13 Facts About Fort McMurray

Fort McMurray is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada.

The 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire led to the evacuation of its residents and caused widespread damage.

Formerly a city, Fort McMurray became an urban service area when it amalgamated with Improvement District No 143 on April 1,1995, to create the Municipality of Wood Buffalo .

Fort McMurray was known simply as McMurray between 1947 and 1962.

Fort McMurray was established there as a Hudson's Bay Company post by 1870, named for the Chief Factor William McMurray.

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Oil exploration is known to have occurred in the early 20th century, but Fort McMurray's population remained small, no more than a few hundred people.

Fort McMurray was granted the status of new town so it could get more provincial funding.

On May 3,2016, a large wildfire burning southwest of Fort McMurray resulted in the mandatory evacuation of the community.

Fort McMurray is the largest community in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

Neighbourhoods in Fort McMurray include Abasand Heights, Beacon Hill, Eagle Ridge, Grayling Terrace, Gregoire, Lower Townsite, Parsons Creek, Prairie Creek, Saline Creek, Stone Creek, Thickwood Heights, Dickinsfield, Timberlea, and Waterways.

Fort McMurray is considered the heart of one of Alberta's hubs of petroleum production, located near the Athabasca oil sands.

Fort McMurray Transit operates in the community, with routes that extend to all subdivisions on the south side and subdivisions on the north side.

Canada Post identified Fort McMurray as "having a particularly high cost to serve" in January 2014, and planned to institute a surcharge of $5.