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Athabasca
Athabasca; Athabasca Landing
	— Town —
	Motto: Gateway to the Great New North
	; Athabasca Location of Athabasca in Alberta
	Coordinates: 54°43′11″N 113°17′08″W / 54.71972°N 113.28556°W
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Northern Alberta
Census division	13
County	Athabasca County
Founded	1877
	Government
- Mayor	Colleen Powell
- Governing body	Athabasca Town Council
- Manager	Doug Topinka
- MP	Brian Jean; (Cons-Fort McMurray—Athabasca)
- MLA	Jeff Johnson; (PC-Athabasca-Redwater)
	Area
- Total	16.98 km2 (6.6 sq mi)
Elevation	533 m (1,749 ft)
	Population (2006)
- Total	2,575
- Density	151.7/km2 (392.9/sq mi)
Time zone	MST (UTC-7)
Postal code span	T9S
Area code(s)	+1-780
Website	Town of Atabasca

The town of Athabasca (2006 population 2,575) is located in northern Alberta, Canada. It lies 145 kilometres (90 mi) north of Edmonton on Highway 2, on the banks of the Athabasca River. It is the centre of Athabasca County.

Until 1913 it was known as Athabasca Landing.

[edit] History

Unlike so many other towns in Alberta, Athabasca predates the railway. It was the terminus of the Edmonton to Athabasca Landing trail. Athabasca lies on a southern protrusion of the Athabasca River. During the fur trade era, when rivers were the principal means of transportation, the Athabasca–Edmonton trail connected two different drainage basins. The Athabasca River flows north and is part of the Mackenzie River watershed, which leads to the Arctic Ocean. Edmonton lies across a height-of-land on the North Saskatchewan River in the Nelson River drainage basin, which empties into Hudson Bay. Edmonton was in Rupert's Land, Athabasca was not. The trail allowed goods to be portaged back and forth between river systems. Once agricultural settlement occurred the trail served a similar purpose. Eventually road and rail links would trace the same path.

The Athabasca Heritage Society has put up signs through the downtown as well as along the riverfront that explains and depicts the history. It has also published a Historical Walking Tour that is available from the Town Office, Library and Visitor Information centre.

[edit] Demographics

According to the Canada 2006 Census:

* Population:	2,575 (+6.6% from 2001)
* Land area:	16.98 km² (6.56 sq mi)
* Population density:	151.7 people/km² (392.9/sq mi)
* National population rank (Out of 5,008):	Ranked 1,115th
* Median age:^†	36.2 (males: 33.4, females: 37.8)
* Total private dwellings:	1,117
* Dwellings occupied by permanent residents:	1,062
* Mean household income:^↑	$51,310

References:

2006 Community Profile^[2]

Footnotes: ^↑ The data has not yet been released and is based on 2001 Census.

[edit] Notable native

George Ryga - playwright, poet
Jay Onrait - TSN notable TV personality
Deana Driver - author, publisher

[edit] Education

Athabasca University

The town is home to Athabasca University, a major centre for distance education.

The town has three schools:

WHPS Whispering Hills Primary School) Kindergarten to grade 3

LTIS (Landing Trail Intermediate School) Grade 4 to 7

Edwin Parr Composite High School (EPC) Grade 8 to 12

[edit] Media

Athabasca is served by one newspaper, the Athabasca Advocate, and one radio station, 94.1 CKBA-FM, currently known as The River.

[edit] References

Alberta First - Athabasca Facts and Statistics

[edit] External links

[council-0] Athabasca. "Town Council". http://www.town.athabasca.ab.ca/siteengine/activepage.asp?PageID=27&bhfv=2&bhfx=9.0%20%20r28&bhcd=32&bhsh=900&bhsw=1440&bhiw=1440&bhih=652&bhlu=en-us&bhrf=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Etown%2Eathabasca%2Eab%2Eca%2Fsiteengine%2FActivePage%2Easp%3FPageID%3D4&bhqs=1. Retrieved 2007-10-16.

[statcan2006-1] Statistics Canada (Census 2006). "Athabasca - Community Profile". http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=4813048&Geo2=PR&Code2=48&Data=Count&SearchText=Athabasca&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=. Retrieved 2007-06-09.

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