Jasper Forest Park was established in 1907. The railway divisional point at the location of the future townsite was established by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1911 and originally named Fitzhugh after a Grand Trunk vice president[6] (along the Grand Trunk's "alphabet" line). The Canadian Northern Railway began service to its Jasper Park station in 1912, about 700 m from GTP's Fitzhugh station.[7] The townsite was surveyed in 1913 by H. Matheson.[7] It was renamed Jasper after the former fur trade post. An internment camp was set up at Dominion Park in Jasper from February 1916 to August 1916.[8]
Jasper Forest Park was renamed Jasper National Park in 1930. By 1931, Jasper was accessible by road from Edmonton. In 1940, the scenic Icefields Parkway opened, connecting Jasper to Lake Louise and Banff in Banff National Park.
The first step towards incorporation of Jasper occurred on August 31, 1995, when the Jasper Improvement District was formed from a portion of Improvement District No. 12 (Jasper National Park).[9] The improvement district was subsequently incorporated as a specialized municipality under the name of the Municipality of Jasper on July 20, 2001.[9] The incorporation order established the Jasper townsite as the Town of Jasper[10] and the surrounding balance of the specialized municipality as a rural service area that was deemed equivalent to a municipal district.[11]
The Jasper wildfire began on July 22, 2024 and destroyed significant parts of the town.[12][13]
Geography
The Municipality of Jasper is in the western portion of the province of Alberta within Jasper National Park.[14] It borders the province of British Columbia to the west and Improvement District No. 12 to the north, east, and south.[14] The Athabasca River, which originates from the Columbia Icefield, meanders northward through the municipality.[14] The Miette River, Maligne River, and Snaring River all discharge into the Athabasca River within the Municipality of Jasper's limits.[14]
Jasper experiences a borderline Humid Continental/Subarctic climate (Köppen climate classificationDfb/Dfc). The highest temperature ever recorded in Jasper was 41.2 °C (106 °F) on June 30, 2021. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −47.2 °C (−53 °F) on January 24, 1916.[17]
Summers in Jasper are pleasant, with daily highs usually around 21.1 °C (70 °F) and lows around 7.2 °C (45 °F). Winters are cold, though may be considered mild by Canadian standards, with daily highs around −2.2 °C (28 °F) and lows around −11.7 °C (11 °F).
Climate data for Jasper, 1981−2010 normals, extremes 1914−present
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Municipality of Jasper had a population of 4,738 living in 1,674 of its 1,910 total private dwellings, a change of 3.2% from its 2016 population of 4,590. With a land area of 921.9 km2 (355.9 sq mi), it had a population density of 5.1/km2 (13.3/sq mi) in 2021.[3]
In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Municipality of Jasper had a population of 4,590 living in 1,576 of its 1,702 total private dwellings, a change of 3.6% from its 2011 population of 4,432. With a land area of 924.06 km2 (356.78 sq mi), it had a population density of 5.0/km2 (12.9/sq mi) in 2016.[27]
Municipality of Jasper population breakdown – 2011 municipal census[28][29]
Component
Permanent population
Shadow population
Total population
Town of Jasper
unpublished
4,152
Rural service area
unpublished
1,084
Total Municipality of Jasper
4,584
652
5,236
The population of the Municipality of Jasper according to its 2011 municipal census is 5,236,[28] a change of 10.3% over its 2008 municipal census population of 4,745.[30] Jasper's 2011 population of 5,236 comprises 4,584 permanent and 652 non-permanent residents,[28] while its 2007 census counted 4,235 permanent and 510 non-permanent residents.[30]
^"Table 10: Population and Dwelling Counts, for Census Divisions, Census Subdivisions (Municipalities) and Designated Places, 1991 and 1996 Censuses – 100% Data". 96 Census. Vol. A National Overview – Population and Dwelling Counts. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1997. pp. 136–146. ISBN0-660-59283-5.