Prince George is a city in British Columbia, Canada, located at the junction of the Fraser River and its tributary Nechako River . Its 2001 population was 72,406, making it the principal city of northern British Columbia. It is the seat of the Fraser-Fort George Regional District .

The town began as a fur trading post named Fort George, established in 1807 by Simon Fraser. The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (now CN Railway) came to the area in 1914, and in 1915 the City of Prince George was incorporated, named after Prince George, the thirteen year-old son of King George V. Growth was slow until the modernisation of the local sawmills and the construction of three pulp mills in the 1950s.

The mainstay of the economy is the forest industry, including logging, plywood manufacturing, sawmills, and pulp mills.

During the 1970s, there was talk that the provincial capital would be shifted from Victoria to Prince George, due to the latter's central location. Much of this enthusiasm for the city has died down; nevertheless, the Prince George has still managed to grow culturally with the recent addition of the University of Northern British Columbia in 1992.

It is also the treeplanting capital of British Columbia. Some refer to Prince George as "The Spruce Capital of the World." Others have more earthy nicknames for the city, however, as the smell of burning pulp and other mill pollution is instantly recognizable to anyone who calls Prince George home.

Sporting teams include the Prince George Cougars (the Western Hockey League), the Prince George Spruce Kings of the British Columbia Hockey League and the Prince George Secondary School Polars Boys' Soccer Team.

Famous people from Prince George include the writers Barry McKinnon and Brian Fawcett.

External links

• City of Prince George homepage
• Prince George Citizen newspaper
• University of Northern British Columbia homepage
• College of New Caledonia homepage
• Initiatives Prince George homepage
• PGMap - Online GIS
• http://www.sd57.bc.ca/Schools/Profiles/PVIE/