Wood Buffalo, Alberta

Wood Buffalo Location of Wood Buffalo in AlbertaCoordinates: 56°43′36″N 111°22′47″W / 56.72667, -111.37972Country Canada Province Alberta Region Northern Alberta Census division No. 16Established 1995 Incorporated 1996 Municipal Seat Fort McMurrayGovernment [1] - Governing body Wood Buffalo Council - Mayor Melissa Blake Area - Total 63,343 km² (24,456.9 sq mi) Population (2006)[2] - Total 51,496 - Density0.8/km² (2.1/sq mi) - Dwellings 20,505 Time zone MST(UTC-7) Website: Wood Buffalo

For the wood bison, see Wood Bison.

The regional municipality of Wood Buffalo is located in northeastern Alberta. Created in 1995 as an amalgamation of the community of Fort McMurray and Improvement District 143[3], it now ranks the largest in Canada by area. Underlying its 68,454 km² (26,430 sq mi) of wilderness lie vast oil sand deposits, also known as the Athabasca Tar Sands, helping to make the region one of the fastest growing industrial areas in Canada.

Until the Alberta electoral boundary re-distribution of 2004, the municipality was divided between the provincial electoral districts of Fort McMurray (the community itself) and Athabasca-Wabasca (the surrounding area). The re-distribution amalgamated the municipality into a single electoral district covering the entire municipality. As a result, the new Wood Buffalo electoral district became the most populous such district in Alberta.[citation needed]

1 List of communities in the Municipality of Wood Buffalo
- 1.1 Other communities
2 Demographics
3 References
4 External links

List of communities in the Municipality of Wood Buffalo

Main District

Fort McMurray

Hamlets

Anzac
Conklin
Fort Chipewyan
Fort Mackay
Gregoire Lake Estates
Janvier South
Saprae Creek

Other communities

Draper
Fort Fitzgerald
Mariana Lakes

Demographics

In 2001, the municipal district had a population of 41,466 in 14,793 dwellings, a 17.8% increase from 1996. On a surface area of 63,400.51 km² it had a density of 0.7 inhabitants/km². [4]

In 2006, Wood Buffalo had a population of 51,496 living in 20,505 dwellings, a 24.3% increase from 2001. The regional municipality has a land area of 63,342.89 km² (24,456.8 sq mi) and a population density of 0.8/km² (2.1/sq mi).[2]

More than 12% of residents identified as aboriginal at the time of the 2006 census.[5]

Nearly 85% of residents identified English, and 3% identified French, as their first language. The next most common languages are Cree, Spanish and Arabic at 1.2% each; Tagalog and Chinese at 0.8% each; Dene/Chipewyan and Urdu at 0.6% each, and German at 0.5%. [6]

Wood Buffalo is home to almost 2,000 recent immigrants (arriving between 2001 and 2006) who now make up more than 3% of the population. About 21% of these immigrants came from India, while about 10% came from each of Pakistan and the Philippines, and about 9% came from Venezuela, and about 8% from South Africa, about 6% from China, and about 3% came from Colombia.[7]

More than 80% of residents identified as Christian at the time of the 2001 census while almost 17% indicated they had no religious affiliation. For specific denominations Statistics Canada counted 15,880 Roman Catholics (37.4%), 4,985 Anglicans (11.7%), 4,225 for the United Church of Canada (9.9%), 1,730 Pentecostals (4.1%), 1,195 Baptists (2.8%), 965 for the Salvation Army (2.3%), 900 Lutherans (2.1%), 690 Muslims (1.6%), 350 Mormons (0.8%), and 320 Presbyterians (0.8%). [8]

References

^ Wood Buffalo. Council. Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
^ a b Statistics Canada (Census 2006). Wood Buffalo - Community Profile. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
^ Municipal Profile - Alberta Municipal Affairs
^ Wood Buffalo Municipality-community profile - Statistics Canada. 2002. 2001 Community Profiles. Released June 27, 2002. Last modified: 2005-11-30. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 93F0053XIE
^ Wood Buffalo. Aboriginal Identity (8), Sex (3) and Age Groups (12) for the Population of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census - 20% Sample Data. Statistics Canada (2008-01-15). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
^ Wood Buffalo. Detailed Mother Tongue (186), Knowledge of Official Languages (5), Age Groups (17A) and Sex (3) for the Population of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2001 and 2006 Censuses - 20% Sample Data. Statistics Canada (2007-11-20). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
^ Wood Buffalo. Immigrant Status and Period of Immigration (8) and Place of Birth (261) for the Immigrants and Non-permanent Residents of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census - 20% Sample Data. Statistics Canada (2007-12-04). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
^ Wood Buffalo. Religion (95A), Age Groups (7A) and Sex (3) for Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 1991 and 2001 Censuses - 20% Sample Data. Statistics Canada (2007-03-01). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.