Whitehorse

Whitehorse
Nicknames: 
Motto: 
Our People, Our Strength
Whitehorse
Location of Whitehorse
Whitehorse
Location of Whitehorse
Coordinates: 60°43′27″N 135°03′22″W / 60.72417°N 135.05611°W / 60.72417; -135.05611
CountryCanada
TerritoryYukon
Established1898
Government
 • MayorKirk Cameron
 • Governing bodyWhitehorse City Council
 • MPsBrendan Hanley
 • MLAsKevin Mclaughlin
Yvonne Clarke
Currie Dixon
Scott Kent
Jeanie McLean
Tracy-Anne McPhee
Richard Mostyn
Ranj Pillai
Elaine Taylor
Lane Tredger
Kate White
Area
 • City
413.94 km2 (159.82 sq mi)
 • Urban
35.97 km2 (13.89 sq mi)
 • Metro
8,465.21 km2 (3,268.44 sq mi)
Elevation
670–1,702 m (2,198–5,584 ft)
Population
 (2021)
 • City
28,201
 • Density68.1/km2 (176/sq mi)
 • Urban
24,513
 • Urban density681.5/km2 (1,765/sq mi)
DemonymWhitehorser
Time zoneUTC−07:00 (MST)
Forward sortation area
Area code867
NTS Map105D11 Whitehorse
Websitewhitehorse.ca

Whitehorse is the capital of Yukon, and the largest city in Northern Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which rises in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in Alaska. The city was named after the White Horse Rapids for their resemblance to the mane of a white horse.

Because of the city's location in the Whitehorse valley and relative proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the climate tends to be milder. At this latitude, winter days are short and summer days have up to about 19 hours of daylight.

As of the 2021 Canadian census, the population was 28,201 within city boundaries and 31,913 in the census agglomeration. These figures represent approximately 70 and 79 percent, respectively, of the total population of Yukon.