Dawson City

Introduction

Dawson City

© gacela

Dawson City is a town in Yukon, Canada. The population was 1,319 at the 2011 census. The area draws some 60,000 visitors each year. The locals generally refer to it simply as 'Dawson', but the tourist industry generally refers to it as 'Dawson City' (partly to differentiate it from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, which is at Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway). The town is built on a layer of ice, which may pose a threat to the town's infrastructure in the future if the permafrost melts.

Events and Festivals

• Dawson City International Short Film Festival
• Dawson City Music Festival

Weather

Like most of Yukon, Dawson City has a subarctic climate. The average temperature in July is 15.6 °C and in January is -26.7 °C. The highest temperature ever recorded is 34.7 °C on May 31, 1983 and the lowest temperature ever recorded is -55.8 °C on February 11, 1979. It experiences a wide range of temperatures surpassing 30 °C (86 °F) in most summers and dropping below -40 °C). The average rainfall in July is 48.4 mm and the average snowfall in January is 24.2 cm. Dawson has an average total annual snowfall of 160 cm and averages 90 frost free days per year.

Getting There

By Plane

Dawson City Airport (YDA) offers flights to/from Inuvik, Old Crow, Whitehorse and Fairbanks.

By Car

The Klondike Highway (Yukon route 2) from Whitehorse is open year-round. The Top of the World Highway (Yukon route 9) and Taylor Highway (Alaska route 5) from Tok, Alaska are open most of the year.

Sleep

View our map of accommodation in Dawson City

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet usage is wide-spread in Canada. Wi-fi is available in many locations in larger cities, sometimes free and sometimes at a cost. You will find Wi-Fi in coffee stores, some restaurants and also hotels and motels more and more offer this service for free, but with a code usually. Internet cafes are common along major streets, and and in larger cities, charge between $3 and $4 for an hour, usually in 20-minute increments.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to Canada is: 1. To make an international call from Canada, the code is: 011. Emergency services can be reached by dialling 911. This number will give you free access to Police, Fire and Ambulance services and can be used from landlines, phone booths and cell phones.

The populous areas of Canada along the border with the USA have excellent cellular and wired telecommunications, meaning that travellers are never fair from an international phone call home, a WIFI connection or an internet cafe. Depending on the mobile phone provider, coverage could be either CDMA and GSM coverage. Travellers wishing to purchase SIM cards for GSM phones should look for Rogers Wireless, Telus Mobility and Bell Mobility, which all offer nationwide availability.

Post

Postal service is provided by Canada Post, a crown corporation owned by the government but run as an independent business. Most post offices keep hours from 9:00am to 5:00pm though in bigger places longer hourse might be available.

To format the envelope of a letter sent within Canada, put the destination address on the centre of its envelope, with a stamp, postal indicia, meter label, or frank mark on the top-right corner of the envelope to acknowledge payment of postage. A return address, although it is not required, can be put on the top-left corner of the envelope in smaller type than the destination address.

The lettermail service allows the mailing of a letter. The basic rate is currently set at $0.63 for one standard letter (30 grams or less). The rates for lettermail are based or weight and size and determine whether the article falls into the aforementioned standard format, or in the oversize one. The rate is the same for a postcard. Mail sent internationally is known as letterpost. It can only contain paper documents. The rate for a standard letter is of $1.10 if sent to the United States, and $1.85 if sent to any other destination. Oversize or overweight letters may be charged a higher fee. Larger parcels can be shipped via Canada post both domestically and internationally, the rate is dependent on the weight and destination. ^[1]

Federal Express, TNT, UPS or DHL also provide interntional shipping from Canada and are usually very quick and reliable though might cost a little more compared to Canada Post.

External Links

• Official Governmental Website
• Official Tourism Website