Lake Louise, Alberta
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Lake Louise is an unincorporated community within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. Named after Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, it lies in Alberta's Rockies on the Bow River, Template:Cvt northeast of the lake that shares its name. Initially settled in 1884 as an outpost for the Canadian Pacific Railway, Lake Louise sits at an elevation of Template:Cvt, making it Canada's highest community.Template:Citation needed
History
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Prior to the arrival of Europeans, local indigenous peoples were the only inhabitants of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains—including what is today Lake Louise—where they hunted the once-widespread bison, as well as elk, moose and other big and small game animals, in addition to fishing the rich waterways and foraging off of the many species of edible and medicinal plants in the region. In the language of the Nakoda people, Lake Louise is called Template:Lang, meaning "lake of the little fishes".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
During the 1870s, construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) began, with the route going through Bow Valley. A Nakoda guide took CPR workman Tom Wilson to the site in 1882, and Wilson named it 'Emerald Lake'. The community was later called 'Holt City', and then 'Laggan', before being renamed Lake Louise. A ca. 1890 CPR station was replaced in 1910, but continued to be used by the railway company for other purposes until it was donated to Heritage Park Historical Village, Calgary, in 1976. The depot was moved to the park, where it was restored in the style of the era when the village was called Laggan.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> The 1910 station was declared a heritage railway station by the federal government in 1991,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> having been well-preserved and operating today as a restaurant.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Lake Louise was added to Rocky Mountains Park in 1892, and has subsequently become an international tourist destination, made more accessible by its location near the Trans-Canada Highway.
Geography
The community is in Division No. 15, one of 19 census divisions of Alberta and the federal riding of Banff—Airdrie. It is beside the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1), Template:Cvt west of Calgary.
Climate
Lake Louise experiences a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc). Annual snowfall averages Template:Cvt and although winter temperatures can fall below Template:Convert in January and February the averages are Template:Convert and Template:Convert respectively. Summers consist of frosty mornings and crisp, cool days. Snow can occur in any month of the year. Since lower elevations on said latitude have humid continental climates instead, it may also be described as a subalpine climate. Because of its high diurnal air temperature variation and high altitude, the frost-free period averages only 14 days.<ref name="LLAC" />
Demographics
Lake Louise recorded a population of 691 in the 2011 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada.<ref name=2011census/> Residents often change year to year, with workers in the service and tourism industries moving to the area for work.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Government
Lake Louise is administered by Improvement District No. 9.<ref>Improvement District No. 9 (Banff) Template:Webarchive - Alberta Municipal Affairs</ref>
Infrastructure
The Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) runs adjacent to the community while Highway 1A begins at the entrance to the community. The southern terminus of the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) is just north of the community.
See also
References
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