Prince George is home to the Northern Medical Program.
The traditional home of the Lheidli T’enneh and Carrier Sekani First Nations people, Prince George, with a population of just over 70,000, is the largest city in northern BC and is widely known as the capital of northern British Columbia.
The tourism opportunities in northern BC are truly world-class, but what do you expect when the land encompasses more than half of BC? In fact, the North totals roughly two-thirds of the province and fills it full of friendly people and diverse culture.
The land is incredibly diverse: it rolls across the prairie-like Peace country, climbs the jagged Rocky Mountains, stretches over the northern tundra, and extends to the coastal rain forest. The North is also home to four of BC’s five largest river systems: the Fraser, Peace Liard, and Skeena.
For thousands of years, First Nations have lived in the area around the meeting point of the Nechako River and BC’s greatest river, the Fraser – a natural staging point for river trade and transportation by the Lheidli T’enneh people.
The origins of the name “Prince George” can be traced to the North West Company’s fur trading post of Fort George, founded by Simon Fraser in 1807. That post was named for King George III. When the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway required a name for its new townsite near Fort George, it wished to keep continuity with the fur post name but also to distinguish it from nearby rival townsites, South Fort George and Central Fort George. It decided upon Prince George to honour the Duke of Kent. The popularity of the name was confirmed by plebiscite during the first municipal elections in 1915.
Today Prince George is home to a multicultural mosaic that represents a broad mix of peoples from across the globe. Luckily, our local museums and historic sites allow you to get a firsthand glimpse into the lives of our ancestors. Visit The Exploration Place and dig through the archives, stop in at the Railway and Forestry Museum to learn about our industry ties, and drive out to Huble Homestead to learn what it was like to live without today’s modern luxuries.
Helpful Information about Prince George
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