Editing Yellowknife

{{Short description|Capital city of the Northwest Territories, Canada}}
{{about|the city in Canada}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{use Canadian English|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Yellowknife
| official_name      = City of Yellowknife
| settlement_type    = [[List of municipalities in the Northwest Territories|City]]
| native_name        = {{native name|dgr|Sǫǫ̀mbak'è}}
| nickname           = [[List of city nicknames in Canada#Northwest Territories|"YK", "The Knife"]]
| motto              = "Multum In Parvo"
| image_skyline      = {{photomontage|size = 250
| spacing                       = 2
| color                         = white
| color_border                  = white
| photo1a                       = Downtown Yellowknife 2 second version.jpg
| photo2a                       = Old town and Dettah.JPG
| photo2b                       = Aurora at Yellowknife, Canada 2014.jpg
| photo3a                       = Late April on Yellowknife Bay, NWT, Canada..JPG}}
| image_caption      = From top left: Downtown Yellowknife, [[Great Slave Lake]] from Old Town, [[Aurora|Aurora borealis]] over Yellowknife, houseboats on Yellowknife Bay in winter
| image_flag         = Flag of Yellowknife, NWT.svg
| flag_size          = 110px
| image_shield       = City of Yellowknife CoA.svg
| shield_size        = 80
| image_blank_emblem = YellowknifeNWTLogo.svg
| blank_emblem_type  = Logo
| pushpin_map        = Canada Northwest Territories#Canada
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the Northwest Territories##Location in Canada
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = Canada
| subdivision_type1  = [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Territory]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{nowrap|[[Northwest Territories]]}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of regions of the Northwest Territories|Region]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[North Slave Region]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[Electoral district (Canada)|Constituencies]]
| subdivision_name3  = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|Districts}}|bullets=y|[[Frame Lake (electoral district)|Frame Lake]]|[[Great Slave]]|[[Kam Lake]]|[[Range Lake]]|[[Yellowknife Centre]]|[[Yellowknife North]]|[[Yellowknife South]]}}
| subdivision_type4  = [[Census geographic units of Canada|Census division]]
| subdivision_name4  = [[Region 6, Northwest Territories|Region 6]]
| government_type    = [[Yellowknife City Council|City council]]
| leader_title       = [[List of mayors of Yellowknife|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Ben Hendriksen<ref name="mayor20125"/>
| leader_title1      = Administrator
| leader_name1       = Sheila Bassi-Kellett
| leader_title2      = [[Members of Parliament|MPs]]
| leader_name2       = [[Rebecca Alty]]
| leader_title3      = [[Members of the Legislative Assembly|MLAs]]
| leader_name3       = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|List of MLAs}}|bullets=y|[[Caitlin Cleveland]]|[[Caroline Cochrane]]|[[Julie Green]]|[[Rylund Johnson]]|[[Katrina Nokleby]]|[[Kevin O'Reilly (politician)|Kevin O'Reilly]]|[[Caroline Wawzonek]]}}
| established_title  = Established
| established_date   = 1934<ref name="about"/>
| established_title2 = Incorporation (municipality)<ref name=incorporation/>
| established_date2  = 1953
| established_title3 = Capital city<ref name=incorporation/>
| established_date3  = September 1967
| established_title4 = Incorporation (city)<ref name=incorporation/>
| established_date4  = 1970
| area_footnotes     = &nbsp;(land only)<ref name=2021census/>
| area_total_km2     = 134.15
| area_land_km2      = 103.37
| area_water_km2     = 30.78
| area_blank1_title  = [[Census geographic units of Canada#Population centres|Population centre]]
| area_blank1_km2    = 18.11
| population_as_of   = 2021
| population_footnotes = <ref name=2021census/><ref name=2021popcentYZF>{{cite web|url=https://census.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Yellowknife&DGUIDlist=2021S05101044&GENDERlist=1&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0 |title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Data table Yellowknife Northwest Territories [Population centre]|access-date=23 March 2022|date=30 January 2022}}</ref>
| population         = 20,340
| population_density_km2 = 196.8
| population_blank1_title = Population Centre
| population_blank1  = 19,673
| population_density_blank1_km2 = 1,086.3
| population_demonym = Yellowknifer
| timezone           = [[Mountain Time Zone|MST]]
| utc_offset         = −07:00
| coordinates        = {{coord|62|27|13|N|114|22|12|W|type:city_scale:50000_region:CA-NT|notes=<ref>{{cite cgndb|LBAMG|Yellowknife}}</ref>|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_m        = 206
| postal_code_type   = [[Canadian postal code#Forward sortation areas|Forward sortation area]]
| postal_code        = [[List of X postal codes of Canada|X1A]]
| area_code          = [[Area code 867|867]]
| website            = {{URL|https://yellowknife.ca}}
| blank2_name        = Prices
| blank3_name        = – Living cost (2018)
| blank3_info        = 122.5{{ref|A|A}}
| footnotes          = Sources:
# Department of Municipal and Community Affairs<ref name="CGDL">{{MACANT|yellowknife|Yellowknife|2017-10-29}}</ref>
# Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre<ref name="pwhc">{{cite web |url= http://www.pwnhc.ca/cultural-places/geographic-names/community-names/#4/65.98/-119.97 |title= Northwest Territories Official Community Names and Pronunciation Guide |website= [[Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre]] |publisher= Education, Culture and Employment, Government of the Northwest Territories |location= Yellowknife |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160113110003/http://www.pwnhc.ca/cultural-places/geographic-names/community-names/ |archive-date= 13 January 2016 |url-status= live |access-date= 13 January 2016 }}</ref>
# Yellowknife profile at the Legislative Assembly<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/wpPages/mapyellowknife.aspx |title=Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife profile |publisher=Assembly.gov.nt.ca |access-date=2 March 2011 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102152655/http://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/wpPages/mapYellowknife.aspx |archive-date=2 January 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
# Canada Flight Supplement<ref name="CFS"/>
#{{note|A|A}}2018 figure based on [[Edmonton]] = 100<ref name="comstat"/>
}}

'''Yellowknife'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|j|ɛ|l|oʊ|n|aɪ|f|}}; [[Dogrib language|Dogrib]]: {{lang|dgr|Sǫǫ̀mbak’è}})<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48982522 |title=Tłįchǫ yatiì Enįhtł'è = a Dogrib dictionary.|date=1996|publisher=Dogrib Divisional Board of Education|last1=Saxon|first1=Leslie|last2=Siemens|first2=Mary|others=Dogrib Divisional Board of Education|isbn=1-896790-00-3|location=Rae-Edzo, NWT|oclc=48982522}}</ref>}} is the capital, largest community, and the only city in the [[Northwest Territories]], Canada. It is on the northern shore of [[Great Slave Lake]], about {{cvt|400|km}} south of the [[Arctic Circle]], on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the [[Yellowknife River]].

Yellowknife and its surrounding water bodies were named after a local [[Dene]] tribe, who were known as the "Copper Indians" or "Yellowknife Indians", today incorporated as the [[Yellowknives Dene First Nation]]. They traded tools made from [[copper]] deposits near the Arctic Coast. Modern Yellowknives members can be found in city and in the adjoining, primarily Indigenous communities of [[Ndilǫ]] and [[Dettah]].

The city's population was 20,340 per the [[2021 Canadian census]].<ref name=2021census/><ref name=2021popcentYZF/> Of the eleven official languages of the Northwest Territories, five are spoken in significant numbers in Yellowknife: [[Chipewyan language|Dene Suline]], [[Dogrib language|Dogrib]], [[Slavey language|South and North Slavey]], English, and French. In the Dogrib language, the city is known as ''Sǫǫ̀mbak’è'' ({{IPA|ath|sõːᵐbakʼe}}, "where the money is").<ref name="Visitors Guide">{{cite web|url=http://www.nnsl.com/Ykguide/ykvisA_05.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928044426/http://www.nnsl.com/Ykguide/ykvisA_05.pdf |archive-date=28 September 2007|title=Yellowknife Visitors Guide|publisher=Yellowknifer|access-date=25 March 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pwnhc.ca/cultural-places/geographic-names/community-names/|title=Northwest Territories Official Community Names and Pronunciation Guide|publisher=Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre|access-date=1 January 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The Yellowknife settlement is considered to have been founded in 1934,<ref name="about">{{cite web|url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/en/discovering-yellowknife/about-yellowknife.asp|title=About Yellowknife|website=www.yellowknife.ca|access-date=28 August 2015|archive-date=29 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529091646/https://www.yellowknife.ca/en/discovering-yellowknife/about-yellowknife.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref> after [[gold]] was found in the area, although commercial activity in the present-day waterfront area did not begin until 1936. Yellowknife quickly became the centre of economic activity in the NWT, and was named the capital of the Northwest Territories in 1967. As gold production began to wane, Yellowknife shifted from being a [[mining]] town to a centre of government services in the 1980s. However, with the discovery of [[diamond]]s north of the city in 1991,<ref name="diamonds found">{{cite web|url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/Visitors/About_Yellowknife.html |title=About Yellowknife|work=City of Yellowknife|access-date=25 August 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226224508/http://www.yellowknife.ca/Visitors/About_Yellowknife.html |archive-date=26 February 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref> this shift began to reverse. In recent years, tourism, transportation, and communications have also emerged as significant Yellowknife industries.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yellowknife.ca/en/discovering-yellowknife/about-yellowknife.asp|title=About Yellowknife|website=www.yellowknife.ca|access-date=29 January 2018|archive-date=9 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809104604/https://www.yellowknife.ca/en/discovering-yellowknife/about-yellowknife.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Further|Timeline of Yellowknife history}}
The area around the community is the historic and traditional home of the [[Yellowknives]] Dene, the land's [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] residents. [[Dettah]] was the first formal settlement in the area, which was founded by the Yellowknives in the 1930s and located on a point of land on the east side of Yellowknife Bay.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atns.net.au/agreement.asp?EntityID=2323|title=Agreements, Treaties, and Negotiated Settlements Project|publisher=Indigenous Studies Program, The University of Melbourne|access-date=22 February 2008|df=dmy-all|archive-date=12 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512100246/http://atns.net.au/agreement.asp?EntityID=2323 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The name Dettah means Burnt Point and refers to a traditional fishing camp that the Dene used for hundreds of years. The current municipal area of Yellowknife was first occupied by prospectors who ventured into the region in the mid-1930s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/Planning+and+Lands/Old+Town+Heritage+Walking+Tour+of+Yellowknife.pdf|title=Old Town|publisher=City of Yellowknife|access-date=22 February 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706213415/http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/Planning%2Band%2BLands/Old%2BTown%2BHeritage%2BWalking%2BTour%2Bof%2BYellowknife.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

A [[Klondike, Yukon|Klondike]]-bound prospector, E.A. Blakeney, made the first discovery of gold in the Yellowknife Bay area in 1898. The discovery was viewed as unimportant in those days because of the [[Klondike Gold Rush]] and because Great Slave Lake was too far away to attract attention.<ref name="price">Price, Ray. ''Yellowknife'', Peter Martin Associates, [[Toronto]], 1967. Page 22.</ref>

In the late 1920s, aircraft were first used to explore Canada's [[Arctic]] regions. Samples of [[uranium]] and [[silver]] were uncovered at [[Great Bear Lake]] in the early 1930s, and prospectors began fanning out to find additional metals.<ref name="watt">Watt, Frederick B. ''Great Bear: A Journey Remembered'', Outcrop, Yellowknife, 1980. {{ISBN|0-919315-00-3}}.</ref> In 1933 two prospectors, Herb Dixon and Johnny Baker, canoed down the Yellowknife River from Great Bear Lake to survey for possible mineral deposits. They found gold samples at Quyta Lake, about {{cvt|30|km}} up the Yellowknife River, and some additional samples at Homer Lake.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1925/1934_YellowknifeJohnny.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060831153743/http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1925/1934_YellowknifeJohnny.htm|url-status=dead |archive-date=31 August 2006|title=Northwest Territories Timeline – "Yellowknife Johnny" Baker|publisher=Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

[[File:Yellowknife, 1932 - N-1986-015-0013.jpg|thumb|left|Yellowknife from Back Bay. In the 1930s, the area was home to a number of [[prospectors]].]]
The following year, Johnny Baker returned as part of a larger crew to develop the previous gold finds and search for more. Gold was found on the east side of Yellowknife Bay in 1934 and the short-lived [[Burwash Mine]] was developed. When government geologists uncovered gold in more favourable geology on the west side of Yellowknife Bay in the fall of 1935, a small staking rush occurred.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1925/1935_Jolliffe.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061018033321/http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1925/1935_Jolliffe.htm|url-status=dead |archive-date=18 October 2006|title=Northwest Territories Timeline – Dr. Alfred Joliffe, Geological Survey of Canada|publisher=Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> From 1935 to 1937, one prospector and trapper named Winslow C. Ranney staked in the area between David Lake and Rater Lake with few commercial results. The nearby hill known as [[Ranney Hill]] is his namesake and a popular hiking destination today. [[Con Mine]] was the most impressive gold deposit and its development created the excitement that led to the first settlement of Yellowknife in 1936–1937. Some of the first businesses were Corona Inn, [[Weaver & Devore Trading]], Yellowknife Supplies and post office, and [[The Wildcat Cafe]]. Con Mine entered production on 5 September 1938. Yellowknife boomed in the summer of 1938 and many new businesses were established, including the [[Canadian Bank of Commerce]], [[Hudson's Bay Company]], Vic Ingraham's first hotel, Sutherland's Drug Store, and a pool hall.

The population of Yellowknife quickly grew to 1,000 by 1940, and by 1942, five gold mines were in production in the Yellowknife region. However, by 1944, gold production had ground to a halt as men were needed for [[Military history of Canada during World War II|the war effort]]. An exploration program at the [[Giant Mine]] property on the north end of town had suggested a sizable gold deposit in 1944. This new find resulted in a massive post-war staking rush to Yellowknife.<ref name="decoursey">Decoursey, Duke. ''The Yellowknife Years'', Parkview Publishing, Squamish, BC. p.&nbsp;112.</ref> It also resulted in new discoveries at the Con Mine, greatly extending the life of the mine. The Yellowknife townsite expanded from the Old Town waterfront, and the new townsite was established during 1945–1946. The [[Discovery Mine]], with its own townsite, operated {{cvt|81|km}} to the north-northeast of Yellowknife from 1950 to 1969.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1925/1944_NormByrne.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061018143923/http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1925/1944_NormByrne.htm|url-status=dead |archive-date=18 October 2006|title=Northwest Territories Timeline – Discovery Mine|publisher=Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

[[File:Yellowknife in 40s-50s.jpg|thumb|left|Mid 20th-century Yellowknife; the community was incorporated as a municipality in 1953.]]
Between 1939 and 1953, [[Yellowknife (administrative district)|Yellowknife Administration district]] was controlled by the [[Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada|Northern Affairs department]] (now Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada) of the [[Government of Canada]]. A small council, partially elected and partially appointed, made decisions. By 1953, Yellowknife had grown so much that it was made a municipality, with its own council and town hall. The first mayor of Yellowknife was [[Jock McNiven]]. In September 1967, Yellowknife officially became the [[History of Northwest Territories capital cities|capital of the Northwest Territories]]. This important new status sparked what has been called the third boom in Yellowknife. New sub-divisions were established to house an influx of government workers.<ref name=incorporation>{{cite web|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/yellowknife-nwt |archive-url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20080908132411mp_/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm%3DTCE%2526%3Bamp%3BParams%3DA1ARTA0006189|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 September 2008|title=Yellowknife (NWT)-Government|publisher=Historica Foundation of Canada|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In 1978 the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] nuclear-powered satellite [[Kosmos 954]] crashed to Earth near Yellowknife. There were no known casualties, although a small quantity of radioactive [[nuclear fuel]] was released into the environment, and [[Kosmos 954#Recovery|Operation Morning Light]]—an attempt to retrieve it—was only partially successful.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1975/1978_Cosmos.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061016215832/http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1975/1978_Cosmos.htm|url-status=dead |archive-date=16 October 2006|title=Northwest Territories Timeline – Cosmos 954 and Operation Morning Light|publisher=Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

A new mining rush and fourth building boom in Yellowknife began with the discovery of diamonds {{cvt|300|km}} north of the city in 1991.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1975/Diamonds_1991.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017184906/http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1975/Diamonds_1991.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 October 2006 |title=Northwest Territories Timeline – Discovery of Diamonds in the NWT|publisher=Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The [[Giant Mine#Bombing|Giant Mine]] was the subject of a bombing during a [[Royal Oak Mines#Labour dispute|labour dispute]] in 1992 that resulted in one of the deadliest mass murders in Canada with 9 deaths.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/giant-mine-murders|title=Giant Mine Murders|website=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]|publisher=[[Historica Canada]]|last=Foot|first=Richard|date=July 5, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/giant-mine-explosion|title=A city divided|publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]|website=[[CBC News]]|date=September 14, 2022|first=Rachel |last=Zelniker}}</ref> The last of the gold mines in Yellowknife closed in 2004. Today, Yellowknife is primarily a government town and a service centre for the diamond mines. On 1 April 1999, its purview as capital of the NWT was reduced when the territory of [[Nunavut]] was split from the NWT. As a result, jurisdiction for that region of Canada was transferred to the new capital city of [[Iqaluit]]. Consequently, Yellowknife lost its standing as the Canadian capital city with the smallest population.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1975/Nunavut_1991.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019003507/http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1975/Nunavut_1991.html|url-status=dead |archive-date=19 October 2006|title=Northwest Territories Timeline – The Division of the NWT and Nunavut|publisher=Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===2023 wildfire===
{{Main|2023 Canadian wildfires#Northwest Territories}}

On 16 August 2023, the territorial government began evacuating Yellowknife as [[wildfire]]s approached the city,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.nt.ca/sites/flagship/files/resources/evacuation_order_yellowknife_and_area_august_16_2023.pdf|title=Evacuation Order for Yellowknife, N'dilo, Dettah, and Ingraham Trail|publisher=[[Politics of the Northwest Territories|Government of Northwest Territories]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822105952/https://www.gov.nt.ca/sites/flagship/files/resources/evacuation_order_yellowknife_and_area_august_16_2023.pdf|archive-date=2023-08-22}}</ref> fearing that the [[Yellowknife Highway]] (Highway 3)—the main road leading into Yellowknife—would soon be inaccessible.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nwt-wildfire-emergency-update-august-16-1.6938756|title=Yellowknife begins evacuation as wildfires approach|last=Minogue|first=Sara|publisher=[[CBC News]]|date=16 August 2023|access-date=17 August 2023}}</ref> The government also worked with homeless residents to assist them in evacuating.<ref>{{Cite web |title=City of Yellowknife ordered to evacuate due to nearby N.W.T. wildfires {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9901527/yellowknife-evacuation-order-wildfires/ |access-date=2023-08-17 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Air Canada]] and [[WestJet]] were initially criticized for high prices and unwaived cancellation fees for flights to and from Yellowknife, but they have since changed policies to alleviate financial burden for evacuees. Both carriers also increased the number of flights to Yellowknife.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harris |first=Sophia |date=August 17, 2023 |title=WestJet, Air Canada face criticism over Yellowknife flights as wildfires rage |work=CBC.ca |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/westjet-air-canada-wildfire-yellowknife-1.6939525 |access-date=August 17, 2023}}</ref>

The smoke from the [[2023 Canadian wildfires#Northwest Territories|236 active wildfires in the Northwest Territories]] spread quickly across Canada due to powerful winds and was compared by news sources to the [[2023 Hawaii wildfires]], which similarly started in a dry and windy environment. {{As of|2023|8|17}}, the fire was {{cvt|162,936|ha}} in size, at {{cvt|16|km}} distance from the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wildfire Update |url=https://www.gov.nt.ca/ecc/en/services/wildfire-update |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230817170435/https://www.gov.nt.ca/ecc/en/services/wildfire-update |archive-date=2023-08-17 |access-date=2023-08-17 |website=www.gov.nt.ca |publisher=[[Environment and Climate Change Canada]] |language=en}}</ref>

On 19 August 2023, 87 percent of the city was evacuated as of 6:58 am (ET), with only 2,600 of the original 20,000 remaining, 1,000 of whom were essential workers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graveland |first=Bill |title='Most of the people are now gone': Yellowknife nearly emptied as fire fight continues |url=https://www.cp24.com/news/most-of-the-people-are-now-gone-yellowknife-nearly-emptied-as-fire-fight-continues-1.6526012 |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=cp24 |language=en}}</ref> NWT Premier [[Caroline Cochrane]] announced that she had evacuated to Alberta to avoid taking up a space on one of the last planes to leave.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carroll |first=Luke |date=August 19, 2023 |title=Patient dies during evacuation of Yellowknife hospital |work=[[CBC.ca]] |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nwt-wildfire-update-1.6941729 |access-date=August 20, 2023}}</ref>

The evacuation order was rescinded 6 September and Yellowknife residents began to return later that day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-thousands-begin-journey-home-as-yellowknife-evacuation-order-scheduled/ |title=Evacuation order lifted for Yellowknife after three weeks of wildfire danger|date=6 September 2023|access-date=9 September 2023|publisher=[[The Globe and Mail]]}}</ref> An estimated 1,000 people had been flown home by September 8.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/thousands-of-residents-return-to-yellowknife-but-many-still-out-in-other-communities/article_aacb7bb7-7793-52b0-bb15-9d8786a2c0a5.html |title=Thousands of residents return to Yellowknife, but many still out in other communities|date=7 September 2023|access-date=9 September 2023|publisher=[[Toronto Star]]}}</ref>

== Geography ==
[[File:Old Town and N'Dilo.JPG|thumb|left|Yellowknife was scoured down to rock during the [[last glacial period]], making the landscape very rocky, and slightly rolling, with many small lakes.]]
Yellowknife is on the [[Canadian Shield]], which was scoured down to rock during the [[last glacial period|last ice age]].<ref name="ulaval" /> The surrounding landscape is very rocky and slightly rolling, with many small lakes in addition to the larger Great Slave Lake.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/northern/content?pg=ex03-1|title=The Northern Eco-System|first=Curt |last=McManus|publisher=University of Saskatchewan|access-date=15 April 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Trees such as spruce and [[birch]] are abundant in the area, as are smaller bushes, but there are also many areas of relatively bare rock with [[lichen]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/northern/content?pg=ex11-1|title=The Plants and Animals of Northern Canada|publisher=University of Saskatchewan|access-date=15 April 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Yellowknife's high latitude causes a large variation between day and night. Daylight hours range from five hours of daylight in December to 20&nbsp;hours in June. [[Twilight#Civil twilight|Civil Twilight]] lasts all night from late May to mid-July.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/canada/yellowknife|title=Sunrise and sunset for Yellowknife|publisher=Time and Date.com|access-date=18 January 2016}}</ref>

=== Climate ===
Yellowknife has a [[subarctic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Dfc'', [[Trewartha climate classification|Trewartha]] ''Ecld''). Although winter is predominantly polar, rapid [[heat wave]]s emerge at the summit of summer due to the immense path south.<ref>{{cite web|title=The High Subarctic Forest-Tundra of Northwestern Canada: Position, Width, and Vegetation Gradients in Relation to Climate|publisher=University of Calgary|first1=K.P.|last1=Timoney|first2=G.H.|last2=la Roi|first3=S.C.|last3=Zoltai|first4=A.L.|last4=Robinson|url=http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic45-1-1.pdf|year=1991|access-date=2 March 2008|df=dmy-all|archive-date=3 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003195826/http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic45-1-1.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The city averages less than {{cvt|300|mm}} of precipitation annually, as it lies in the [[rain shadow]] of mountain ranges to the west.<ref name="YZFccn"/> Due to its location on Great Slave Lake, Yellowknife has a frost-free [[growing season]] that averages slightly over 100&nbsp;days.<ref name="ulaval">{{cite web|url=http://www.cen.ulaval.ca/paleo/publications/Articles/Pienitz.1997b.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409145807/http://www.cen.ulaval.ca/paleo/publications/Articles/Pienitz.1997b.pdf |archive-date=9 April 2008|title=Physical and chemical limnology|publisher=University of Laval|access-date=2 March 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In an occasional year, the first fall frost does not come until October.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=1953-01-01%7C2013-01-17&dlyRange=1942-07-01%7C2013-01-16&mlyRange=1942-01-01%7C2007-11-01&StationID=1706&Prov=NT&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=specDate&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2019&selRowPerPage=25&Line=0&searchMethod=contains&Month=9&Day=25&txtStationName=yellowknife&timeframe=2&Year=2012|title=Daily Data Report for September 2012 - Climate - Environment and Climate Change Canada|website=climate.weather.gc.ca}}</ref> Most of the limited precipitation falls between June and October, with April being the driest month of the year and August having the most rainfall. Snow that falls in winter accumulates on the ground until the spring thaw.
[[File:Ice Fog in Yellowknife.jpg|thumb|left|Heavy [[ice fog]] can develop on the coldest winter mornings]]
Yellowknife experiences very cold winters and mild to warm summers. The average temperature in January is around {{cvt|-26|C}} and {{cvt|17|C}} in July.<ref name="YZFccn"/> According to [[Environment and Climate Change Canada]], Yellowknife has the sunniest summer in the country, averaging 1,034&nbsp;hours from June to August.<ref name=weatherwinners>{{cite web|url=http://www.climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/winners/categorydata_e.html?SelectedCategory=43&submit=Submit |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121216035648/http://www.climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/winners/categorydata_e.html?SelectedCategory=43&submit=Submit |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 December 2012 |title=Sunniest Summer |work=Weather Winners |publisher=Environment Canada |access-date=15 May 2013 }}</ref> The lowest temperature ever recorded in Yellowknife was {{cvt|-51.2|C}} on 31 January 1947, and the highest was {{cvt|32.6|C}} on 2 August 2021.<ref name="YZFccn"/> Yellowknife averages 2256.5&nbsp;hours of bright sunshine per year or 43.5% of possible daylight hours, ranging from a low of 15.4% in December to a high of 63.0% in June.<ref name="YZFccn"/> Due to its warm summer temperatures, Yellowknife is well below the Arctic [[tree line]] in stark contrast to areas farther east in Canada on similar parallels.

In 2014, Environment Canada ranked Yellowknife as having the coldest winter and longest snow cover season, along with the sunniest spring and summer, of any city in Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yellowknife-the-coldest-sunniest-city-in-canada-1.2499278|title=Yellowknife the coldest, sunniest city in Canada|publisher=CBC News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822225358/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yellowknife-the-coldest-sunniest-city-in-canada-1.2499278
|archive-date=2023-08-22}}</ref>
<div style="width:75%">{{Yellowknife weatherbox}}
</div>

=== Arsenic contamination ===
The area has elevated levels of arsenic due to the region's geology and past mining operations. The bedrock contains arsenopyrite, a naturally occurring mineral that contains arsenic, iron, and sulfur. Gold mining in the 20th century released large amounts of arsenic into the environment. The roasting process used to extract gold from arsenopyrite ores created arsenic trioxide as a byproduct, which was often released directly into the environment. 
The Giant Mine, which operated from 1948 to 2004, left behind 237,000 tonnes of arsenic trioxide waste on site. The mine is located 4 km north of Yellowknife's city limits. The Government of the Northwest Territories is working with researchers to monitor and study arsenic levels in the area. The Giant Mine Remediation Project is a billion-dollar cleanup effort that will take about 10 years to complete. There are several ongoing programs to monitor residents for elevated levels of arsenic.<ref>https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/canada-150-betsina-family-nwt-1.4180681</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.hss.gov.nt.ca/en/newsroom/arsenic-lake-water-around-yellowknife|title=Arsenic in Lake Water Around Yellowknife|first=Health and Social|last=Services|website=www.hss.gov.nt.ca}}</ref>

== Cityscape ==
[[File:Downtown Yellowknife 2.jpg|thumb|Downtown Yellowknife is home to most of the city's commercial activity]]
Yellowknife, like most other urban centres, has distinct commercial, industrial, and residential areas. Frame Lake, Niven Lake, Range Lake, and Old Town are the residential sectors, with some of the population living in high-rises in the downtown core. Niven Lake is the only area under active development and expansion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2008-02/feb22_08niv.html|title=Contractor cries foul|publisher=[[Northern News Services]]|access-date=2 March 2008|df=dmy-all|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060101/http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2008-02/feb22_08niv.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Downtown Yellowknife is home to most of the city's commercial activity, though some retail does exist in Range Lake. Industrial activity is limited to the Kam Lake and airport subdivisions.<ref name="growth plan">{{cite web |url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/Planning+and+Lands/Smarth+Growth+Redevelopment+Plan+Terms+of+Reference.pdf |title=Yellowknife Smart Growth Redevelopment Plan |publisher=City of Yellowknife |access-date=2 March 2008|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706213822/http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/Planning%2Band%2BLands/Smarth%2BGrowth%2BRedevelopment%2BPlan%2BTerms%2Bof%2BReference.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

=== Houseboats ===
Jolliffe Island sits in Yellowknife Bay and is public land under the jurisdiction of the City of Yellowknife after a land purchase when [[Imperial Oil]] vacated the site.<ref>{{cite web|title=Old Town Heritage Walking Tour of Yellowknife|url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/en/discovering-yellowknife/resources/old-town-heritage-walking-tour-of-yellowknife.pdf|website=Yellowknife.ca|publisher=City of Yellowknife|access-date=19 December 2014|archive-date=19 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219073642/http://www.yellowknife.ca/en/discovering-yellowknife/resources/old-town-heritage-walking-tour-of-yellowknife.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The island is surrounded by a community of houseboats, where people have been living off the grid since 1978.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rendell|first1=Mark|title=Who Was the First Houseboater on Yellowknife Bay|date=6 October 2014 |url=http://edgeyk.com/article/who-was-the-first-houseboater-on-yk-bay/|publisher=EdgeYK |access-date=19 December 2014}}</ref> Their relationship with the city is complex and often strained as the houseboats are popular with sightseers, but at the same time their residents live outside of the city's tax jurisdiction while still using city services, leading to lawsuits and tensions with the City of Yellowknife.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rendell|first1=Mark|title=Council Briefs|url=http://edgeyk.com/article/council-briefs-nov-10-licensing-latham-island-floatplane-docks/|publisher=EdgeYK |access-date=19 December 2014|archive-date=19 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219080939/http://edgeyk.com/article/council-briefs-nov-10-licensing-latham-island-floatplane-docks/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Government ==
[[File:Yellowknife, NT, city hall.jpg|thumb|Yellowknife City Hall]]
Yellowknife has a [[Local government|municipal government]] system and is governed by the [[Yellowknife City Council]], which consists of an elected [[mayor]] and eight [[City council|councillors]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://yellowknife.ca/City_Hall/City_Council.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308202630/http://www.yellowknife.ca/City_Hall/City_Council.html |archive-date=8 March 2008|title=City Council|publisher=City of Yellowknife|access-date=23 February 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The Government of the Northwest Territories delegates powers to the municipality through legislative acts and regulations. Council meetings are held in the Council Chambers at City Hall on the second and fourth Monday of each month, and are open to the public. Municipal elections are held every three years.<ref name="community profile">{{cite web |url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/Economic+Development/Community+Profile+2006.pdf |title=Yellowknife Community Profile 2006 |publisher=City of Yellowknife |date=17 August 2006 |access-date=9 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090127002046/http://yellowknife.ca/Assets/Economic%2BDevelopment/Community%2BProfile%2B2006.pdf |archive-date=27 January 2009 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The current mayor of Yellowknife is [[Ben Hendriksen]], former deputy and acting mayor who was appointed to succeeded [[Rebecca Alty]]. Alty, who ran for the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]], was the successful candidate in [[Northwest Territories (electoral district)|Northwest Territories electorial district]] at the [[2025 Canadian federal election]].<ref name="mayor20125">{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/ben-hendriksen-appointed-yellowknife-mayor-1.7526330 |title=Ben Hendriksen appointed Yellowknife mayor for remaining 1.5-year term |date=5 May 2025 |access-date=14 May 2025 | publisher=[[CBC News]]}}</ref>

Yellowknife is represented in the territorial government by seven of the 19 members of the [[Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories]]. These members, referred to as MLAs, are elected every four years and sit in the [[Northwest Territories Legislative Building]], located in Yellowknife. The MLAs elect the [[Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories|Speaker of the House]] as well as six cabinet ministers and a [[Premier of the Northwest Territories|premier]], which forms the [[Executive Council of the Northwest Territories]], also known as the [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]].<ref name="fact sheet">{{cite web|url=http://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/wpPages/publicinformationfactsheets.aspx|title=Consensus Government|publisher=Government of the Northwest Territories|access-date=2 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225102109/http://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/wpPages/publicinformationfactsheets.aspx |archive-date=25 December 2007|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In addition, a [[Commissioner of the Northwest Territories|Commissioner]] is appointed by the Federal Government to fulfil a similar role to that of the [[Lieutenant Governor (Canada)|Lieutenant Governor]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/visitors/what-consensus/differences-provincial-governments|title=Differences from Provincial Governments|date=28 November 2012 |publisher=Government of the Northwest Territories|access-date=30 January 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The Northwest Territories is one of only two federal, provincial or territorial jurisdictions in Canada that operate under a [[consensus government|consensus system of government]].<ref name="fact sheet" />

The Northwest Territories is in the federal electoral riding of the [[Northwest Territories (electoral district)|Northwest Territories]] and has one [[Member of parliament|Member of Parliament]], [[Michael McLeod (politician)|Michael McLeod]], and one [[Senate of Canada|Senator]], [[Margaret Dawn Anderson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/membersofparliament/ProfileConstituency.aspx?Key=572&Language=E |title=Constituency Profile - Western Arctic |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=23 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113035038/http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/ProfileConstituency.aspx?Key=572&Language=E |archive-date=13 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sen.parl.gc.ca/nsibbeston/|title=Senator for the Northwest Territories|publisher=Government of Canada|access-date=23 February 2008|df=dmy-all|archive-date=27 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080327013238/http://sen.parl.gc.ca/nsibbeston/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Yellowknife is home to seven of the 19 electoral districts in the Northwest Territories, the [[Frame Lake (electoral district)|Frame Lake]], [[Great Slave]], [[Kam Lake]], [[Range Lake]], [[Yellowknife Centre]], [[Yellowknife North]] and [[Yellowknife South]] ridings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.electionsnwt.ca/english/constituency_maps.html |title=Constituency Maps |publisher=Elections NWT |access-date=2 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215234639/http://www.electionsnwt.ca/english/constituency_maps.html |archive-date=15 December 2007 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

== Economy ==
[[File:Snap Lake Diamond Mine Processing Plant.jpg|thumb|Processing plants at [[Snap Lake Diamond Mine]], located {{cvt|220|km}} northeast of Yellowknife. Yellowknife's economy recovered in the 1990s due to a number of diamond mines located outside the city.]]
As the largest city in the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife is the hub for mining, industry, transportation, communications, education, health, tourism, commerce, and government activity in the territory.<ref name="can-enc economy">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/yellowknife-nwt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226213837/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/yellowknife-nwt/ |url-status=live |archive-date=26 February 2014 |title=Yellowknife (NWT) - Economy |encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia |access-date=23 February 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Historically, Yellowknife's [[economic growth]] came from gold mining, and later government; however, because of falling gold prices and increased operating costs, the final gold mine closed in 2004, marking a turning point for Yellowknife's economy.<ref name="economic report">{{cite web |url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/Economic+Development/New+Paradigm+for+Economic+Growth.pdf |title=A New Paradigm for Economic Growth |publisher=City of Yellowknife |access-date=23 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706213549/http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/Economic%2BDevelopment/New%2BParadigm%2Bfor%2BEconomic%2BGrowth.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

After a downturn in the 1990s during the closure of the gold mines and the downsizing of the government workforce in 1999, Yellowknife's economy has recovered, largely because of the diamond boom;<ref name="economic report" /> the [[Ekati Diamond Mine]], owned and operated by [[BHP|BHP Billiton]] (sold to [[Dominion Diamond Mines|Dominion Diamond Corporation]] in 2013), opened in 1998.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ekati.bhpbilliton.com/about_ekati/history.asp|title=History|publisher=BHP Billiton|access-date=23 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321102903/http://ekati.bhpbilliton.com/about_ekati/history.asp |archive-date=21 March 2008|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> A second mine, [[Diavik Diamond Mine]], began production in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.diavik.ca/history.htm|publisher=Diavik Diamond Mines|title=History|access-date=23 February 2008|df=dmy-all|archive-date=20 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820024408/http://www.diavik.ca/history.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Production from the two operating mines in 2004 was {{cvt|12618000|carat|kg lb|lk=in}}, valued at over {{CAD|2.1}} billion. This ranked Canada third in world diamond production by value, and sixth by weight. A third mine, the [[De Beers]] owned [[Snap Lake Diamond Mine]], received final approval and funding in 2005 and went into production in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.debeerscanada.com/files_2/snap_lake/snap_schedule.html |title=Snap Lake: Project Schedule |publisher=[[De Beers]]|access-date=2 February 2008 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080204231625/http://www.debeerscanada.com/files_2/snap_lake/snap_schedule.html |archive-date=4 February 2008 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> De Beers also applied in 2005 for a permit to open the [[Gahcho Kue Diamond Mine]] Project on the property formerly known as [[Kennady Lake]]. The mine was officially opened on 20 September 2016, and began commercial production in March 2017.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.mveirb.nt.ca/upload/project_document/Draft%20Workplan%20Gahcho%20Kue.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409145809/http://www.mveirb.nt.ca/upload/project_document/Draft%20Workplan%20Gahcho%20Kue.pdf|url-status=dead |archive-date=9 April 2008|title=De Beers Gahcho Kue Diamond Project|publisher=Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board|access-date=2 February 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> As well, growth and expansion in natural gas development and exploration sectors has contributed to this growth. Economic growth in the Northwest Territories was 10.6% in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stats.gov.nt.ca/Statinfo/Generalstats/Scan/Scan_2006.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004103359/http://www.stats.gov.nt.ca/Statinfo/Generalstats/Scan/Scan_2006.pdf |archive-date=4 October 2006 |title=2006 NWT Socio-Economic Scan|publisher=Government of the Northwest Territories|access-date=12 May 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

[[File:Dept National Defense Yellowknife Northwest Territories Canada 02.jpg|thumb|The [[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Department of National Defence]] building in Yellowknife. The [[Government of Canada|federal government]] is among the largest employers in Yellowknife.]]
The major employers in Yellowknife include the Territorial Government, the Federal Government, Diavik Diamond Mines, Dominion Diamonds, DeBeers Canada, [[First Air]], [[Northwestel|NorthwesTel]], RTL Robinson Trucking, and the City of Yellowknife. Government employment accounts for 7,644 jobs, a large percentage of those in Yellowknife.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stats.gov.nt.ca/Statinfo/PublicSector/employ.otp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070627131416/http://www.stats.gov.nt.ca/Statinfo/PublicSector/employ.otp |archive-date=27 June 2007 |title=Public Sector Employment|publisher=Government of the Northwest Territories|access-date=12 May 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
During winter, the [[Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road]] is opened for [[semi-trailer truck]] traffic to take supplies from Yellowknife north to various mines located in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. This [[ice road]] is usually open from the end of January through late March or early April, and Yellowknife becomes the dispatch point for the large number of truck drivers that come north to drive on the ice roads. During the 2007 ice road season, several drivers were featured on the [[History (U.S. TV network)|History Channel]] TV series ''[[Ice Road Truckers]]''.

Tourism is the largest renewable industry in the NWT and Yellowknife is the main entry point for visitors. Many tourists come to experience the Northern climate and traditional lifestyle, as well as to see the [[aurora]]. In 2004–2005, visitors to the territory spent {{CAD|100.5}} million.<ref name="community profile"/>

[[File:Yellow Knife , NWT , Canada - panoramio (16).jpg|thumb|[[Aurora borealis]] over Yellowknife]]
The City of Yellowknife raises 50% of its operating revenue through [[property tax]]ation. Both [[Yellowknife Education District No. 1]] and [[Yellowknife Catholic School Board]] also raise a portion of their operating revenue through property taxation. Property taxes in Yellowknife are calculated through property assessment and the municipal and education mill rates. Mill rates in 2005 were 13.84 (residential) and 19.87 (commercial).<ref name="community profile"/>

[[Canadian North]], a regional airline, was headquartered in Yellowknife,<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20071107112248/http://www.canadiannorth.ca/Contact_Us/Administration.asp contact us: administration]" () [[Canadian North]]. Retrieved on 17 September 2009. " Head Office – Yellowknife 300, 5201 50 Ave. Yellowknife, NT X1A 3S9 Canada"</ref> in the Northwest Tower in downtown. The airline announced that when its lease was to expire in the end of August 2013, the airline will vacate the office and move it and 20 employees out of Yellowknife.<ref>Vela, Thandiwe. "[http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2013-04/apr24_13air.html Airline moving jobs south]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20140321065512/http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2013-04/apr24_13air.html Archive]) ''[[Northern News Services]]''. Retrieved on 21 March 2014.</ref> The airline is now headquartered in [[Calgary]].<ref>"[http://www.canadiannorth.com/contact/administration Administration]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20130823223032/http://www.canadiannorth.com/contact/administration Archive]). Canadian North. Retrieved on 21 March 2014. "Head Office – Calgary 200, 580 Palmer Road N.E. Calgary, AB T2E 7R3 Canada" and "Regional Head Office – Iqaluit P.O. Box 70 Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0 Canada" and "Regional Office – Yellowknife 202 Nunasi Building, 5109 48th St. Yellowknife, NT X1A 1N5 Canada" and "Operations Office – Edmonton 101 – 3731 52 Avenue East Edmonton AB T9E 0V4 Canada"</ref>

=== Former regional mines ===
[[File:Collapse of Con Mine.jpg|thumb|Demolition of the [[headframe]] at [[Con Mine]] in 2016. The gold mine, just south of the city limits, was in operation from 1938 to 2003. The headframe was the tallest building in the NWT until October 2016.]]
Yellowknife was originally established as a supply centre for numerous gold mines operating in the region in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The following is a list of the major mines, all of which are now closed. There were also [[tungsten]], [[tantalum]] and [[uranium]] mines in the vicinity. Most mines in the Yellowknife area are within the Kam Group, a part of the [[Yellowknife greenstone belt]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic44-S-102.pdf|title=Satellite Geological Mapping of the Yellowknife Volcanic Belt|publisher=University of Calgary|access-date=2 February 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Mine!!Years of operation!!Minerals mined
|-
|[[Con Mine]] (includes Rycon)||1938–2003 ||gold
|-
|[[Giant Mine]]||1948–2004 ||gold
|-
|[[Ptarmigan and Tom Mine]]||1941–1942, 1985–1997 ||gold
|-
|[[Negus Mine]]||1939–1952 ||gold
|-
|[[Burwash Mine]]||1935||gold
|-
|[[Thompson-Lundmark Mine]]||1941–1943, 1947–1949 ||gold
|-
|[[Discovery Mine]]||1950–1969||gold
|-
|[[Camlaren Mine]]||1962–1963, 1980–1981 ||gold
|-
|[[Beaulieu Mine]]||1947–1948 ||gold
|-
|[[Outpost Island Mine]]||1941–1942, 1951–1952 ||gold, copper, tungsten
|-
|[[Ruth Mine]]||1942, 1959||gold
|-
|[[Rayrock Mine]]||1957–1959||uranium
|-
! colspan="3" style="text-align:center"|References:<ref>Silke, Ryan. 2009. "The Operational History of Mines in the Northwest Territories, Canada". Self Published, November 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pwnhc.ca/nwtminingcentre/goldinfo.htm|title=A Yellowknife Mining Chronology|publisher=NWT Mining Heritage Society|access-date=23 February 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040822061239/http://www.pwnhc.ca/nwtminingcentre/goldinfo.htm|archive-date = 22 August 2004|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iti.gov.nt.ca/miningoilgas/historyexploration.shtml|title=History of Exploration and Development|publisher=Industry, Tourism, and Investment, GNWT|access-date=23 February 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201183734/http://www.iti.gov.nt.ca/miningoilgas/historyexploration.shtml |archive-date=1 December 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|}

== Infrastructure ==

=== Emergency services ===
[[File:RCMP HQ Yellowknife.jpg|thumb|Headquarters for the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] (RCMP) G Division who provide policing in Yellowknife.]]
Policing in Yellowknife is provided by the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] (RCMP); Yellowknife is the headquarters for G Division, and houses more than 30 officers.
The City of Yellowknife Municipal Enforcement Division (MED) is responsible for municipal bylaw infractions and traffic infractions (within city limits). The [[Yellowknife Fire Department]] handles the city's fire, ambulance, rescue, and hazardous materials responses.<ref name="community profile 07">{{cite web |url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/Economic+Development/Community+Profile+2007-2008.pdf |title=Yellowknife Community Profile 2007 |publisher=City of Yellowknife |access-date=23 January 2008|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110212032125/http://yellowknife.ca/Assets/Economic%2BDevelopment/Community%2BProfile%2B2007-2008.pdf |archive-date=12 February 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> A point of debate in recent years has been the implementation of 911 services in Yellowknife (currently one may now dial 911)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nnsl.com/yellowknifer/a-history-of-unknowns-nwt-911-system-goes-live/|title=A history of unknowns: NWT 911 system goes live|last=Pearce|first=Nick|date=4 November 2019|website=Northern News Services|language=en-CA|access-date=7 January 2020}}</ref> through a partnership with five other Northwest Territories communities; the cost of installation is currently estimated at around $1 million a year. There have been a number of incidents where emergency services have been either misdirected, or improperly dispatched.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2007-12/dec7_07em.html|title=911 might finally come|publisher=[[Northern News Services]]|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all|archive-date=4 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080204162124/http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2007-12/dec7_07em.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Health services are provided through the local [[Stanton Territorial Hospital]]. The Yellowknife Primary Care Centre has a broad range of practitioners including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, counsellors, dieticians and more. Services provided at the Yellowknife Primary Care Centre include mental health, diabetes education, diagnostic imaging, psychiatry and some home care services.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yhssa.hss.gov.nt.ca/health/clinics-and-health-centres/yellowknife/yellowknife-primary-care-centre|title=Yellowknife Primary Care Centre|website=www.yhssa.hss.gov.nt.ca|access-date=5 September 2014|archive-date=6 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906000228/http://www.yhssa.hss.gov.nt.ca/health/clinics-and-health-centres/yellowknife/yellowknife-primary-care-centre|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Utilities and services ===

==== Communications ====
Yellowknife's telephone services were established in 1947 by the independent Yellowknife Telephone Company, owned by investors mostly within the community. The system was sold at the end of 1963 to [[Northwestel|Canadian National Telecommunications]], now Northwestel. Northwestel also provides manual mobile telephone service on VHF frequencies, and by the 1990s also provided cellular services that were later transferred to [[Bell Mobility]]. In 2008, northern-based company [[Ice Wireless]] entered the market in Yellowknife, providing digital cellular products and services.

Yellowknife's television services, in addition to over-the-air transmission begun in 1967, included the Mackenzie Media cable television system placed in service 1 September 1972, which was sold to Northwestel in late 1995.

==== Electricity ====
[[File:Jackfish Lake generating station 02.JPG|thumb|The Jackfish Diesel Plant provides power for Yellowknife. It is operated by the [[Northwest Territories Power Corporation]].]]
Electricity is provided to Yellowknife by [[Northland Utilities]], serving 6,350&nbsp;residential and 800&nbsp;commercial customers. Yellowknife operates almost entirely on [[hydroelectricity]] from the Snare-Bluefish systems,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iti.gov.nt.ca/publications/2009/energy/FShistoryofelectricityNWT.pdf|title=Energy Generation|publisher=Government of the Northwest Territories|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> provided by the [[Northwest Territories Power Corporation]] (NTPC). NTPC's local production capacity is 67.9&nbsp;megawatts, 30.89&nbsp;MW from 10 generators at the Jackfish Diesel Plant, 28.8&nbsp;MW from Snare Lake, and 7.5&nbsp;MW from Miramar Bluefish.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ntpc.com/communities/powergeneration.html|title=NTPC Profile|publisher=[[Northwest Territories Power Corporation]]|access-date=23 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090321093108/http://www.ntpc.com/communities/powergeneration.html |archive-date=21 March 2009|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==== Solid waste services ====
Residential garbage removal is through a user pay system, in which residents are allowed three {{cvt|77|L}} garbage bags per week; any additional bags must have a purchased tag.<ref name="community profile 07" /> The City of Yellowknife Solid Waste Management Facility is located on the [[Ingraham Trail]] (Highway 4) {{cvt|2|km}} north of the city;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cjeffery.com/images/City_Facilities_Map.pdf |title=City Facilities |access-date=2 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708161440/http://www.cjeffery.com/images/City_Facilities_Map.pdf |archive-date=8 July 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref> salvaging is encouraged, and the dump is infamous for the number of still useful items often found in it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2007-09/sep19_07dm.html|title=Treasure hunting at the dump|publisher=[[Northern News Services]]|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080204161913/https://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2007-09/sep19_07dm.html|archive-date=4 February 2008}}</ref>

==== Water and sewage treatment ====
The City of Yellowknife provides pressurized [[Drinking water|potable water]] throughout the majority of the city, and has a network of gravity-fed sewage lines; trucked water and sewage is provided in areas not serviced by piped infrastructure. [[Sewage]], with the aid of lift stations, is pumped to a series of lakes, referred to as Fiddler's Lake Lagoon, where it is held and allowed to naturally decompose. Water is obtained from the Yellowknife River and is disinfected with [[chlorine]] and liquid [[Water fluoridation|fluoride]] is added, but is not otherwise filtered or treated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pws.gov.nt.ca/water/Communtiy_Desc/Yellowknife.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090404140419/http://www.pws.gov.nt.ca/water/Communtiy_Desc/Yellowknife.htm |archive-date=4 April 2009|title=Yellowknife Water Supply|publisher=Public Works & Services, GNWT|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

=== Transportation ===
[[File:Snow removal in yellowknife.jpg|thumb|left|Winter conditions in Yellowknife require regular snow removal.]]

Yellowknife, while isolated geographically, has a modern transportation system.

==== Air ====

[[Yellowknife Airport]] is the busiest airport in [[northern Canada]], having 70,699&nbsp;aircraft movements in 2007 and handling over 400,000&nbsp;passengers and 30,000&nbsp;tonnes of cargo yearly.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/51F0010PIE/2007000/part2.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307173924/http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/51F0010PIE/2007000/part2.htm |archive-date=7 March 2008|title=Aircraft Movement Statistics|publisher=[[Statistics Canada]]|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> It has two asphalt runways, one {{cvt|7500|ft}} strip and another of {{cvt|5000|ft}};<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dot.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/airports/airportProfile.aspx?AirportCode=YZF |title=Airport Profile |publisher=Department of Transportation, GNWT |access-date=23 January 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227121630/http://www.dot.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/airports/airportProfile.aspx?AirportCode=YZF |archive-date=27 February 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref> while the Yellowknife Airport is classified as an [[airport of entry]] by [[Nav Canada]] and is staffed by the [[Canada Border Services Agency]], it is certified for [[general aviation]] aircraft only. The Yellowknife airport is designated by the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] (RCAF) as a forward operating location for the [[CF-18 Hornet]].<ref name="CFS">{{CFS}}</ref> Despite its shorter runways, the airport can still accommodate [[Boeing 747|747s]] and other [[wide-body aircraft]] for emergency landings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2007-02/feb21_07rway.html|title=MLA says airport needs longer runway|publisher=[[Northern News Services]]|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all|archive-date=4 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080204161908/http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2007-02/feb21_07rway.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2007-01/jan12_07em.html|title=Emergency landing from Germany|publisher=[[Northern News Services]]|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all|archive-date=4 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080204161902/http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2007-01/jan12_07em.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Air traffic control]] services, [[Instrument landing system]] (Category 1), and radar services are provided by Nav Canada.

==== Transit ====

[[YKTransit]] (formerly Yellowknife Transit) is the [[public transport]]ation agency in the city, operating three regular services Monday-Saturday and one express route on weekdays. It is the only transit system in the Northwest Territories.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/City+Clerks/Forms+And+Publications/TransitRouteAnalysisStudyFinalReportOctober2008.pdf |title=Transit Route Analysis Study Final Report |publisher=City of Yellowknife |access-date=26 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706213754/http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/City%2BClerks/Forms%2BAnd%2BPublications/TransitRouteAnalysisStudyFinalReportOctober2008.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Holden |first=Robert |date=2024-04-10 |title=Yellowknife unveils new city buses, rebranding of transit fleet |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/new-city-yellowknife-buses-unveiled-1.7168880 |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=CBC}}</ref>

==== Road ====

Road construction in Yellowknife is often a challenge due to the presence of [[permafrost]] which requires that roads generally be regraded and resurfaced every 10 to 20&nbsp;years. Most roads in Yellowknife are paved and road width varies from {{cvt|9|to|13.5|m}}. Winter snow removal is done on a regular schedule by the City of Yellowknife public works department.<ref name="community profile 07"/> Speed limits are {{cvt|45|km/h}} on most roads, {{cvt|30|km/h}} in [[school zone]]s, and {{cvt|70|to |100|km/h}} on highways. School zones and playground zones are in effect 24&nbsp;hours per day, 7&nbsp;days per week. The highway system in the NWT is maintained by the Government of the Northwest Territories. Highway&nbsp;4 (Ingraham Trail) and [[Yellowknife Highway|Highway 3]] (Yellowknife Highway) both run through Yellowknife and are all-weather roads.<ref name="community profile 07" /> One well-known, almost infamous, road in Yellowknife is [[Ragged Ass Road (street)|Ragged Ass Road]], after which [[Tom Cochrane]] named an album.

Until 2012, Yellowknife did not have a permanent road connection to the rest of Canada's highway network, as the [[Yellowknife Highway]] relied, depending on the season, on [[ferry]] service or an [[ice road]] to cross the [[Mackenzie River]].<ref name=bridge>{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1295527--deh-cho-bridge-ends-north-s-reliance-on-ice-road |title=Deh Cho Bridge ends North's reliance on ice road |last=Green |first=Jeff |date=29 November 2012|newspaper=[[Toronto Star]] | access-date=30 November 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> With the completion of the [[Deh Cho Bridge]], which officially opened on 30 November 2012, the city now has its first direct road connection to the rest of the country.<ref name=bridge /> One still-used ice road connects Yellowknife with the neighbouring community of [[Dettah]], {{cvt|6.5|km}} to the southeast across an arm of Great Slave Lake; or a {{cvt|27|km}} drive via the [[Ingraham Trail]].

==Education==
=== Primary and secondary ===
Yellowknife has three publicly funded school boards (districts) that provide kindergarten and grades 1–12:
* [[Yellowknife Education District No. 1]]
* [[Yellowknife Catholic School Board]] 
* Commission scolaire francophone Territoires du Nord-Ouest<ref>{{cite web |title=Commission scolaire francophone Territoires du Nord-Ouest |url=https://www.csftno.com/?lang=en |publisher=Commission scolaire francophone Territoires du Nord-Ouest |access-date=18 June 2023}}</ref>

The NWT Montessori Society offers the Montessori program up to Grade 5 at Yellowknife Education District No. 1's Macpherson School.<ref>{{cite web |title=YK1 Public Montessori Stream |url=http://ykmontessori.ca/programs/yk1-stream/ |publisher=NWT Montessori Society |access-date=16 June 2023}}</ref>

===Post-secondary===
*[[Aurora College]]
*[[Collège nordique francophone]]
*[[Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning]]

==Demographics==
In the [[2021 Canadian census|2021 Census of Population]] conducted by [[Statistics Canada]], Yellowknife had a population of {{val|20340|fmt=commas}} living in {{val|7519|fmt=commas}} of its {{val|7975|fmt=commas}} total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:20340-19569}}|19569|1}} from its 2016 population of {{val|19569|fmt=commas}}. With a land area of {{convert|103.37|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|20340|103.37|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.<ref name=2021census>{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000202&geocode=A000261 | title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Northwest Territories | publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] | date=February 9, 2022 | accessdate=February 18, 2022}}</ref>

As of the [[2016 Canadian Census|2016 Census]], there were 19,569&nbsp;people and 7,130 [[household]]s in the city. The population density was {{cvt|185.5|PD/sqkm}}. The 2016 Census found that 22.7% of residents identified as [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous]].<ref name="2016census"/> In 2017, the Government of the Northwest Territories reported that the population was 20,834 with an average yearly growth rate of 0.6% from 2007.<ref name="comstat">[https://www.statsnwt.ca/community-data/Profile-PDF/Yellowknife.pdf Yellowknife – Statistical Profile] at the GNWT</ref>

In Yellowknife, the population is slightly younger at 34.6 than the average age for the rest of the NWT which is 34.9. However, the population is slightly disproportionate in terms of age distribution compared to the national average of 41.0.<ref name="2016census"/><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=01&Geo2=PR&Code2=61&Data=Count&SearchText=Canada&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1 |title=Census Profile, 2016 Census Canada [Country] and Northwest Territories [Territory] |author=Statistics Canada |author-link=Statistics Canada|year=2006|access-date=1 September 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> As of the 2016 figures, 13.9% of residents were 9 or under, 6.0% were from 10 to 14 years old, 13.1% were from 15 to 24, 34.1.2% were from 25 to 44, 22.0% were from 45 to 59, and 10.9% were 60 or older.<ref name="2016census"/>

In 2016, the average household size was 2.7 and the majority of the population with children had either one or two.<ref name="2016census"/> In 2015, the average [[income]] in the city was {{CAD|73,500,}} and the average income for a family was {{CAD|160,394,}} with 7.9% of all families earning less than $30,000.<ref name="comstat"/> [[Minimum wage]] in Yellowknife and the NWT is {{CAD|13.46}} (2018).<ref name="minwage">{{cite web|url=http://srv116.services.gc.ca/dimt-wid/sm-mw/rpt1.aspx?lang=eng#ftb2-ref |title=Current And Forthcoming Minimum Hourly Wage Rates For Experienced Adult Workers in Canada |publisher=services.gc.ca |access-date=1 June 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Average household expenditures were {{CAD|125,783}} in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statsnwt.ca/prices-expenditures/household_expenditures|title=Household Expenditure – Results|publisher=NWT Bureau of Statistics|access-date=1 September 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In 2016, the [[unemployment|unemployment rate]] was at 5.9%; the employment rate for males was 80.1%, for females it was 75.2%.<ref name="comstat"/>

The [[crime statistics|crime rate]] in Yellowknife for 2016 was 46.7 (per 1,000&nbsp;persons) for [[violent crime]]s, and 167.2 (per 1,000 persons) for property crimes. There were 299 births and 62 deaths in 2014.<ref name="comstat"/>

[[File:Yellowknife City Hall 4.jpg|thumb|A [[totem pole]] at Yellowknife City Hall. According to the [[2021 Canadian Census|2021 Census]], [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous peoples]] make up 24.2 percent of residents in Yellowknife.]]
{{Historical populations
| title       = Federal census population history of Yellowknife
| type        = Canada
| align       = left
| cols        = 2
| width       =
| state       =
| shading     =
| percentages =
|1941|1410
|[[1951 Canadian census|1951]]|2724
|1956|3100
|1961|3245
|1966|3741
|1971|6122
|1976|8256
|1981|9483
|1986|11753
|[[1991 Canadian census|1991]]|15179
|[[1996 Canadian census|1996]]|17275
|[[2001 Canadian census|2001]]|16541
|[[2006 Canadian census|2006]]|18736<!--Amended by StatCan. Was 18700.-->
|[[2011 Canadian census|2011]]|19234
|[[2016 Canadian census|2016]]|19569
|[[2021 Canadian census|2021]]|20340
| footnote  = 
| source   = [[Statistics Canada]]<br/><ref name=2021census/><ref name=2016census>{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=86&O=A&RPP=9999&PR=61 | title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Northwest Territories) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=8 February 2017 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=1951census>{{cite book | url= https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/statcan/CS98-1951M-7.pdf | title=Ninth Census of Canada, 1951 | publisher=[[Statistics Canada|Dominion Bureau of Statistics]] | volume=SP-7 (Population: Unincorporated villages and hamlets) | date=31 March 1954 | accessdate=2 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=1961census>{{cite book | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/statcan/CS92-539-1961.pdf | title=1961 Census of Canada | series=Series 1.1: Historical, 1901–1961 | volume=I: Population | publisher=[[Statistics Canada|Dominion Bureau of Statistics]] | location=Ottawa | chapter=Table 6: Population by census subdivisions, 1901–1961 | date=8 March 1963 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=1971census>{{cite book | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/statcan/CS92-702-1971.pdf | title=1971 Census of Canada | series=Population | volume=Census Subdivisions (Historical) | publisher=Statistics Canada | location=Ottawa | chapter=Table 2: Population of Census Subdivisions, 1921–1971 | date=July 1973 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=1976census>{{cite web | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/statcan/CS92-805-1976.pdf | title=1976 Census of Canada: Population - Geographic Distributions | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=June 1977 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=1981census>{{cite web | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/statcan/CS94-905-1981.pdf | title=1981 Census of Canada: Census subdivisions in decreasing population order | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=May 1992 | accessdate=1 February 2021}}</ref><ref name=1986census>{{cite web | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2013/statcan/rh-hc/CS92-101-1987.pdf | title=1986 Census: Population - Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=September 1987 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=1991census>{{cite web | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2013/statcan/rh-hc/CS93-304-1992.pdf | title=91 Census: Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions - Population and Dwelling Counts | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=April 1992 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=1996census>{{cite web | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2012/statcan/rh-hc/CS93-357-1997.pdf | title=96 Census: A National Overview - Population and Dwelling Counts | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=April 1997 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=2001census>{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/census01/products/standard/popdwell/Table-CSD-P.cfm?T=1&SR=1&S=1&O=A&PR=61 | title=Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, and Census Subdivisions (Municipalities), 2001 and 1996 Censuses - 100% Data (Northwest Territories) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=15 August 2012 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=2006census>{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/corr/updatepages/cgen001-eng.cfm?lvl=H | title=2006 Census Corrections and updates | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=23 June 2009 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=2011census>{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table-Tableau.cfm?LANG=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=51&O=A&RPP=9999&CMA=0&PR=61 | title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (Northwest Territories) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=25 July 2021 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}</ref>
}}
{{Historical populations
|align=none
|cols=2
|title=Annual population estimates
|2001|17759
|2002|18402
|2003|19198
|2004|19621
|2005|19640
|2006|19519
|2007|19672
|2008|19846
|2009|19725
|2010|19792
|2011|20063
|2012|20141
|2013|20270
|2014|20325
|2015|20561
|2016|20849
|2017|21052
|2018|21154
|2019|21183
|footnote= Sources: NWT Bureau of Statistics (2008–2019),<ref name="comstat"/> NWT Bureau of Statistics (2001–2007)<ref name=brost>[https://www.statsnwt.ca/population/population-estimates/commtotals_2001-2017.xlsx Population Estimates By Community] from the GNWT</ref>
}}
{{clear}}

=== Immigration ===
The [[2021 Canadian census|2021 census]] reported that [[Immigration to Canada|immigrants]] (individuals born outside Canada) comprise 3,260 persons or 16.4% of the total population of Yellowknife. Of the total immigrant population, the top countries of origin were Philippines (965 persons or 29.6%), India (200 persons or 6.1%), United Kingdom (195 persons or 6.0%), Vietnam (160 persons or 4.9%), United States of America (110 persons or 3.4%), Germany (95 persons or 2.9%), Zimbabwe (75 persons or 2.3%), South Africa (75 persons or 2.3%), China (75 persons or 2.3%), Bangladesh (65 persons or 2.0%), Somalia (65 persons or 2.0%), and Pakistan (65 persons or 2.0%).<ref name="2021censusB"/>

Yellowknife is home to 695 recent immigrants (arriving between 2011 and 2016) who now make up 3.7% of the population. Of the recent immigrants 70.5% came from Asia; 15.1% from Africa and 7.2% from both the Americas and Europe. Of the recent immigrants 40.0% came from the Philippines, while 10.8% came from several African countries,<ref>Countries not included in this figure are Algeria, Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, and Tunisia.</ref> 5.8% each from India, the United Kingdom and Vietnam, 4.3% from each of Japan and South Korea and 2.2% from Israel.<ref name="2016census"/>

=== Ethnicity ===
As of 2021, Yellowknife has a slight [[European Canadians|European]] majority with a population of 11,110 (55.8% of total). The total [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous peoples]] population is 4,810 representing 24.2% of the population (14.6% [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]], 5.3% [[Métis]], 3.5% [[Inuit]], and 0.8% gave other Indigenous response). Other ethnic groups include [[Filipino Canadians|Filipino]] with 1,375 residents (6.9% of total), [[Black Canadians|Black]] with 875 residents (4.4% of total), and [[South Asian Canadians|South Asian]] with 615 residents (3.1% of total) with a total [[visible minority]] population of 3,990 (20.0% of total).<ref name="2021censusB"/>
{| class="wikitable collapsible sortable"
|+ [[Panethnicity|Panethnic]] groups in the City of Yellowknife (2001−2021)
! rowspan="2" |[[Panethnicity|Panethnic]]<br>group
! colspan="2" |2021<ref name="2021censusB"/>
! colspan="2" |2016<ref name="2016censusB">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2021-10-27 |title= Census Profile, 2016 Census |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=5935010&Geo2=CD&Code2=5935&SearchText=kelowna&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1&type=0 |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |2011<ref name="2011censusB">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2015-11-27 |title= NHS Profile |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=5935010&Data=Count&SearchText=kelowna&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=All&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1 |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |2006<ref name="2006censusB">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2019-08-20 |title= 2006 Community Profiles |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=5935010&Geo2=PR&Code2=59&Data=Count&SearchText=kelowna&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |2001<ref name="2001censusB">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2019-07-02 |title= 2001 Community Profiles |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/Profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=5935010&Geo2=PR&Code2=59&Data=Count&SearchText=kelowna&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>
|-
![[Population|{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}]]
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
|-
| [[European Canadians|European]]{{efn|Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.|name="euro"}}
| 11,110
| {{Percentage | 11110 | 19910 | 2 }}
| 11,595
| {{Percentage | 11595 | 19285 | 2 }}
| 11,830
| {{Percentage | 11830 | 18830 | 2 }}
| 12,575
| {{Percentage | 12575 | 18510 | 2 }}
| 11,570
| {{Percentage | 11570 | 16450 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous]]
| 4,810
| {{Percentage | 4810 | 19910 | 2 }}
| 4,460
| {{Percentage | 4460 | 19285 | 2 }}
| 4,780
| {{Percentage | 4780 | 18830 | 2 }}
| 4,105
| {{Percentage | 4105 | 18510 | 2 }}
| 3,640
| {{Percentage | 3640 | 16450 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Southeast Asia]]n{{efn|Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.|name="SoutheastAsian"}}
| 1,645
| {{Percentage | 1645 | 19910 | 2 }}
| 1,290
| {{Percentage | 1290 | 19285 | 2 }}
| 950
| {{Percentage | 950 | 18830 | 2 }}
| 915
| {{Percentage | 915 | 18510 | 2 }}
| 555
| {{Percentage | 555 | 16450 | 2 }}
|-
| [[African-Canadian|African]]
| 875
| {{Percentage | 875 | 19910 | 2 }}
| 610
| {{Percentage | 610 | 19285 | 2 }}
| 465
| {{Percentage | 465 | 18830 | 2 }}
| 310
| {{Percentage | 310 | 18510 | 2 }}
| 140
| {{Percentage | 140 | 16450 | 2 }}
|-
| [[South Asian Canadians|South Asian]]
| 615
| {{Percentage | 615 | 19910 | 2 }}
| 510
| {{Percentage | 510 | 19285 | 2 }}
| 125
| {{Percentage | 125 | 18830 | 2 }}
| 135
| {{Percentage | 135 | 18510 | 2 }}
| 140
| {{Percentage | 140 | 16450 | 2 }}
|-
| [[East Asian Canadians|East Asian]]{{efn|Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.|name="EastAsian"}}
| 385
| {{Percentage | 385 | 19910 | 2 }}
| 450
| {{Percentage | 450 | 19285 | 2 }}
| 375
| {{Percentage | 375 | 18830 | 2 }}
| 260
| {{Percentage | 260 | 18510 | 2 }}
| 250
| {{Percentage | 250 | 16450 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Middle Eastern Canadians|Middle Eastern]]{{efn|Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.|name="MiddleEastern"}}
| 215
| {{Percentage | 215 | 19910 | 2 }}
| 110
| {{Percentage | 110 | 19285 | 2 }}
| 130
| {{Percentage | 130 | 18830 | 2 }}
| 80
| {{Percentage | 80 | 18510 | 2 }}
| 60
| {{Percentage | 60 | 16450 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Latin American Canadians|Latin American]]
| 90
| {{Percentage | 90 | 19910 | 2 }}
| 110
| {{Percentage | 110 | 19285 | 2 }}
| 85
| {{Percentage | 85 | 18830 | 2 }}
| 70
| {{Percentage | 70 | 18510 | 2 }}
| 50
| {{Percentage | 50 | 16450 | 2 }}
|-
| Other{{efn|Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, {{abbr|n.i.e.|not included elsewhere}}" and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.|name="Other"}}
| 155
| {{Percentage | 155 | 19910 | 2 }}
| 165
| {{Percentage | 165 | 19285 | 2 }}
| 100
| {{Percentage | 100 | 18830 | 2 }}
| 60
| {{Percentage | 60 | 18510 | 2 }}
| 40
| {{Percentage | 40 | 16450 | 2 }}
|-
! Total responses
! 19,910
! {{Percentage | 19910 | 20340 | 2 }}
! 19,285
! {{Percentage | 19285 | 19569 | 2 }}
! 18,830
! {{Percentage | 18830 | 19234 | 2 }}
! 18,510
! {{Percentage | 18510 | 18700 | 2 }}
! 16,450
! {{Percentage | 16450 | 16541 | 2 }}
|-
! Total population
! 20,340
! {{Percentage | 20340 | 20340 | 2 }}
! 19,569
! {{Percentage | 19569 | 19569 | 2 }}
! 19,234
! {{Percentage | 19234 | 19234 | 2 }}
! 18,700
! {{Percentage | 18700 | 18700 | 2 }}
! 16,541
! {{Percentage | 16541 | 16541 | 2 }}
|}
*Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses.

=== Language ===
English was the [[First language|mother tongue]] of 80.0% of residents and 3.2% spoke French. Of the nine [[official language]]s of the Northwest Territories 0.4% spoke [[Chipewyan language|Chipewyan]] (Dene); 0.1% spoke a [[Cree language]]; 0.1% spoke [[Gwich’in language|Gwich’in]]; 0.4% spoke [[Inuktitut]]; 0.1% spoke [[Inuinnaqtun]] or [[Inuvialuktun]]; 0.6% spoke [[Slavey language|North or South Slavey]] and 1.2% spoke [[Dogrib language|Tłı̨chǫ]] (Dogrib). In total 3.0% of the population said that an Indigenous language was their mother tongue.<ref name="2016census"/><ref name="lang">[http://www.nwtlanguagescommissioner.ca/nwt-official-languages/ Northwest Territories Official Languages Act, 1988] (as amended 1988, 1991–1992, 2003)</ref>

Not including the 11 official languages<ref name="lang"/> there are over 70 different languages that Yellowknifers stated were their mother tongue. These include [[Indo-European languages]] (4.2%); [[Austronesian languages]] (3.9%); [[Indo-Iranian languages]] and [[Germanic languages]] (1.1% each); [[Sino-Tibetan languages]] and [[Varieties of Chinese|Chinese languages]] and [[Indo-Aryan languages]] (1.0% each). The five main individual languages are [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] (3.2%); [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] (0.8%); German (0.6%); [[Cantonese]] and Spanish (0.5% each).<ref name="2016census"/>

=== Religion ===
According to the [[2021 Canadian census|2021 census]], religious groups in Yellowknife included:<ref name="2021censusB">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2022-10-26 |title= Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0&DGUIDlist=2021A00056106023&SearchText=yellowknife |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>
*[[Christianity in Canada|Christianity]] (9,705 persons or 48.7%)
*[[Irreligion in Canada|Irreligion]] (8,840 persons or 44.4%)
*[[Islam in Canada|Islam]] (610 persons or 3.1%)
*[[Buddhism in Canada|Buddhism]] (225 persons or 1.1%)
*[[Hinduism in Canada|Hinduism]] (130 persons or 0.7%)
*[[Sikhism in Canada|Sikhism]] (105 persons or 0.5%)
*[[Mythologies of the indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indigenous Spirituality]] (100 persons or 0.5%)
*[[Judaism in Canada|Judaism]] (35 persons or 0.2%)
*Other (165 persons or 0.8%)

In the [[2001 Canadian Census|2001 Census]] almost 73% of residents identified as [[Christians|Christian]] while 24% said they had no religious affiliation. For specific denominations [[Statistics Canada]] found that 36% of residents identified as [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]], 11% as [[Anglicanism|Anglican]], 10% for the [[United Church of Canada|United Church]], about 2% each as [[Baptists]], [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]], and [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]], and more than 1% for [[The Salvation Army]].<ref name=relig>{{cite web |title = Yellowknife |work = Religion (95A), Age Groups (7A) and Sex (3) for Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas 1 and Census Agglomerations, 1991 and 2001 Censuses – 20% Sample Data |publisher = Statistics Canada |date = 1 March 2007 |url = https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/census01/products/standard/themes/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=2&LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=1&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=55822&PRID=0&PTYPE=55430,53293,55440,55496,71090&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2001&THEME=56&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |access-date = 2 September 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> There were also 135 [[Buddhism|Buddhists]], 125&nbsp;Muslims, and 15&nbsp;Jews.<ref name=relig/>

== Culture ==
=== Events ===
[[File:Snowking Ice Castle Courtyard.jpg|thumb|upright|The courtyard for the [[Snowking Winter Festival]]'s castle. The festival is an annual festival that is centred around a [[Snow fort|snow castle]] on the [[Great Slave Lake]].]]

* Folk on the Rocks is a local music festival that has been an annual occurrence since 1980. The event features a wide variety of musical acts; it is not limited to only Folk. In the past, it has drawn acts such as [[Buffy Sainte-Marie]], the [[Trailer Park Boys]], [[The Weakerthans]], [[African Guitar Summit]], [[Corb Lund]], [[Fred Penner]], [[Stan Rogers]], [[Gord Downie]], [[Tanya Tagaq]], [[Dan Mangan]], [[Sam Roberts (singer-songwriter)|Sam Roberts Band]], [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]], [[The Strumbellas]], [[Joel Plaskett]], [[Ron Sexsmith]] and [[Hawksley Workman]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.folkontherocks.com/archives.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708205606/http://www.folkontherocks.com/archives.php |archive-date=8 July 2007|title=Performer Archives|publisher=Folk on the Rocks Music Festival|access-date=15 April 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* The Midnight Sun Golf Tournament, with games played through the city's well-lit summer nights, is also a significant cultural event.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yellowknifegolf.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx|title=Home|publisher=The Yellowknife Golf Club|access-date=15 April 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* During the winter, there is the [[Snowking Winter Festival]], featuring a snow castle on Great Slave Lake which hosts a month of cultural activities<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snowking.ca|title=13th Annual Winter Festival|publisher=The Snowking|access-date=15 April 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* The Long John Jamboree,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.longjohnjamboree.ca/|title=Long John Jamboree|website=Long John Jamboree}}</ref> a new winter festival, took place 23–25 March 2012 on the frozen Yellowknife Bay next to the Snowking castle, in Yellowknife's Old Town neighbourhood. Events include an ice sculpture contest sponsored by De Beers Canada, cultural events like Dene hand games, games, live music, a beer garden, food vendors, skating rink, artist's market, and much more.
* Yellowknife hosted the inaugural 1970 [[Arctic Winter Games]], and has since hosted athletes and artists from circumpolar regions at the biennial multi-sport and multi-cultural event in 1984, 1990, 1998, and [[2008 Arctic Winter Games]].
* The Old Town Ramble & Ride Festival started in 2006 and happens every summer for three days on the August long weekend. This free outdoor festival promotes local art, culture, music, artisans, dance, storytelling, workshops, tours, children's area and more.
* The [[Yellowknife International Film Festival]] is an annual film festival held in the city.<ref>Emily Blake, [https://cabinradio.ca/47895/news/arts/watch-the-yellowknife-international-film-festival-from-your-sofa/ "Watch the Yellowknife International Film Festival from your sofa"]. Cabin Radio, 23 October 2020.</ref> The [[Dead North Film Festival]], a genre film festival for horror, fantasy and science fiction films, was also staged from 2012 to 2020, but is currently on hiatus.<ref name=deadfornow>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/dead-north-film-festival-done-1.5723976 "Yellowknife's Dead North Film Festival dead ... for now"]. [[CBC North]], 14 September 2020.</ref>
* Yellowknife Farmers Market is a seasonal farmers market in Yellowknife, held every Tuesday from June to September at [[Somba K'e Civic Plaza]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://yellowknifefarmersmarket.ca/ |website=Yellowknife Farmers Market |title=Yellowknife Farmers Market |access-date=4 March 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Attractions ===
{{multiple image
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 220
 | image1 = The Gold Range.jpg
 | caption1 = [[The Gold Range]] is a prominent hotel and bar located in Yellowknife.
 | image2 = Yellowknife Wildcat Cafe (angle).JPG
 | caption2 = First opened in 1937, [[The Wildcat Cafe|Wildcat Cafe]] is the oldest restaurant in Yellowknife.
 | image3 = Elon Muskox.jpg
 | caption3 = Elon Muskox, a muskox sculpture at the front of Yellowknife City Hall (summer).
}}

Some notable places to visit in Yellowknife include:
* [[The Wildcat Cafe]], which first opened in 1937. The popular restaurant still operates in its original building during the summer, which was moved to its current location after being saved from demolition in the late 1970s. The Wildcat Cafe was renovated from 2011 to 2013. The City hosted a grand opening of the new Wildcat Cafe on 16 June 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.civilization.ca/hist/phase2/mod11e.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123234805/http://www.civilization.ca/hist/phase2/mod11e.html|archive-date=23 January 2008|title=North of 60° – Visions of the New North|publisher=Canadian Museum of Civilization|access-date=2 February 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* The [[The Gold Range|Gold Range Bar]] (also known as The Strange Range and listed in the circa 1989 phonebook as such), one of the oldest and most colourful drinking establishments in the Northwest Territories and featured in [[Elizabeth Hay (novelist)|Elizabeth Hay]]'s novel "Late Nights On Air" and [[Mordecai Richler]]'s novel ''[[Solomon Gursky Was Here]].''<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JzxbAAAAMAAJ |title=Solomon Gursky Was Here|access-date=30 June 2008|isbn=978-0-670-82526-4|last=Richler |first=Mordecai|year=1989|publisher=Viking }}</ref>
* Downtown contains the Capital Area Park, a short but pleasant stroll by City Hall,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/home.html |title=City of Yellowknife |publisher=Yellowknife.ca |date=3 January 2011 |access-date=2 March 2011|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706213842/http://www.yellowknife.ca/home.html |archive-date=6 July 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref> the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/ |title=Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre |publisher=Pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca |access-date=2 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511100202/http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/ |archive-date=11 May 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> the Legislature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/ |title=Northwest Territories Legislative Building |publisher=Assembly.gov.nt.ca |date=2 February 2011 |access-date=2 March 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* The [[Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre]] is a museum containing exhibits of the history and culture of [[Inuit]], [[Inuvialuit]], Dene, [[Métis]] and non-aboriginal peoples of the NWT. It is found just north of downtown on an attractive location overlooking Frame Lake.
* Near the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, the [[Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories|Northwest Territories Legislative Building]] houses the territory's legislative assembly.
* The [[Northern Arts and Cultural Centre]], which is located in [[Sir John Franklin High School]] and is the city's largest indoor stage for theatre and musical presentations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naccnt.ca/|title=Welcome to the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre|publisher=Northern Arts and Cultural Centre|access-date=15 April 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* ''Elon the Muskox'' (Elon Muskox), a mosaiculture horticultural living sculpture of a [[muskox]] exhibited in front of City Hall.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yellowknife-muskox-name-1.4955290 |title= Meet Elon Muskox, the Yellowknife sculpture named after Tesla CEO |date= 21 December 2018 |work= CBC News |publisher= [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://nationalpost.com/news/meet-elon-muskox-yellowknifes-grassy-haired-attraction |title= Meet Elon Muskox – Yellowknife's newest grassy-haired attraction, named after the Tesla CEO |author= Tyler Dawson |date= 21 December 2018 |newspaper= National Post }}</ref>
* [[Centre Square Mall]]: Northewest Territories' largest shopping mall and the tallest building in [[Northern Canada]]. Centre Square Mall contains many shops, the [[Yellowknife Public Library]], and the Yellowknife Visitor Centre.<ref>{{cite web |title=Check out Centre Square Mall's Store Directory in Yellowknife |url=https://www.ykcentresquaremall.com/ |website=Centre Square Mall |access-date=15 October 2022 |archive-date=15 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015204014/https://www.ykcentresquaremall.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Other notable attractions include the [[Ingraham Trail]], local fishing lodges, [[bush plane]] tours, the unique architecture of Old Town with the [[Bush flying|Bush Pilots]] monument, and any of the numerous lakes surrounding Yellowknife, many of which include beaches.

==== Historical sites ====
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Back Bay Cemetery]] – pioneer graveyard, 1938
* [[Bank of Toronto (Yellowknife)|Bank of Toronto]] – log cabin bank, 1944
* [[Canadian Pacific Airlines floatbase]] – Old Town float plane base, 1946
* [[Fireweed Studio]] – Giant Mine log cabin, 1939
* [[Hudson's Bay Warehouse]] – Hudson's Bay Company trading post, 1945
* [[Log School House]] – Yellowknife's first school, 1939
* [[Old Fort Providence]] – first trading post in the region, 1789
* [[Weaver & Devore Trading]] – in operation since 1936
* [[The Wildcat Cafe]] – longest serving restaurant
* [[Yellowknife Post Office|Post Office]] – community post office since 1956
{{div end}}

== Media ==

=== Print ===
The ''[[Yellowknifer]]'', published by [[Northern News Services]], is the major newspaper serving Yellowknife, published twice weekly on Wednesday and Friday. Northern News Services also publishes ''[[News/North|Northwest Territories News/North]]'' every Monday, which serves the entire NWT. As well, there is ''[[L'Aquilon]]'', a French language newspaper published weekly. ''[[Up Here (magazine)|Up Here]]'' magazine is based in Yellowknife, offering northern-related news and lifestyle articles. Edge Magazine, which began in 2011, was also based in Yellowknife and it covered arts, events, people, culture and economy around the city.

=== Radio ===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Frequency!!Call sign!!Branding!!Format!!Owner!!Notes
|-
|[[FM broadcasting|FM]] 95.3
|[[CBU-FM|CBNY-FM]]
|[[CBC Music]]
|Assorted music, [[Public broadcasting|public radio]]
|[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]
|Rebroadcaster of [[CBU-FM]] ([[Vancouver]])
|-
|[[FM broadcasting|FM]] 98.9
|[[CFYK-FM]]
|[[CBC Radio One]]
|[[Talk radio]], [[Public broadcasting|public radio]]
|[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]
|Part of [[CBC North]]
|-
|[[FM broadcasting|FM]] 100.1
|[[CJCD-FM]]
|100.1 True North FM
|[[Adult contemporary music|Adult contemporary]]
|[[Vista Broadcast Group]]
|
|-
|[[FM broadcasting|FM]] 101.9
|[[CKLB-FM]]
|CKLB Radio: The Voice of Denendeh
|[[Community radio]]
|Native Communications Society of the Northwest Territories
|[[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] community radio
|-
|[[FM broadcasting|FM]] 103.5
|[[CIVR-FM]]
|Radio Taïga
|[[Community radio]]
|Société Radio Taïga
|[[French language]] community radio
|}

=== Television ===
{{More citations needed|1=section|date=November 2024}}
{{outdated|French-language transmitters|date=November 2024}}
{|class="wikitable sortable"
![[Terrestrial television|OTA]] channel!!Call sign!!Network!!Notes
|-
|8 ([[very high frequency|VHF]])
|[[CFYK-DT]]
|[[CBC Television]]
|Flagship television station for [[CBC North]]
|-
|11 ([[very high frequency|VHF]])
|[[Aboriginal Peoples Television Network#Distribution|CHTY-TV]]
|[[Aboriginal Peoples Television Network]]
|Flagship television station for the [[Aboriginal Peoples Television Network]]
|-
|13 ([[very high frequency|VHF]]){{cn|date=November 2024}}
|[[CBFT-DT|CH4127]]
|[[Ici Radio-Canada Télé]]
|Community-owned rebroadcaster of [[CBFT-DT]] ([[Montreal]]). Status after 2010 is unknown; Ici Grand Nord<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.clo-ocol.gc.ca/sites/default/files/2023-12/nwt-pres8.pdf|title=The French Presence in the Northwest Territories|date=December 2023|accessdate=28 November 2024|publisher=Government of Canada Publications}}</ref> and Unis TV<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2019/clo-ocol/SF31-141-12-2018-fra.pdf|title=Le fait français dans les Territories du Nord-Ouest|accessdate=28 November 2024|lang=fr-ca|publisher=Government of Canada Publications|date=December 2018}}</ref> were instead known to be broadcast on cable as of December 2023.
|-
|17 ([[ultra high frequency|UHF]]){{cn|date=November 2024}}
|CHNP-TV{{cn|date=November 2024}}
|[[Independent station]]
|Branded on air as “Isuma Local Media”
|-
|35 ([[ultra high frequency|UHF]]){{cn|date=November 2024}}
|CHUT-TV{{cn|date=November 2024}}
|Legislative Assembly of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories{{cn|date=November 2024}}
|Branded on-air as “Legislative Assembly Television”{{cn|date=November 2024}}
|-
|44 ([[ultra high frequency|UHF]]){{cn|date=November 2024}}
|CKLT-TV{{cn|date=November 2024}}
|[[Uvagut TV]]
|
|}

No part of the Northwest Territories is designated as a mandatory market for [[Digital terrestrial television in Canada|digital television conversion]]; only CFYK-DT converted its main transmitter in Yellowknife to digital.

On 10 August 2012, [[NASA]] announced that the section of [[Mars]] where the [[Curiosity (rover)|Curiosity]] of the [[Mars Science Laboratory]] mission landed would be renamed Yellowknife, in recognition of the city of Yellowknife. Yellowknife is usually where scientists start geological mapping expeditions when researching the oldest known rocks in North America.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.space.com/17060-mars-rover-curiosity-landing-site-yellowknife.html |title=Curiosity Rover's New Address: Yellowknife, Mars |work=Space.com |date=8 August 2012 |access-date=14 August 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Deena Hinshaw]], Chief Medical Officer of Alberta
* [[Margot Kidder]], film and television actress best known for playing [[Lois Lane]] in the [[Superman in film|Superman]] movies of the 1970s and 1980s, was born in Yellowknife
* [[Kevin Koe]], World Champion Curler and [[skip (curling)|skip]] of the Canadian Men's Curling Team at the [[2018 Winter Olympics]].
* [[Shane Koyczan]], poet of anti-bullying poem "[[To This Day]]" among others
* [[Tobias Mehler]], film and television actor best known for his roles on ''[[Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' and ''[[Stargate SG-1]]''
* [[Vic Mercredi]], [[Métis in Canada|Métis]] hockey player, first person born in the NWT to be drafted into the [[National Hockey League]]
* [[Dustin Milligan]], film and television actor; lead actor in the first season of the ''[[90210 (TV series)|Beverly Hills, 90210]]'' spinoff and regular on ''[[Schitt's Creek]]''.
* [[John Sissons]], politician and the first judge of the [[Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories]]
* [[Greg Vaydik]], National Hockey League player
* [[Max Ward (aviator)|Max Ward]], pioneering [[Bush flying|bush pilot]] and founder of [[Wardair]], later sold to [[Canadian Airlines]]
* [[Ewan Affleck]], Canadian general practitioner and recipient of the [[Order of Canada]].
{{div end}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Canada}}
* ''[[Arctic Air]]''
* [[CFNA HQ Yellowknife]]
* [[Fred Henne Territorial Park]]
* [[History of Northwest Territories capital cities]]
* [[List of tallest buildings in Yellowknife]]
* [[Yellowknife Water Aerodrome]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Bastedo |first=Jamie |title=Yellowknife Outdoors: Best Places for Hiking, Biking, Paddling, and Camping |year=2007 |publisher=Red Deer Press |location=Calgary |isbn=978-0-88995-388-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Eber |first=Dorothy |title=Images of Justice: A Legal History of the Northwest Territories As Traced Through the Yellowknife Courthouse Collection of Inuit Sculpture |year=1997 |series=McGill-Queen's Native and Northern Series |volume=28 |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |location=Montreal |isbn=0-7735-1675-1}}
* {{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=C. P. |last2=Rode |first2=A. |last3=Theriault |first3=A. |title=Reports on the Yellowknife Laboratory and the Ikaluit Research Laboratory : working draft |year=1981 |publisher=Northern Social Research Division, Indian and Northern Affairs |location=Ottawa }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Wikivoyage inline}}
* {{Official website}}

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{{Northern Canada TV}}
{{Geographic Location
|Center    = Yellowknife
|North     = [[Wekweeti]]
|Northeast = 
|East      = [[List of protected areas of the Northwest Territories#North Slave Region|Hidden Lake Territorial Park]]
|Southeast = [[Dettah]]
|South     = [[Great Slave Lake]]
|Southwest = [[Fort Providence]]
|West      = [[Great Slave Lake]]
|Northwest = [[Behchokǫ̀]]
}}
{{Canada capitals}}}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Yellowknife| ]]
[[Category:1936 establishments in the Northwest Territories]]
[[Category:Cities in the Northwest Territories]]
[[Category:Hudson's Bay Company trading posts]]
[[Category:Mining communities in the Northwest Territories]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1936]]