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Inuvik, which means “Place of Man” in Inuvialuktun, is built on what was traditionally considered no-man’s land – an area that separated the northern Inuvialuit and the southern Gwich’in populations.

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Before the town existed, the centre of the Western Arctic was the community of Aklavik, located to the west at the base of the Richardson Mountains. In the mid-1950’s, however, there was concern surrounding flooding and erosion in the Aklavik region. Survey teams soon began searching for a new location to act as the centre of the area.

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With proximity to a navigable river, access to wood, gravel and clean drinking water, and enough flat land to build an airport, the area then referred to as East Three was chosen. Construction began in 1955 and in January 1970 Inuvik officially became a town and, with that, Canada’s first and only one north of the Arctic Circle.

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The population of Inuvik grew quickly as many Inuvialuit, Gwich’in and southern Canadians moved to the new town. Later on, oil and gas, as well as military operations at the now defunct Canadian Forces base, also contributed to the swift development of the town. The population peaked at 4,200 in 1990.

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Today, Inuvik is still an exceptional community made up of people from all across the Delta region and throughout the entire world. No longer dependant on the oil and gas industry, both tourism and satellite technology have provided Inuvik with a path to its future.