30 "Only in Canada" Place Names
To celebrate its 30th anniversary, The Canadian Encyclopedia created 30 lists of 30 things that make us proud to be Canadian, from famous people and historic events, to iconic foods and influential artists.
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Create AccountTo celebrate its 30th anniversary, The Canadian Encyclopedia created 30 lists of 30 things that make us proud to be Canadian, from famous people and historic events, to iconic foods and influential artists.
Aklavik, NWT, incorporated as a hamlet in 1974, population 633 (2011c), 594 (2006c). The Hamlet of Aklavik is located near the mouth of the Mackenzie River, 1143 air km northwest of Yellowknife.
Alert Bay, BC, incorporated as a village in 1946, population 445 (2011c), 456 (2006c). The Village of Alert Bay is located on Cormorant Island, off Vancouver Island, 288 km north of Vancouver.
Ashcroft, BC, incorporated as a village in 1952, population 1628 (2011c), 1664 (2006c). The Village of Ashcroft is situated on a flat bench above the Thompson River in the dry belt of the interior of southern British Columbia, about 90 km west of Kamloops.
Atlin, BC, Unincorporated Place, elevation 671 m. Atlin is a small community of about 400 residents situated on Atlin Lake in the lake district of the northwest corner of the province, 182 kilometres southeast of Whitehorse, Yukon.
Baddeck, NS, incorporated as a village in 1950, population 769 (2011c), 873 (2006c). The Village of Baddeck is located on the north shore of Bras d'Or Lake, 60 km west of North Sydney.
Baker Lake (a.k.a. Qamani’tuaq), Nunavut, incorporated as a hamlet in 1977, population 2,069 (2016 census), 1,872 (2011 census). The hamlet of Baker Lake is located at the northwest end of Baker Lake, about 280 km west of the mouth of Chesterfield Inlet on Hudson Bay. The community is approximately at the geographic centre of Canada. Baker Lake is the only inland Inuit community in Nunavut.
Sheriff Alexander C. Macdonell, Selkirk's agent, struggled for years at considerable expense to the earl to make a success of the venture, but found the swampy land and the difficulty of sheep farming to be serious obstacles.
Balmoral, NB, incorporated as a village in 1972, population 1719 (2011c), 1706 (2006c). The Village of Balmoral is located in northern New Brunswick, 12 km southwest of Dalhousie and named for Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
Bas-Caraquet, NB, incorporated as a village in 1966, population 1380 (2011c), 1471 (2006c). The Village of Bas-Caraquet is located 7 km east of Caraquet.
Located just east of the Alaska-Yukon border, the settlement has a Canada Customs office, a landing strip, and service industries for travelers on the Alaska Highway. It is Canada's most westerly community.
Beaverlodge, AB, incorporated as a village in 1929 and as a town in 1956, population 2365 (2011c), 2264 (2006c).
Behchokò, NT, established as community government in 2005, population 1926 (2011c), 1894 (2006c). First known as Rae-Edzo, Behchokò is located near the North Arm of Great Slave Lake, 106 km northwest of Yellowknife.
Bella Coola, BC, Unincorporated Place, population 95 (2011c), 135 (2006c). Bella Coola is a small community situated on the north arm of Burke Channel, where Alexander Mackenzie first sighted the Pacific in 1793.
Belledune, NB, incorporated as a village in 1968, population 1548 (2011c), 1711 (2006c). The Village of Belledune was reincorporated in 1994 to include Jacquet River, Armstrong Brook, Archibald Settlement, Sunnyside, Becketville and Mitchell Settlement.
Borden, Sask, incorporated as a village in 1909, population 245 (2011c), 223 (2006c). The Village of Borden is located about 65 km northwest of Saskatoon. The village was originally named Baltimore but was renamed by the Canadian Northern Railway after Sir Frederick Borden.
Borden-Carleton, PEI, incorporated as a community in 1983, population 750 (2011c), 786 (2006c). The Community of Borden-Carleton was created in 1995 with the amalgamation of the town of Borden (incorporated in 1919) and the
Originally incorporated as a village in 1855 and as a city in 1890, it adopted the name of the township in which it is situated. The name is a historical reminder of the role played in 19th-century British politics by George Nugent Temple Grenville, 1st Marquis of Buckingham (1753-1813).
Burns Lake, BC, incorporated as a village in 1923, population 2029 (2011c), 2107 (2006c). The Village of Burns Lake is located on Highway 16 in the geographical centre of British Columbia on the Nechako Plateau, 226 km west of Prince George.