Fort McMurray, Industrial center in northeastern Alberta, Canada
Fort McMurray is a locality within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in northeastern Alberta. The city sits where the Athabasca and Clearwater rivers meet, surrounded by thick forest and large oil sand deposits.
The Hudson's Bay Company founded a fur trading post at this site in 1870. The modern city emerged in the 1960s when large-scale oil sand extraction began.
The name honors a 19th-century Hudson's Bay Company trader called William McMurray. Today, the oil industry shapes daily life, drawing workers from across Canada and around the world who bring their own traditions to the community.
Fort McMurray International Airport links the region to larger Canadian cities. Highway 63 runs directly to Edmonton, roughly 435 kilometers (270 miles) to the southwest.
The Cree people knew the area long before European contact and used the oily material from the sands to waterproof their canoes. The Birchwood Trails network runs 135 kilometers (84 miles) through the surrounding wilderness, open for outdoor activities all year.
Location: Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
Inception: 1870
Elevation above the sea: 260 m
Shares border with: Wood Buffalo National Park
Website: http://rmwb.ca
GPS coordinates: 56.72639,-111.38028
Latest update: December 15, 2025 16:30
Gregoire Lake Provincial Park
29.5 kmStony Mountain Wildland Provincial Park
57.5 kmFort McMurray Oil Sands Interpretive Centre
795 m
Keyano Theatre & Arts Centre
2.4 kmGrant MacEwan Bridge
1.2 kmBoiler Rapids
48.3 kmCrooked Rapids
33 kmLittle Cascade Rapids
28.5 kmAthabasca River Bridge
1.2 kmRock Rapids
32.1 kmCascade Rapids
24.9 kmLong Rapids
39.6 kmMiddle Rapids
43.8 kmMoberly Rapids
1.7 km
Grant MacEwan Bridge
1.2 kmBeaver River Quarry Archaeological Site
46.3 kmQuarry of the Ancestors
53.2 kmMountain Rapids
10.7 kmWisdom
1.4 kmMiskanaw Golf Club
1.4 kmMiskanaw Golf Club Cubs Course
1.6 kmFort McMurray Golf Club
4.2 kmTruth
1.5 kmCourage
1.6 kmHumility
1.6 kmLove
1.3 kmRespect
1.3 kmHonesty
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