Grande Prairie

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

There are some locations within the city for music fans to enjoy, including downtown bars, like for instance the GPRC's Howler's Lounge. There are many festivals that take place within the city like summer-long festivals, which are organized and funded by charitable foundations and private individuals. The kind of its music scene has been dominated by punk, emo and metal bands. Among the more popular ones comprise The Goodbye Generation, the Emerson Drive, Reject, Damn Plastards, Calculating Collapse, and This Conviction. 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 numerous parks and golf courses, such as Muskoseepi Park that has an outdoor swimming pool, a pavilion, a cafeteria and an outdoor parks which transforms into a skating rink in the winter. There is likewise Crystal Lake, which has preserved wetlands for birdwatching and walking bike paths. The southern part of Grand Prairie also has foothills, and the Grande Cache is a popular place 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 called Kakwa Falls, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful falls.

The major businesses of the city are: agriculture, food services, forestry, gas and oil. Agriculture is considered to be an essential part of the local economy these days, and the different crops it produces are canola, oats, wheat, and barley -- especially in the Peace region. Buffalo, livestock and cattle are likewise a staple, and the mild weather of the region more than enables the farming culture to prosper continuously. gas and oil drilling is likewise an ongoing project at South Peace, and it did not begin to take place on a large scale until the late 1970's. The discovery and exploitation of the Elmworth gas field led the city to grow fast until the last oil boom ended during 1981. Forestry is also a major part of Grand Prairie's financial system, with huge tracts of forest within the Canadian Rockies and the south part of the foothills. Among its largest businesses is the Weyerhaeuser Canada kraft pulp mill. Various major players consist of Ainsworth OSB and Canfor.