Ever since the Canadian explorer Alexander McKenzie repaired his canoe with tar derived from the Athabasca “Tar Sands” the Canadian province of Alberta always knew that they had a most wonderful asset for the future with a giant source of Alberta’s “black gold”.
Famous for its oil sands and pipeline sectors of natural gas, Fort McMurray also boasts of forestry, tourism, and retail business. The municipality holds great commercial potential and is well connected by road, rail and airways.
Canada’s population is accorded at 33 million , Alberta’s at 3.6 million basically 10 % of Canada’s population. Yet the city of Fort McMurray with a population of only 65,000 is a future economic dynamo when it comes to driving Canada’s and Alberta’s present and future economic and financial health and well being.
You might think that being in such an isolated area with lots of undeveloped land around that housing is inexpensive. Think again its a boom town with boom town sky-high house prices and apartment rents. On top of that “everything has to be trucked in” so the cost of goods and everyday essentials such as groceries is relatively high as well – compared to the distant major center of Edmonton.
What about climate. It is a matter of reasonable , even very nice summers but terribly cold – 40 degrees centigrade frigid type winters. Better have a working auto block heater for your vehicle – be it car or truck , if you are visiting the Fort come cold January or February weather conditions.
The downside of all of this prosperity that the Athabasca regional area is experiencing and enjoying is that the basis of the whole local economy is not diversified. Sure people may have other jobs , do other things and be in service industries – such as restaurants , bars , real estate or work in the health care fields in hospitals and clinics , yet in the end all the work and money is derived from the main industrial underpinning in the area – oil taken and extracted by high tech techniques of steam extraction of the mined Athabasca tar oil sands.
Fort McMurray Alberta offers a variety of fun and entertainment like 3-18 holes golf courses, billiard halls, bowling alleys, theatres, casinos, nightclubs and restaurants that cater to lower, medium and upper level incomes groups. Snowmobile tours, cross country skiing and ice fishing provide for excellent outdoor activities. Summer is the right time for hunting and fishing activities. Other events held at Fort McMurray Alberta include Blueberry festival, Famous Fish Fry, rubber duck race and many more.