| The Town of the City of Dawson or Dawson City is a town in the Yukon Territory of Canada, located at 64°03′45″N, 139°25′50″W. The current population is approximately 2,020. 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' to differentiate it from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, which is at Km 0 of the Alaska Highway.
Dawson was incorporated as a city in 1902 when it met the criteria for "city" status under the municipal act of that time. It retained the incorporation even as the population plummeted. When a new municipal act was adopted in the 1980s, Dawson met the criteria of "town", and was incorporated as such, although with a special provision to allow it to continue to use the word "City", partially for historic reasons, partially to distinguish it from Dawson Creek, a small city in northeastern British Columbia. Dawson Creek is also named in honour of George M. Dawson. |
