Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert is a community in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's north coast, and home to some 15,302 people (Statistics Canada, 2001).
Location
At 54°19'N, 130°19'W, Prince Rupert is situated on Kaien Island (approximately 770 km north of Vancouver), just north of the mouth of Skeena River, and linked by a short bridge to the mainland.
At the west end of Trans-Canada Highway 16 (the Yellowhead Highway), Prince Rupert is approximately 150 km west of Terrace, and 725 km west of Prince George.
Time zone
Prince Rupert is in the
Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8),
and observes Daylight Savings Time from April to October.
Neighbouring communities
By virtue of location, Prince Rupert is the gateway to many destinations:
- Dodge Cove (1 km west)
- Metlakatla (5 km west)
- Port Edward (15 km south)
- Port Simpson (30 km northwest)
- Oona River (43 km southwest)
- Kitkatla (65 km south)
- Kisumkalum (140 km east)
- Kitselas (142 km east)
- Terrace (150 km east)
- Hartley Bay (157 km southeast)
The Queen Charlotte Islands are to the west of Prince Rupert, across the Hecate Strait. Alaska is 49 nautical miles (90 km) north of Prince Rupert.
History
Prince Rupert's history starts with the Tsimshian people.
Prince Rupert was founded by Charles Melville Hays, the general manager
of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, who died on April 14, 1912 on
RMS Titanic. Mount Hays, the single mountain on Kaien Island, is
named in his honour, as is a local high school, Charles Hays Secondary School.
Prince Rupert was incorporated on March 10, 1910, and is named
after Prince Rupert of the Rhine.
Population
Statistics Canada has recorded the following population counts in their
censuses. Census agglomerations are listed in parentheses.
- 2001 - 14,643 (15,302)
- 1996 - 16,714 (17,414)
- 1991 - (17,359)
Government
The current mayor of Prince Rupert is Herb Pond.
Industry
Prince Rupert relies on the fishing industry, pulp mill, port, and tourism.
Seaport
Prince Rupert's sheltered seaport is the deepest natural ice-free
harbour in North America, and third in the world. Situated at
54° North, the Port of Prince Rupert is North America's closest port
to Asia, by some 440 miles.
Airport
Prince Rupert's airport (YPR/CYPR) is located on Digby Island. Its position
is 54°17'10"N, 130°26'41"W, and its elevation is 35 metres above sea
level. The airport comprises 1 runway, 1 passenger terminal, and 2 aircraft
stands.
Weather
Prince Rupert is known as "The City of Rainbows", as it is Canada's wettest city, with an annual precipitation of 2,500 mm (Statistics Canada, 1999).
