Whitehorse

Whitehorse
From top to bottom; left to right: View of Central Whitehorse in 2019, northern lights viewed from Riverdale, buildings in Downtown Whitehorse, Yukon Legislative Building
Nicknames: 
Motto(s): 
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 (2,200–5,584 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 (French pronunciation: [wajtɔʁs]) 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, near Miles Canyon, before the river was dammed.

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. Whitehorse, as reported by Guinness World Records, is the city with the least air pollution in the world.

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 entire population of Yukon.