Few in the media seem to portray the whole giant "Athabasca Tar Sands" as little more than an irritant to Obama. After all why send good money to the middle east with all its political troubles when we can send it to our "neighbors to the north" and obtain a reliable source of energy. The former Liberal Party Prime Minister of Canada once explained to George Bush jr. If we can give you a reliable source of oil , without political strife at less cost than you could - why wouldn't you buy it ? Fort McMurray with the historic "Athabasca Tar Sands" has emerged as Alberta's and Canada's pot of gold in the energy dependency field that we all live in 2013/2014. Things can only get better and more prosperous both for Alberta , Fort Mc Murray and the Edmonton based economic hinterlands.
Famous for the reaches of the Athabsasca Tar Sandsas well as large pipeline sectors of natural gas, Fort McMurray also boasts of forestry, tourism, and retail business. At one time a Ford auto dealer from Gimli chanced upon the place after reading about it on the plane This was early on its early oil industry discovery. There was just something about a boom town in the air he noted years later. At that point in time the area was virtually just a dot on the map of what wast to come . The population of Fort Mc Murray Alberta is less than 65, 000 and is a multicultural community. Half of its population is made up by native Albertans while about 20% are settlers from Newfoundland and Labrador. The city is one of the major hubs in oil production and houses two of the largest oil sand mining organizations Suncor Energy and Syncrude.
Although now locals or even those bragging about the great potential of the place will tell you that "You can still get a house in McMurray for $ 600,000 real estate prices are staggering . You have to live somewhere so speak and that large outlay gets you little more than a matchbox. Some tradespeople knowing the boom and bust nature of oil towns - and without kids and a family to be had - drive up with a motor home in tow and purchase or rent a pad at a mobile home park. That being said even a trailer home park rental pad is not inexpensive either by any means. Fort McMurray Alberta has pleasant summers when the temperature ranges between 10 to 16 degrees centigrade but the winters can be quite cold with the temperatures reaching -18. 8 degrees centigrade and an average snowfall of up to 61. 3 inches. Situated in the boreal forest where the Clearwater River and the Athabasca River meet, it is at a distance of 37 miles (60 kms) on the Westside of Saskatchewan and about 270 miles (435 kms) northeast of Edmonton's highway 63.
There is no doubt about it. Even with the additions to the economy of tourism , pulp and paper and being a well situated regional transport hub , Fort McMurray is basically a one industry mining town. In this case the mineral is black gold - oil - extracted by steam from mined "tar sands".
In the end it can be said that Fort McMurray region is experiencing a great boom time with the advent of the processing of the Athabasca tar sands. Alberta and Albertans as a whole will benefit. The locals of Fort McMurray and the regions are benefiting. The American consumer and auto drivers - be they car , truck , SUV , transport trailer or bus will benefit from sustained and reliable gasoline , fuel oil and heating supplies. But will the whole Fort McMurray region continue to prosper and sustain its growth and charm over the long run ?
Famous for the reaches of the Athabsasca Tar Sandsas well as large pipeline sectors of natural gas, Fort McMurray also boasts of forestry, tourism, and retail business. At one time a Ford auto dealer from Gimli chanced upon the place after reading about it on the plane This was early on its early oil industry discovery. There was just something about a boom town in the air he noted years later. At that point in time the area was virtually just a dot on the map of what wast to come . The population of Fort Mc Murray Alberta is less than 65, 000 and is a multicultural community. Half of its population is made up by native Albertans while about 20% are settlers from Newfoundland and Labrador. The city is one of the major hubs in oil production and houses two of the largest oil sand mining organizations Suncor Energy and Syncrude.
Although now locals or even those bragging about the great potential of the place will tell you that "You can still get a house in McMurray for $ 600,000 real estate prices are staggering . You have to live somewhere so speak and that large outlay gets you little more than a matchbox. Some tradespeople knowing the boom and bust nature of oil towns - and without kids and a family to be had - drive up with a motor home in tow and purchase or rent a pad at a mobile home park. That being said even a trailer home park rental pad is not inexpensive either by any means. Fort McMurray Alberta has pleasant summers when the temperature ranges between 10 to 16 degrees centigrade but the winters can be quite cold with the temperatures reaching -18. 8 degrees centigrade and an average snowfall of up to 61. 3 inches. Situated in the boreal forest where the Clearwater River and the Athabasca River meet, it is at a distance of 37 miles (60 kms) on the Westside of Saskatchewan and about 270 miles (435 kms) northeast of Edmonton's highway 63.
There is no doubt about it. Even with the additions to the economy of tourism , pulp and paper and being a well situated regional transport hub , Fort McMurray is basically a one industry mining town. In this case the mineral is black gold - oil - extracted by steam from mined "tar sands".
In the end it can be said that Fort McMurray region is experiencing a great boom time with the advent of the processing of the Athabasca tar sands. Alberta and Albertans as a whole will benefit. The locals of Fort McMurray and the regions are benefiting. The American consumer and auto drivers - be they car , truck , SUV , transport trailer or bus will benefit from sustained and reliable gasoline , fuel oil and heating supplies. But will the whole Fort McMurray region continue to prosper and sustain its growth and charm over the long run ?
About the Author:
If only the environmentalists in San Fransisco would stop harping about filthy oil there would be tons more development than just Abasand Heights, Beacon Hill, Gregoire, Lower Townsite, Thickwood Heights, Timberlea and Waterways parts of this booming city.