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Town of Peace River
Town of Peace River
	— Town —
	View from the East end of Peace River
	; Coat of arms
	; Coat of arms
	; Town of Peace River Location of Peace River in Alberta
	Coordinates: 56°14′02″N 117°17′23″W / 56.23389°N 117.28972°W
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Northern Alberta
Census division	19
County	Northern Sunrise County
Founded	June 2, 1914
Incorporated	December 1, 1919
	Government
- Mayor	Iris Callioux
- Governing body	Peace River Town Council
- MP	Chris Warkentin
- MLA	Frank Oberle, Jr.
	Area
- Total	24.87 km2 (9.6 sq mi)
Elevation	325 m (1,066 ft)
	Population (2006)
- Total	6,315
- Density	253.9/km2 (657.6/sq mi)
Time zone	MST (UTC-7)
Postal code span	T8S
Area code(s)	+1-780
Highways	2
Waterways	Peace River; Smoky River
Website	peaceriver.govoffice.com

Peace River is a town in west northern Alberta, Canada. It is located on the Peace River, at its confluence with the Smoky River and Heart River. It is located 486 kilometres (302 mi) northwest of Edmonton, Alberta, and 198 kilometres (123 mi) northeast of Grande Prairie, Alberta, along Highway 2.

[edit] Demographics

Population: 980 (1921)^[2]
Population: 6,240 (2001)^[3]
Population: 6,315 (2006)

According to the 2006 census:

population of 6,315 living in 2,526 dwellings, a 1.2% increase from 2001.
a land area of 24.87 km² (9.6 sq mi)
a population density of 253.9 /km² (657.6/sq mi).^[4]

[edit] Notable residents

Brian Skrudland Former professional hockey player in the NHL
Kelly Kisio Former professional hockey player NHL, currently the General Manager and Co-coach of the Calgary Hitmen WHL
Chris Osgood Professional hockey player and 3-time Stanley Cup Champion, currently with the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL
Jillian Harris a contestant on ABC's The Bachelor in 2008 and The Bachelorette on fifth season in 2009.

[edit] History

1792: Alexander MacKenzie established Fort Fork on the eastern bank of Peace River.
1909: The town site of Peace River is first surveyed.
1914: Peace River Crossing is incorporated as a Village.
1910-1916: Railway reaches the area and settlers begin colonizing the valley.
1916: Peace River Crossing becomes Peace River.
1919: Peace River is incorporated as a town.
1926-1931: The population continues to grow as the Great Depression took hold of Saskatchewan and Southern Alberta

[edit] Historical Sites

Beaver chief and family Peace River, Alberta, 1899

The NAR Station is home to the Visitors Information Centre at Peace River. It was built in 1916 by the Central Canadian Railway. It served as a major hub of activity from 1916 to 1956 for passengers. The station was continued for use for freight, however, the station was closed in 1981. The NAR Station suffered a fire in 1986. It was restored back to its former state in 1991, costing nearly $300,000 CAD to complete.

[edit] Economy

The principal industries in the area are agriculture, forestry, and oil and gas, while a pulp mill is also nearby (the DMI mill).

[edit] Infrastructure

[edit] Transit

The town manages a municipal airport, the Peace River Airport (IATA: YPE, ICAO: CYPE), which was the main hub of now defunct Peace Air. Two different airlines fly from it today. It also has a small bus network running Monday to Saturday.

[edit] Education

Peace River High School
Glenmary Catholic Junior and Senior High School
Springfield Elementary School
T.A. Norris Middle School
Good Shepherd School
École des Quatre-Vents
Peace River Adventist Junior Academy

[edit] Recreation

Facilities and services in the area include an indoor swimming pool, ski hill, indoor arena, library, museum, several hotels, and restaurants.

Peace River Museum, Archives & Mackenzie Centre: The Museum and Archives open year round and is located 99th Street and 103rd avenue. It contains over 10,000 artifacts and contains a fur trade gallery, aboriginal artifacts and the Peace River Gallery which documents the history of settlement in Peace River. The wheelshaft from the famous steamer D.A Thomas is located on the grounds.^[5]
Athabasca Hall: The Athabasca Hall is located on 98 Avenue in Peace River. Peace Players Theatre Group uses the theatre for plays from September to June.
Kinsmen Arena: Opened in 1978, the Kinsmen Arena can hold up to 1,900 people with the ice. The arena is home to several minor, recreational and old-timer hockey leagues. It is located on 73 Avenue.
Peace Regional Pool: This pool opened in 1991. The pool has programs for learning to swim for various ages and it is on 98 Street.
Water Play Park: Peace River has an outdoor water park for kids located next door to some tennis courts and a playground. It is open during the summer months of July and August.

[edit] Events

Some annual events in Peace River include the following:

Peace River Heritage Run
Jet Boat Races
Peace Fest
Peace Regional Airshow
Festival of Trees
Beast Fest

Peace River was also the site of the 2004 Alberta Winter Games. In 2008, it was announced that Peace River and Grimshaw, Alberta will jointly host the 2010 Alberta Summer Games. The Games are held every 2 years and is Alberta's largest sporting event that features approximately 3000 athletes.

[edit] Geography

The original part of the town lies on a flood plain at the confluence of Peace River and Smoky River, while it has also expanded to areas on higher ground, mostly to the west of the town. The valley itself is nearly 1,000 feet (305 m) below the relatively flat terrain surrounding it. The Greene Valley Provincial Park lies just east of the town.

[edit] Climate

Weather data for Peace River
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	10 (50)	11.2 (52)	15.1 (59)	29.3 (85)	32.8 (91)	33.3 (92)	36.7 (98)	36.7 (98)	32.8 (91)	25.6 (78)	18.9 (66)	11.7 (53)	36.7 (98)
Average high °C (°F)	-11.4 (11)	-7.1 (19)	0 (32)	9.9 (50)	17 (63)	20.4 (69)	22.2 (72)	21.2 (70)	15.7 (60)	8.4 (47)	-3.4 (26)	-9 (16)	7 (45)
Average low °C (°F)	-21.9 (-7)	-18.3 (-1)	-11.8 (11)	-2.6 (27)	3.4 (38)	7.9 (46)	9.7 (49)	8.1 (47)	3.3 (38)	-2.4 (28)	-12.5 (10)	-19.3 (-3)	-4.7 (24)
Record low °C (°F)	-49.9 (-58)	-46.7 (-52)	-40.6 (-41)	-38.9 (-38)	-10 (14)	-4.4 (24)	0.8 (33)	-3.7 (25)	-15.6 (4)	-30 (-22)	-42.2 (-44)	-46.7 (-52)	-49.9 (-58)
Precipitation mm (inches)	21.3 (0.84)	16.4 (0.65)	13.3 (0.52)	16.1 (0.63)	35.4 (1.39)	70.9 (2.79)	66.6 (2.62)	55.4 (2.18)	40.5 (1.59)	24.3 (0.96)	21.3 (0.84)	20.7 (0.81)	402.3 (15.84)
Source: Environment Canada^[6] 2009-12-27