Jasper
Specialized municipality
Municipality of Jasper
View of Jasper from the Jasper Tramway
View of Jasper from the Jasper Tramway
Location within Alberta
Location within Alberta
Coordinates: 52°52′23″N 118°04′56″W / 52.87306°N 118.08222°W / 52.87306; -118.08222
CountryCanada
ProvinceAlberta
RegionAlberta's Rockies
Census division15
Founded1813
Incorporated [1]
 - Improvement district 
August 31, 1995
 - Specialized municipalityJuly 20, 2001
Government
[2]
 • MayorRichard Ireland
 • Governing bodiesJasper Municipal Council and Parks Canada
 • MPSee Yellowhead
 • MLASee West Yellowhead
Area
 (2021)[3]
 • Land921.9 km2 (355.9 sq mi)
Elevation
[4]
1,060 m (3,480 ft)
Population
 (2021)[3]
 • Total4,738
 • Density5.1/km2 (13/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−7 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−6 (MDT)
Postal code span
T0E
Area code(s)+1-780, +1-587
Highways
WaterwaysAthabasca River
Miette River
RailwaysCanadian National Railway
Websitejasper-alberta.com Edit this at Wikidata

Jasper is a specialized municipality and townsite in western Alberta within the Canadian Rockies. The townsite is in the Athabasca River valley and is the commercial centre of Jasper National Park.

History

The Jasper Information Centre
The Jasper Welcome Sign at the north entrance to town, 2022.
Jasper, 1920

Established in 1813, Jasper House was first a fur trade outpost of the North West Company, and later Hudson's Bay Company, on the York Factory Express trade route to what was then called "New Caledonia" (now British Columbia) and Fort Vancouver on the lower Columbia River.[5] Jasper House was 35 km north of today's town of Jasper.

Jasper Forest Park was established in 1907. The railway siding at the location of the future townsite was established by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1911 and originally named Fitzhugh after a Grand Trunk vice president[6] (along the Grand Trunk's "alphabet" line). The Canadian Northern Railway began service to its Jasper Park station in 1912, about 700 m from GTP's Fitzhugh station.[7] The townsite was surveyed in 1913 by H. Matheson.[7] It was renamed Jasper after the former fur trade post. An internment camp was set up at Dominion Park in Jasper from February 1916 to August 1916.[8]

Jasper Forest Park was renamed Jasper National Park in 1930. By 1931, Jasper was accessible by road from Edmonton. In 1940, the scenic Icefields Parkway opened, connecting Jasper to Lake Louise and Banff in Banff National Park.

The first step towards incorporation of Jasper occurred on August 31, 1995, when the Jasper Improvement District was formed from a portion of Improvement District No. 12 (Jasper National Park).[9] The improvement district was subsequently incorporated as a specialized municipality under the name of the Municipality of Jasper on July 20, 2001.[9] The incorporation order established the Jasper townsite as the Town of Jasper[10] and the surrounding balance of the specialized municipality as a rural service area that was deemed equivalent to a municipal district.[11]

Geography

Downtown Jasper

The Municipality of Jasper is in the western portion of the province of Alberta within Jasper National Park.[12] It borders the province of British Columbia to the west and Improvement District No. 12 to the north, east, and south.[12] The Athabasca River, which originates from the Columbia Icefield, meanders northward through the municipality.[12] The Miette River, Maligne River, and Snaring River all discharge into the Athabasca River within the Municipality of Jasper's limits.[12]

The Jasper townsite, which is approximately 362 kilometres (225 mi) west of Edmonton, 290 kilometres (180 mi) north of Banff, and 28 kilometres (17 mi) east of the Yellowhead Pass, is at the intersection of Highway 16 (Yellowhead Highway) and Highway 93 (Icefields Parkway). It is near the confluence of the Athabasca River and Miette River. It lies between the Victoria Cross Ranges (northwest), Pyramid Mountain (north), Maligne Range (southeast) and Trident Ridge (southwest). Lakes near the Jasper townsite include Pyramid Lake, Patricia Lake, Lake Annette, Lake Edith, Lac Beauvert, Maligne Lake, and Medicine Lake.

Localities

The following localities are located within the Municipality of Jasper.[13][14]

Climate

Jasper experiences a borderline Humid Continental/Subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb/Dfc). The highest temperature ever recorded in Jasper was 41.2 °C (106 °F) on June 30, 2021. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −47.2 °C (−53 °F) on January 24, 1916.[15]

Summers in Jasper are pleasant, with daily highs usually around 21.1 °C (70 °F) and lows around 7.2 °C (45 °F). Winters are cold, though may be considered mild by Canadian standards, with daily highs around −2.2 °C (28 °F) and lows around −11.7 °C (11 °F).

Climate data for Jasper, 1981−2010 normals, extremes 1914−present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 13.3
(55.9) 		16.5
(61.7) 		20.8
(69.4) 		26.5
(79.7) 		30.4
(86.7) 		41.2
(106.2) 		39.4
(102.9) 		35.0
(95.0) 		33.7
(92.7) 		27.2
(81.0) 		18.0
(64.4) 		15.0
(59.0) 		41.2
(106.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −3.3
(26.1) 		−0.4
(31.3) 		5.7
(42.3) 		10.9
(51.6) 		16.1
(61.0) 		19.6
(67.3) 		21.9
(71.4) 		21.7
(71.1) 		16.7
(62.1) 		10.0
(50.0) 		0.4
(32.7) 		−4.7
(23.5) 		9.6
(49.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) −8
(18) 		−5.8
(21.6) 		−0.4
(31.3) 		4.5
(40.1) 		9.4
(48.9) 		13.1
(55.6) 		15.2
(59.4) 		14.6
(58.3) 		10.0
(50.0) 		4.4
(39.9) 		−4
(25) 		−9.1
(15.6) 		3.6
(38.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −12.7
(9.1) 		−11.2
(11.8) 		−6.5
(20.3) 		−2
(28) 		2.6
(36.7) 		6.6
(43.9) 		8.4
(47.1) 		7.4
(45.3) 		3.2
(37.8) 		−1.3
(29.7) 		−8.3
(17.1) 		−13.5
(7.7) 		−2.3
(27.9)
Record low °C (°F) −47.2
(−53.0) 		−43.3
(−45.9) 		−36.7
(−34.1) 		−28.9
(−20.0) 		−17.8
(0.0) 		−6.7
(19.9) 		−3.4
(25.9) 		−3
(27) 		−12.2
(10.0) 		−28.7
(−19.7) 		−38.8
(−37.8) 		−43.9
(−47.0) 		−47.2
(−53.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 23.4
(0.92) 		14.3
(0.56) 		16.8
(0.66) 		19.7
(0.78) 		31.1
(1.22) 		51.0
(2.01) 		63.8
(2.51) 		64.5
(2.54) 		33.7
(1.33) 		30.5
(1.20) 		24.4
(0.96) 		19.5
(0.77) 		392.6
(15.46)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 6.1
(0.24) 		3.8
(0.15) 		6.2
(0.24) 		13.2
(0.52) 		30.4
(1.20) 		50.4
(1.98) 		63.8
(2.51) 		64.6
(2.54) 		32.2
(1.27) 		23.1
(0.91) 		9.4
(0.37) 		2.2
(0.09) 		305.2
(12.02)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 23.9
(9.4) 		14.7
(5.8) 		15.0
(5.9) 		8.1
(3.2) 		0.75
(0.30) 		0.57
(0.22) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		2.5
(1.0) 		9.3
(3.7) 		20.8
(8.2) 		24.4
(9.6) 		120.0
(47.2)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 10.6 7.9 8.1 8.9 11.1 13.9 14.1 14.7 10.5 9.8 10.4 9.6 129.6
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 1.7 1.5 2.6 6.0 10.9 13.9 14.1 14.7 10.0 7.7 2.9 0.8 86.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 9.9 7.1 6.8 4.1 0.73 0.07 0.0 0.0 0.60 2.7 8.4 9.5 49.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours 71.7 98.4 164.4 199.6 227.1 226.1 251.5 237.3 177.2 131.0 71.8 56.5 1,912.5
Percent possible sunshine 28.2 35.5 44.8 47.8 46.4 44.8 49.6 51.9 46.4 39.7 27.4 23.7 40.5
Source: Environment Canada[16][17][18][19]
[20]

Demographics

Federal census
population history
YearPop.±%
19913,567—    
19964,301+20.6%
20014,180−2.8%
20064,265+2.0%
20114,432+3.9%
20164,590+3.6%
20214,738+3.2%
Source: Statistics Canada[21][22][23][24][25][3]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Municipality of Jasper had a population of 4,738 living in 1,674 of its 1,910 total private dwellings, a change of 3.2% from its 2016 population of 4,590. With a land area of 921.9 km2 (355.9 sq mi), it had a population density of 5.1/km2 (13.3/sq mi) in 2021.[3]

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Municipality of Jasper had a population of 4,590 living in 1,576 of its 1,702 total private dwellings, a change of 3.6% from its 2011 population of 4,432. With a land area of 924.06 km2 (356.78 sq mi), it had a population density of 5.0/km2 (12.9/sq mi) in 2016.[25]

Municipality of Jasper population breakdown – 2011 municipal census[26][27]
Component Permanent
population 		Shadow
population 		Total
population
Town of Jasper unpublished 4,152
Rural service area unpublished 1,084
Total Municipality of Jasper 4,584 652 5,236

The population of the Municipality of Jasper according to its 2011 municipal census is 5,236,[26] a change of 10.3% over its 2008 municipal census population of 4,745.[28] Jasper's 2011 population of 5,236 comprises 4,584 permanent and 652 non-permanent residents,[26] while its 2007 census counted 4,235 permanent and 510 non-permanent residents.[28]

Attractions

The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, the Marmot Basin ski resort, and the Jasper Skytram, which carries visitors to The Whistlers' summit, are all near the townsite. Within the Jasper townsite are the heritage building of the Jasper Visitor Centre, the heritage building St. Mary & St. George Anglican Church, and the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives.

Government

Governance of Jasper is shared between the municipality and Parks Canada, an agency of the federal government.[29]

Infrastructure

Transportation

Jasper railway station, seen from Connaught Drive
Two Goldleaf double-deck panorama cars of the Rocky Mountaineer in the station of Jasper

Jasper railway station is served by Via Rail with two passenger services. The Canadian and the Jasper–Prince Rupert train both operate three times per week.[30]

Jasper Airport is located 7.2 nautical miles (13.3 km; 8.3 mi) north of Jasper.

Education

The Grande Yellowhead Public School Division No. 77 operates two schools in Jasper: Jasper Elementary School (K–6 English & French Immersion) and Jasper Junior Senior High School (7–12 English & French Immersion), while Greater North Central Francophone Education Region No. 2 operates a francophone school called École Desrochers for kindergarten through grade 12.

Media

Newspapers

Radio

Frequency Call sign Branding Format Owner Notes
FM 92.3 CJAG-FM The Lone Wolf Active rock Athabasca Hotel Rebroadcaster of CFBR-FM (Edmonton)
FM 95.5 CFXP-FM Real Country West Country music Stingray Group Rebroadcaster of CFXE-FM (Edson)
FM 98.1 CBXJ-FM CBC Radio One Talk radio, public radio Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Rebroadcaster of CBX (Edmonton)

Television

OTA channel Call sign Network Notes
11 (VHF) CFRN-TV-11 CTV Rebroadcaster of CFRN-DT (Edmonton)

Sister cities

Notable people

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jasper, Alberta.

References

  1. ^ Alberta Municipal Affairs (September 17, 2010). "Municipal Profile – Municipality of Jasper". Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  2. ^ "Municipal Officials Search". Alberta Municipal Affairs. May 9, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities)". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  4. ^ "Alberta Private Sewage Systems 2009 Standard of Practice Handbook: Appendix A.3 Alberta Design Data (A.3.A. Alberta Climate Design Data by Town)" (PDF) (PDF). Safety Codes Council. January 2012. pp. 212–215 (PDF pages 226–229). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  5. ^ Parks Canada - Jasper House National Historic Site Archived September 10, 2012, at archive.today
  6. ^ "Jasper Alberta Information Centre History".
  7. ^ a b Lothian, W.F. (1987). A Brief History of Canada's National Parks. Environment Canada.
  8. ^ "Internment Camps in Canada during the First and Second World Wars, Library and Archives Canada". June 11, 2014.
  9. ^ a b "Location and History Profile – Municipality of Jasper" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  10. ^ "Order in Council 279/2001" (PDF). Government of Alberta. July 24, 2001. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  11. ^ "Jasper Sustainable Community Plan" (PDF). Municipality of Jasper and Parks Canada. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  12. ^ a b c d 2021 Provincial Base Map: Municipalities (PDF) (Map). Alberta Environment and Parks. July 26, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  13. ^ "Economic Regions - SGC 2006 (4815033 - Jasper)". Statistics Canada. November 27, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  14. ^ Geo-Administrative Areas (Hamlet, Locality and Townsite Culture Points) (Geodatabase layer) (Map). AltaLIS. October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2021.((cite map)): CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  15. ^ "Daily Data Report for January 1916". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. October 31, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  16. ^ "Jasper, Alberta". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment Canada. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  17. ^ "Jasper". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. October 31, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  18. ^ "Daily Data Report for July 2021". Canadian Climate Data. Environment and Climate Change Canada. October 31, 2011. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  19. ^ "Jasper Warden". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. October 31, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  20. ^ "Daily Data Report for September 2022". Canadian Climate Data. Environment and Climate Change Canada. October 31, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  21. ^ "Table 10: Population and Dwelling Counts, for Census Divisions, Census Subdivisions (Municipalities) and Designated Places, 1991 and 1996 Censuses – 100% Data". 96 Census. Vol. A National Overview – Population and Dwelling Counts. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1997. pp. 136–146. ISBN 0-660-59283-5.
  22. ^ "Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, and Census Divisions, 2001 and 1996 Censuses - 100% Data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  23. ^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. January 6, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  24. ^ "Corrections and updates". Statistics Canada. August 13, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  25. ^ a b "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  26. ^ a b c "2011 Municipal Affairs Population List" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. October 5, 2010. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  27. ^ "Municipality of Jasper Regular Meeting Agenda, Tuesday, September 6, 2011 (Agenda Item 7.1)" (PDF). Municipality of Jasper. September 6, 2011. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  28. ^ a b "2010 Official Population List" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. September 15, 2010. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  29. ^ Municipality of Jasper Archived May 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine - Governance
  30. ^ Via Rail. "Jasper station". Retrieved June 22, 2007.
  31. ^ "Sister City". Archived from the original on August 15, 2009. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  32. ^ "Loni Klettl". Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  33. ^ NHL Players from Jasper, Alberta | QuantHockey.com Retrieved on March 19, 2011

External links

Places adjacent to Jasper, Alberta
Subdivisions of Alberta
Canadian Rockies
Categories