JASPER, ALBERTA

'Jasper' is a specialized municipality in western Alberta, Canada. It is the commercial center of Jasper National Park, located in the Canadian Rockies in the Athabasca River valley.
Jasper is 362 kilometres (225 mi), or approximately 3 1/2 hours 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 Jul 20, 2001^[1] and the governance of Jasper is shared between the ''Municipality of Jasper'' and Parks Canada Agency.^[2]

Contents

History

Geography

Transport

Demographics

Media

Education

Jasper in Popular Culture

References

External links

History

Jasper National Park was established in 1907, with the Canadian Northern Railway beginning service to Jasper in 1912.^[3] The Jasper townsite was surveyed in 1913 by H. Matheson. By 1931, Jasper was accessible by road from Edmonton, and in 1940 the scenic Icefields Parkway opened, connecting Banff and Jasper.

Geography

Jasper townsite

Located near the Jasper townsite are Pyramid Lake and Patricia Lake, as well as Lake Annette, Lake Edith, Lac Beauvert, and numerous other small lakes. The Jasper Tramway, which takes visitors to Whistlers Summit, is also located near the townsite, as is the luxurious Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. The Jasper - Yellowhead Museum is located in the Jasper townsite, as is the Jasper Visitor Center.

Transport

Jasper is served by Via Rail with two passenger services. The Canadian and the Skeena both operate three times per week.^[4]

Demographics

According to the 2001 census, Jasper had a population of 4,180 (4,301 in 1996, 4,643 in 2006)on a land area of .^[5] 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.
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 and a population density of .

Media

;Newspapers

★ Jasper Booster (weekly)

★ The Fitzhugh (locally-owned weekly)

★ The Jasper Daily News (locally owned weekly)
;Radio Stations

★ FM 92.3: CJAG "The Lone Wolf" (modern rock).

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'

★ Ėcole Desrochers (K-9)

Jasper in Popular Culture

★ Jasper, Alberta is the setting and inspiration for the ''Rocky Mountain Suite'', a song by John Denver

References

1. Jasper municipal profile - Alberta Municipal Affairs
2. Municipality of Jasper - About Jasper
3. A Brief History of Canada's National Parks, Lothian, W.F., , , Environment Canada, ,
4.
5. Jasper Community Profile - Statistics Canada. 2002. 2001 Community Profiles. Released June 27, 2002. Last modified: 2005-11-30. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 93F0053XIE

External links

★ Municipality of Jasper - official website