Grande Prairie

Grand Prairie is the main city within the northwestern part of Alberta province in Western Canada. It is named after the prairie, that was first occupied by the Beaver First Nation bands who began their trade with the North West Company at Dunvegan in the early 1800's. In the year 1910, the Grand Prairie Townsite was sub-divided, and during 1912, it included a post office, a hotel, a land office, and a bank. In 1911, the Edson Trail from Edson to Grande Prairie was opened to help settlers reach Grande Prairie. This move led to the development of large scale settlements within the area, moving it further compared to other major farming regions within southern Canada. During the year 1914, Grande Prairie was incorporated as a village by Alberta province. The construction of Highway 43 during the year 1956 significantly cut down traveling time, which further enhanced Grand Prairie's accessibility and economy. It was incorporated as a City in the year 1958 with an estimated population of 7,600 during that time.

Those who are interested in music could visit numerous places in downtown bars, like for example the GPRC's Howler's Lounge. There are even summer-long festivals which are organized by charitable foundations and private individuals. The type of its music scene has been dominated by emo, metal and punk bands. Amongst the more popular ones consist of The Goodbye Generation, the Emerson Drive, Damn Plastards, Reject, This Conviction and Calculating Collapse. The Grand Prairie Live Theatre and the Douglas J. Cardinal Performing Arts Centre are great entertainment locations to see a reenactment of life's greatest stories.

The city has various outdoor recreational areas to take pleasure in, comprising a lot of golf courses and parks. One such park, Muskoseepi Park comprises a pavilion, a cafeteria an outdoor swimming pool, and an outdoor parks that converts into a skating rink in wintertime. One more notable park, Crystal Lake, has a preserved wetland utilized for walking bike paths and birdwatching. The southern part of Grand Prairie likewise has foothills, and the Grande Cache is a well-known site for hikers and snowmobilers all over the place. Kakwa Widland Park is on the Alberta-British Columbia Border, and it is a mountainous and magnificent area referred to as Kakwa Falls, that is considered to be amongst the most wonderful falls.

The major industries of the city are: forestry, agriculture, food services, oil, and gas. Agriculture is considered to be an important part of the local economy these days, and the various crops it produces are canola, oats, barley and wheat -- especially in the Peace region. Livestock, cattle and buffalo are likewise a staple, and the mild type of weather of the region more than enables the farming culture to prosper always. Oil and gas drilling is also an ongoing project at South Peace, and it did not start to happen on a large scale until the late nineteen seventies. The discovery and exploitation of the Elmworth gas field led the city to grow fast until the last oil boom ended in the year 1981. Forestry is also a major part of Grand Prairie's financial system, with huge tracts of forest in the Canadian Rockies and the south part of the foothills. Amongst its largest companies is the Weyerhaeuser Canada kraft pulp mill. Various major players comprise Canfor, and the Ainsworth OSB.