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 , 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, British Columbia (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 15, 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 . The current councillors of Prince Rupert are Jack Rudolph, Nelson Kinney, Ken Cote, Kathy Bedard, Paul Kennedy, and Tony Brigio.

District

Prince Rupert is the seat of the Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District .

Industry

Prince Rupert relies on the fishing industry, 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 , 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).

Communications

Telephone, mobile, and internet service were provided by CityTel (city-owned). Telus provides long-distance telephone service.

External links

• City of Prince Rupert
• Prince Rupert Pictures
• Prince Rupert Port Authority
• Prince Rupert Airport
• Northwest Community College (Prince Rupert Campus)
• School District 52 (Prince Rupert)
• Prince Rupert Secondary School
• Charles Hays Secondary School
• Prince Rupert Library