Fort McMurray
Fort McMurray (/məkˈmʌri/ mək-MURR-ee) is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significant role in the development of the national petroleum industry. The 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire led to the evacuation of its residents and caused widespread damage.
Fort McMurray
McMurray (1947–1962) | |
|---|---|
Urban service area (hamlet) | |
| Fort McMurray Urban Service Area | |
Aerial view of Fort McMurray with Athabasca River | |
| Nicknames: "Fort Mac", "Fort McMoney" | |
| Motto: We Have The Energy | |
Fort McMurray Fort McMurray Fort McMurray | |
| Coordinates: 56°43′35″N 111°22′49″W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Region | Northern Alberta |
| Census division | 16 |
| Specialized municipality | RM of Wood Buffalo |
| Founded | 1870 |
| Incorporated | |
| • Village | May 6, 1947 |
| • Town | December 29, 1948 |
| • New town | June 30, 1964 |
| • City | September 1, 1980 |
| Name changed | June 1, 1962 |
| Amalgamated | April 1, 1995 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Sandy Bowman |
| • Governing body | Wood Buffalo Municipal Council
|
| • MP | Laila Goodridge (CPC) |
| • MLA |
|
| Area (2021) | |
| • Urban | 52.17 km2 (20.14 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 260 m (850 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Urban | 68,002 |
| • Urban density | 1,303.5/km2 (3,376/sq mi) |
| • Municipal census (2021) | 72,917 |
| See Demographics section for population counts from RM of Wood Buffalo's recent municipal censuses. | |
| Demonym(s) | McMurrians, McMurrayites |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| Forward sortation areas | T9H - T9K |
| Area code(s) | 780, 587, 825, 368 |
| Highways | 63, 69 |
| Waterways | Athabasca River, Clearwater River, Hangingstone River, Horse River |
| Website | RM of Wood Buffalo |
Formerly a city, Fort McMurray became an urban service area when it amalgamated with Improvement District No. 143 on April 1, 1995, to create the Municipality of Wood Buffalo (renamed the RM of Wood Buffalo on August 14, 1996). Despite its current official designation of urban service area, many locals, politicians and the media still refer to Fort McMurray as a city. Fort McMurray was known simply as McMurray between 1947 and 1962.