic Site
6. ^ http://albertajasper.com/Jasper-Alberta-Information-Centre-History.htmlz
7. ^ ^{a b} Lothian, W.F. (1987). A Brief History of Canada's National Parks. Environment Canada. 
8. ^ Via Rail. "Jasper station". http://www.viarail.ca/train-stations/en-station-jasper-alberta.html. Retrieved 2007-06-22. 
9. ^ Alberta Municipal Affairs (2009-09-15). "Alberta 2009 Official Population List". http://municipalaffairs.gov.ab.ca/documents/LGS/2009pop.pdf. Retrieved 2010-09-12. 
10. ^ Jasper Community Profile - Statistics Canada. 2002. 2001 Community Profiles. Released June 27, 2002. Last modified: 2005-11-30. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 93F0053XIE
11. ^ Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 07 July 2009
12. ^ NHL Players from Jasper, Alberta | QuantHockey.com Retrieved on March 19, 2011

External links

• Municipality of Jasper - official website