Welcome .....
I would like to tell you a little bit about where I live.
Inuvik is located in the Northwest
Territories; Inuvik is known as the Land of the Midnight Sun. The word Inuvik
means "place of people." Population: 2001 Census: 2894
Located in the centre of the community is a monument of a graceful curved form
which symbolizes the town's tri-racial charter; the Inuit, Dene, and the white
people are the three dominant races throughout the Northwest Territories. Most
of the Dene living in Inuvik today are Gwich'in (at one time there were called
Loucheux), and they are the most northerly of the five Dene tribes. The name
from their own language simply means "the people." To view the
monument click here
http://www.nnsl.com/inuvik/area.html.
Visit our Home Town Website click here:
http://www.town.inuvik.nt.ca/
Information on the Mayors address, town council meetings, bylaws, town staffing,
and more.
This is a picture of
Canada's famous Igloo Church located in Inuvik.
Community History
Inuvik was conceived by the Canadian
government in 1953. It was intended to replace the hamlet of Aklavik in the
Mackenzie Delta, which was subject to flooding and offered limited space for
expansion.
Originally the community was designated “East Three” by the survey parties who
spread over the Mackenzie Delta searching for town site locations. Of six sites
on the west side and six on the east side, East Three was chosen for its large
flat area, navigable waterway, tree cover and gravel supply.
The community was first named “New Aklavik” to reflect the transfer of
facilities from Aklavik. This caused confusion for the delivery of mail and
supplies, so the name ”Inuvik” was selected in 1958. In Inuvialuktun it means
“place of people.”
The years 1964 to 1970 were a period of adjustment as residents adapted to life
in the new community. In April, 1967, Inuvik achieved village status, and in
January 1970 it became a town with an elected mayor and council. And with
completion of the Dempster Highway in 1979, Inuvik became part of the Canadian
highway system.
Petroleum exploration in the Mackenzie Valley and Beaufort Sea provided
tremendous employment and business opportunities in the region beginning in
1971. These activities continued until 1990 when petroleum companies decided to
pull out because of disappearing government subsidies, low gas and oil prices,
and local resistance to resource development. Since 1999, oil and gas companies
have once again begun to explore for natural gas.
During the time that multi-national corporations were busy tapping petroleum
resources in the Mackenzie Delta, aboriginal organizations were gaining the
leverage they needed to settle their land claims with the Canadian government.
The Inuvialuit claim was settled in 1984 and the Gwich’in claim in 1992. Inuvik
is home to members and organizations of both groups.
Today, Inuvik is the administrative and commercial centre for Western Arctic and
is Canada’s largest community north of the Arctic Circle. The town’s population
peaked at 4,200 in 1990 at the end of the exploration boom, and now is at about
3,450.
Source: Canada’s Western Arctic (Handbook)
For a more detailed description of Inuvik
and other regions of the Northwest Territories visit the government's homepage:
http://www.gov.nt.ca/
