| Gander | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Town — | |||
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| Motto: "Volet Gander" (Latin) "Gander Soars" |
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  Gander
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| Coordinates: 48°57′25″N 54°36′32″W / 48.95694°N 54.60889°W | |||
| Country |  Canada |
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| Province |  Newfoundland and Labrador |
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| Census division | Division No. 6, Newfoundland and Labrador | ||
| Settled | 1936 | ||
| Incorporated | 1958 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Type | Gander Town Council | ||
| - Mayor | Claude Elliot | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 104.25 km2 (40.3 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 128 m (420 ft) | ||
| Population (2006)[1] | |||
| - Total | 9,951 | ||
| - Density | 95.5/km2 (247.3/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | Newfoundland Time (UTC-3:30) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | Newfoundland Daylight (UTC-2:30) | ||
| Postal code span | A1V | ||
| Area code(s) | 709 | ||
| Highways | Route 1 | ||
| Website | Town of Gander (official site) | ||
Gander is a Canadian town located in the northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Gander Bay, 100 km (62 mi) south of Twillingate and 90 km (56 mi) east of Grand Falls-Windsor. Located on the northeastern shore of Gander Lake, it is the site of Gander International Airport, formerly an important refuelling point for transatlantic aircraft, and, to this day, a preferred stopping point for transatlantic aircraft that need to land because of on-board medical or security emergencies.
Most of the streets in Gander are named after famous aviators, including Amelia Earhart, Alcock and Brown, Charles Lindbergh, Eddie Rickenbacker, Marc Garneau and Chuck Yeager.[2] Popular Newfoundland entertainer Kevin Blackmore, better known as "Buddy Wasisname", from the Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers, was born in Gander.[citation needed]
Contents |
History
Gander was chosen for the construction of an airport in 1935 because of its location close to the northeast tip of the North American continent. In 1936, construction of the base began, and the town started to develop. On Jan. 11, 1938, Captain Douglas Fraser made the first landing at "Newfoundland Airport", now known as Gander International Airport, in a single-engine biplane, Fox Moth VO-ADE.
During the Second World War, as many as 10,000 Canadian, British and American military personnel resided in Gander. The area became a strategic post for the Royal Air Force Air Ferry Command, with approximately 20,000 American- and Canadian-built fighters and bombers stopping at Gander en route to Europe. After the war, the airbase became a civilian airport, and the location of the town was moved a safe distance from the runways. Construction of the present town site began in the 1950s, and the present municipality was incorporated in 1958; the settlement around the airport was eventually abandoned.[3]
After the Second World War, the town grew as the airport was used as a refuelling stop for transatlantic flights, earning its name "Cross-roads of the world," as nearly all overseas flights had to stop there before crossing the Atlantic. Recent efforts have been made to diversify the economy from being dependent on the airport, particularly as new aircraft designs have permitted longer-range flights without the need for landing to refuel.[citation needed]
Gander was the site of a major aircraft accident, Arrow Air Flight 1285, on Dec. 12, 1985.
The Gander International Airport, among many others in Newfoundland, played an integral role in world aviation in the immediate hours following the September 11, 2001, attacks when all of North America's airspace was closed by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), and 39 transatlantic flights bound for the United States were ordered to land at the airport—more flights than any other Canadian airport other than Halifax International. (Vancouver International received the most passengers, at 8,500.) More than 6,600 passengers and airline crew members, that's 66 percent of the local population, unexpectedly found themselves forced to stay in the Gander area for up to three days until airspace was reopened and flights resumed. Residents of Gander and surrounding communities volunteered to house, feed, and entertain the travelers in what became known as Operation Yellow Ribbon. This was largely because Transport Canada and NAV CANADA asked that transatlantic flights avoid the major airports in central Canada, like Lester B. Pearson in Toronto and Montréal-Dorval.
Subsequently, Lufthansa named one of its Airbus A340 aircraft Gander/Halifax to thank both cities for their handling of rerouted travelers on Sept. 11. In addition, a book called The Day The World Came to Town was published by Reagan Books, and several stories and segments about Gander's role during that and subsequent days have been featured on various educational and news programs. A radio play, The Day the Planes Came by Caroline and David Stafford, dealt with the effect of the Sept. 11 overspill passengers on Gander. It was first broadcast on 24 June 2008 on BBC Radio 4, and was repeated on 23 October 2009.[4] A TV movie 'Diverted' was made in 2009. On Feb. 27, 2010, NBC played a Tom Brokaw report on Gander's role in the displacement of hundreds of planes on 9/11. The broadcast showed the generosity and warm-heartedness of the town that took its selfless love to help each and every passenger on that day.
The Town of Gander continues to play a very important role in aerospace today and, to this extent, Gander has retained an experienced United States Representative to attract and retain valid business opportunities in the aerospace industry.
In May 2007, MoneySense ranked Gander as the 10th best place to live in Canada. The magazine ranked communities strictly by crunching numbers relating to 12 measurable factors including weather, real estate values, income levels, unemployment rates, discretionary income, murder rates and signs of prosperity such as the percentage of late-model vehicles.
Demographics
According to Statistics Canada 2006 census, the current population of the town of Gander is 9,951, a 3.1% increase from 2001. There are a total of 4,153 dwellings and the town's total area is 104.25 km2 (40.25 sq mi), with a population density of 95.5 /km2 (247.3/sq mi).
The town's population is overwhelmingly of white ancestry. The largest visible minority groups in Gander are Aboriginal people (1.65%) followed by Black Canadians (0.52%) Indo-Canadians (0.3%), and Chinese Canadians (0.15%).
Climate
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record high °C (°F) | 12.3 (54) |
13.4 (56) |
18.1 (65) |
22.6 (73) |
28.3 (83) |
32.8 (91) |
35.6 (96) |
33.3 (92) |
28.9 (84) |
24.4 (76) |
20.6 (69) |
14.4 (58) |
35.6 (96) |
| Average high °C (°F) | -3.2 (26) |
-3.4 (26) |
0.4 (33) |
5.2 (41) |
11.7 (53) |
17.2 (63) |
21.4 (71) |
20.6 (69) |
15.8 (60) |
9.5 (49) |
4.2 (40) |
-0.7 (31) |
8.2 (47) |
| Average low °C (°F) | -11.5 (11) |
-12.3 (10) |
-8.2 (17) |
-2.6 (27) |
1.7 (35) |
6 (43) |
10.7 (51) |
10.7 (51) |
6.9 (44) |
2 (36) |
-2.3 (28) |
-7.9 (18) |
-0.6 (31) |
| Record low °C (°F) | -27.2 (-17) |
-31.1 (-24) |
-28.8 (-20) |
-17.6 (0) |
-8.9 (16) |
-2.8 (27) |
0.6 (33) |
-1.1 (30) |
-1.7 (29) |
-7.2 (19) |
-15.7 (4) |
-26.1 (-15) |
-31.1 (-24) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 111.5 (4.39) |
98 (3.86) |
110.4 (4.35) |
95.4 (3.76) |
86.3 (3.4) |
85.2 (3.35) |
83.9 (3.3) |
96.4 (3.8) |
101.9 (4.01) |
112.4 (4.43) |
106.7 (4.2) |
113.8 (4.48) |
1,201.9 (47.32) |
| Source: Environment Canada[5] 2009-07-15 | |||||||||||||
Services
Gander offers all the conveniences of a major centre. A business park with big box stores like Wal-Mart was built a few years ago. There are two malls - the Gander Mall, with stores like Canadian Tire, Dollarama, Claire's, Pseudio, Eclipse, and Nan's Pantry and the Fraser Mall with Price Chopper,Buddytoad comics and government offices. Town Square on Elizabeth Drive and Airport Bouvelard has several local businesses, including Riff's.
Medical services are provided by the James Paton Memorial Hospital, on the Trans-Canada Highway. The hospital opened in May 1964 and has undergone many changes since then, making it a prominent hospital in the central region. The hospital has a rated beds capacity of 92.[6]
Telephone services are provided by Bell Aliant, formerly NewTel Communications. Aliant also provides DSL high-speed internet service to the community. Rogers Communications is the cable TV and cable internet provider for the town. Cell Phone service is also available through Telus, Koodoo, and Virgin Mobile.
Planetary nomenclature
In 1991, the International Astronomical Union and Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (IAU/WGPSN) officially named a crater on Mars. GANDER, the Martian Crater which is named for and attributed to the town is located at -31.5 South Latitude and 265.9 West Longitude on the Mars Surface. Crater GANDER of Mars has a diameter of 38 kilometers.[7][8]
See also
References
External links
| North: Division No. 6, Subd. E | ||
| West: Division No. 6, Subd. E |
Gander |
East: Division No. 6, Subd. E |
| South: Division No. 6, Subd. E |
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This page was last modified on 20 March 2010 at 07:10.
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