Prince George

Prince George's history started with the North West Company fur trading post of Fort George. In the year 1903, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railways' route will pass near Fort George's fur post. Because of this, developments followed, and two rival land speculation businesses built Central Fort George and South Fort George communities in the area. During 1964, Prince George Pulp was built followed by two more other pulp businesses. New schools and more houses were included to be able to keep up with the development, and ever since then, the city's population continues to increase to more than 70,000 people.

The city has opened the Prince George Field in the spring of the year 2006. The baseball facility is recognized as among the most unique diamonds in British Columbia. The Otway Nordic Centre, that is managed by the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club, is home to among the biggest Nordic ski clubs within the province. It has roughly 40 kms of groomed trails that are lit for evening skiing, a biathlon range and a 1,400 sq. ft. day lodge. Recreation facilities which are usually found are Aquatic Centre, multi-purpose arena, roller rinks, CN Centre, ice rinks, tennis courts, eight golf courses, lacrosse fields, soccer, baseball, parks and playgrounds. Four provincial parks in the region provide cross-county, downhill skiing and heli-skiing.

The cities largest summer event, the Prince George Exhibition, is held every month of August. The main attractions at this particular event consist of: horticulture and art exhibitions, trade show, food fair, and many others. One more festival, the Canadian Northern Children's Festival is geared towards kids offering children numerous opportunities for hands-on activity. It comprises roving performers, clowns, and face painting. The Snow Daze Winter Festival is held every month of February, and among the events to look forward to are OTL, bed races, Mr. PG Pageant, curling, snow golf and Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament. The Forest Expo gives information regarding the importance of trees and vegetation. It also features the latest in forest technology, services, and supplies. The Father's Day Show and Shine is held in downtown Prince George and showcases live performers and vintage and modern cars. The Prince George Folkfest is a folk music festival held every year at the Fort George Park (Fraser River). Its past guest artists include John Denver, Janis Ian, Matthew Good, and many others.

The main economy of Prince George is primarily dominated by the service trade. One more main economic player is education. Its major colleges and universities add roughly $800 million in the local economy each year. Forestry is also one of the major economic contributors in the city. All through the twentieth century, there have been numerous businesses that have invested in pulp mills, sawmills, and plywood manufacturing machinery. Other industries which contribute to the economy are brewery, dairy, chemical plants, aluminum boat building, value added forestry product, log home construction, and many others. Lots of speculators are predicting that mining exploration would be the next major economic player at Prince George, and Nechako Basin (that contains over 5 million barrels of oil) will be one of the most significant and important places in the future.