North Battleford

North Battleford

North Battleford, Sask, incorporated as a city in 1913, population 13 888 (2011c), 13 190 (2006c). The City of North Battleford is located on the north bank of the North Saskatchewan River at its junction with the Battle River 140 km northwest of Saskatoon. In 1905 the main line of the CANADIAN NORTHERN RY worked its way across much of Saskatchewan. It had been anticipated that the line would be surveyed through the existing town of Battleford, but the railway crossed the river 5 km northwest of the former territorial capital.

A new town site, named North Battleford, was laid out in 1905. The community grew rapidly with many businesses and residents abandoning the older community and moving to the new rail centre. By 1913 North Battleford was granted city status. Growth was slow until the end of WWII, but the population doubled in the following decade. The city is a key distribution and receiving centre for northwest Saskatchewan's rich mixed farming, lumbering and fishing areas.