Grande Prairie

Grande Prairie is a city in the northwestern part of the province of Alberta in Western Canada. It is located on the southern edge of the Peace River Country (part of the Peace Country or simply "The Peace", as is often locally known, which encompasses much of northwestern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia). The city is surrounded by the County of Grande Prairie No. 1.

Grande Prairie was one of Canada's fastest growing cities between 2001 and 2006. As of its 2007 civic census, its population was 50,227, up 6.9% from the Canada 2006 Census figure of 47,076. As of 2006, the population of the Grande Prairie Census Agglomeration was at 71,868; the census agglomeration has now been expanded to cover the County of Grande Prairie No. 1 in its entirety. It is currently Alberta's seventh largest incorporated city by population.

Grande Prairie is the largest city between Edmonton and Fairbanks, Alaska on the route via Highway 43, the Alaska Highway, and the Richardson Highway. It lies about 460 km (290 mi) and 2,480 km (1,540 mi) from each city respectively.

The city has adopted the Trumpeter swan as an official symbol because it is near the migration route and summer nesting grounds of this large and graceful swan. For that reason, Grande Prairie is sometimes nicknamed the "Swan City".

Recently, due to some major paleontology discoveries in the area west of the City of Grande Prairie, the dinosaur has become an unofficial symbol.