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'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 northwest of Edmonton, Alberta, and northeast of Grande Prairie, Alberta, along Highway 2.

Contents

Demographics

History

Geography

Employment

Recreation

Historical Sites

Events

Infrastructure

Transit

Education

See also

References

External links

Demographics

Population: 980 (1921)^[2]

Population: 6,240 (2001)^[3]

Population: 6,315 (2006)
In 2006, Peace River had a population of 6,315 living in 2,526 dwellings, a 1.2% increase from 2001. The town has a land area of and a population density of .

History

★ 1792: Alexander MacKenzie established Fort Fork on the southern bank of Peace River, it later became the town of Peace River.

★ 1862: A local legend states that on this year Henry Fuller Davis struck gold on a small claim between two much larger claims.

★ 1909: The town site of Peace River is first surveyed.

★ 1914: Peace River becomes Peace River Crossing.

★ 1910-1916: Rail (Railink Mackenzie Northern) 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

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 below the relatively flat terrain surrounding it.
The Greene Valley Provincial Park lies just east of the town.

Employment

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

Recreation

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

★ Athabasca Hall: The Athabasca Hall is located on 98 Avenue in Peace River. Peace Players Theatre Group use 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.

Historical Sites

★ NAR Station: This building 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.

Events

Some annual events in Peace River include the following:

★ Peace River Heritage Run: June 17, 2007 at 8:30 AM

★ Jet Boat Races: June 30, 2007

★ PeaceFest: July 13, 2007

★ Peace Regional Airshow: July 28, 2007

★ Festival of Trees: November 20, 2007

Infrastructure

Transit

The town manages a municipal airport, the Peace River Airport , which was the main hub of now defunct Peace Air. It also has a small bus network running Monday to Saturday.

Education

★ McGrath Elementary School (Due to an amalgamation project^[4] this school doesn't exist anymore).

★ Peace River High School

★ Glenmary Catholic Junior and Senior High School

★ Springfield Elementary School

★ T.A. Norris Jr High School

★ Good Shepherd School

★ École des Quatre-Vents

★ Peace River Adventist Junior Academy

See also

★ Towns of Alberta

References

1. Statistics Canada. Census Division No. 19, Alberta
2. Peace River - demographics
3. Community Profile: Peace River, Alberta; Statistics Canada
4. Peace River School Division

External links

★ Town of Peace River

★ The weekly newspaper

★ Discover the Peace Country. Discover Information and pictures of Peace River