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The town of 'Athabasca' (2006 population 2,575) is located in northern Alberta, Canada. It lies north of Edmonton on Highway 2, on the banks of the Athabasca River. It is the center of Athabasca County.
Until 1913 it was known as Athabasca Landing.
The town is home to Athabasca University, a major centre for distance education.

Contents

Demographics

History

Media

Trivia

Notable native

References

External links

Demographics

According to the Canada 2006 Census:

★ Population:	2,575 (+6.6% from 2001)
★ Land area:
★ Population density:
★ 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
'Footnotes:'
^↑ The data has not yet been released and is based on 2001 Census.

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 princial 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 agricultral settlement occurred the trail served a similar purpose. Eventually road and rail links would trace the same path.

Media

Athabasca is served by one newspaper, the Athabasca Advocate, and one radio station, 850 CKBA, currently known as 'The Fox'.
CKBA made headlines in 1998 when it hired Kevin Zahara to be the morning show's announcer. Being only 14 at the time, Zahara was the youngest full-time radio announcer in Canada. Zahara later became one of the youngest Town Councillors, elected to Athabasca Town Council in 2003 at the age of 18.

Trivia

★ Athabasca is famous for a farmer who, about 100 years ago, trained two moose to pull plows like farm animals. People came from far around to see these plowing moose. Unfortunately, someone fed one of the moose a frozen potato and it died. The other moose died of loneliness shortly thereafter.

Notable native

★ George Ryga - playwright, poet

★ Jay Onrait - TSN notable TV personality

References

:
★ Alberta First - Athabasca Facts and Statistics

External links

★ Town of Athabasca

★ Athabasca County

★ Historical Athabasca Landing

★ Athabasca University