Chetwynd, British Columbia
Chetwynd is a district municipality located on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. It is the first town eastbound travellers encounter after emerging from the Rockies along Highway 97 and acts as the gateway to the Peace River Country. Home to approximately 2,600 residents, the population has increased little if at all since the 1980s but is significantly younger than the provincial average. Its economy is dominated by the primary industries of forestry, fossil fuel extraction, and transportation. The town is home to a Northern Lights College campus.
About Chetwynd, British Columbia in brief
Chetwynd is a district municipality located on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. It is the first town eastbound travellers encounter after emerging from the Rockies along Highway 97 and acts as the gateway to the Peace River Country. Once known as Little Prairie, the community adopted its current name in honour of provincial politician Ralph L. T. Chetwynd, just prior to its incorporation in 1962. Home to approximately 2,600 residents, the population has increased little if at all since the 1980s but is significantly younger than the provincial average. Its economy is dominated by the primary industries of forestry, fossil fuel extraction, and transportation. Highways 29 and 97 intersect in town; the east-west Highway 97 connect the town to Prince George and Dawson Creek while the north-south Highway 29 connects Tumbler Ridge and Hudson’s Hope. A rail line branches off in three directions: northward to Fort St. John, east to Dawson Creek, and west through the Rockies to PrinceGeorge. The town is home to a Northern Lights College campus. Nearby, there are four provincial parks, two lakes, and several recreational trails. The Canadian Forest Service’s Forestry Capital of Canada was declared in 1992. The community opened a rodeo ground and curling rink in 1963, a new library in 1967, and a sawmills in 1964 and 1971, respectively, which eventually became two of the town’s largest employers. The development of its forestry sector led to the town being declared the Canadian Forestry Service’s Forest Service’s Capital ofCanada in 1992, and the town was named the Canadian Forest Services’ Forest Service Capital of the Year in 1994.
The 64-square-kilometre municipality consists of the city, a community forest, and four exclave properties. It has dozens of chainsaw carvings displayed throughout town as public art. In early 1958, the first train ceremonially arrived in Little Prairie from Vancouver. Its load included pipe to symbolize natural gas development, steel railway track for the extension of the rail line, box cars for grain and lumber, and truck representing freight hauling along the Alaska Highway. The railway station inLittle Prairie was completed in 1959 and named after CheTwynd. In 1960, the waterworks district expanded its mandate to include garbage disposal, fire protection, lighting, street lighting, and firefighting. The first school was built in 1951. The John Hart Highway, named after former B.C. Premier John Hart, was completed in 1952; designated Highway 97S it stretches from Prince George to Dawson creek, with an intersection at Little Prairie. This was northeastern BC’s first connection with the rest of the province; previously a trip through the neighboring province of Alberta was required. Following the opening of the highway, businesses such as restaurants and service stations were opened in Little prairie to accommodate incoming workers and settlers. The town served as a transshipment point for the construction of hydroelectric dams in the 1960s.
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This page is based on the article Chetwynd, British Columbia published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 03, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
