Prince George

Prince George is a city in North Central BC. The city was originally a fur trading post known as Fort George, controlled by the North West Company. The Grand Trunk Pacific Railways had a route running through Fort George during the year 1903. More development followed as two rival land speculators constructed the communities of Central Fort George and South Fort George. During the year 1964, Prince George Pulp was constructed followed by two more other pulp companies. More houses and new schools were included to keep up with the development, and since then, the population of the city continues to increase to more than 70,000 people.

During the spring of the year 2006, the city opened the Prince George Field, that is a baseball facility that is known as among the most unique diamonds within BC. Moreover, within the city is the Otway Nordic Centre, managed by one of the largest Nordic ski clubs within the province, the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club. It has approximately 40 kms of groomed trails that are lit for night skiing, a 1,400 sq. ft. day lodge, and a biathlon range. Recreation facilities which are commonly found are Aquatic Centre, multi-purpose arena, roller rinks, CN Centre, ice rinks, tennis courts, lacrosse fields, eight golf courses, soccer, baseball, playgrounds and parks. Four provincial parks in the region offer heli-skiing, cross-country and downhill skiing.

The Prince George Exhibition is the city's largest summer event. It is held each and every month of August, and its main attractions comprise: horticulture and art exhibitions, trade show, food fair, and several others. The Canadian Northern Children's Festival is a hands-on activity intended for children. It comprises clowns, face painting and roving performers. The Snow Daze Winter Festival is held each February, and some of the events to look forward to are bed races, OTL, Mr. PG Pageant, curling, snow golf and Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament. The Forest Expo gives information about the significance of vegetation and trees. It even showcases the latest in forest services, supplies and technology. The Father's Day Show and Shine is held in downtown Prince George and showcases live performers and modern and vintage cars. The Prince George Folkfest is a folk music festival held yearly at the Fort George Park (Fraser River). Its previous guest artists consist of John Denver, Janis Ian, Matthew Good, and many others.

The main economy of Prince George is mainly dominated by the service trade. Another major economic player is education. Its major universities and colleges add approximately $800 million in the local economy each and every year. Forestry is likewise among the major economic contributors within the city. Throughout the 20th century, there have been numerous businesses that have invested in sawmills, pulp mills, and plywood manufacturing machines. Various industries which contribute to the economy are brewery, dairy, aluminum boat building, chemical plants, log home construction, value added forestry product, and many others. A lot of speculators are predicting that mining exploration will be the next major economic player at Prince George, and Nechako Basin (that contains more than 5 million barrels of oil) would be amongst the most significant and important places in the future.