Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador
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This article is about the Canadian town. For other uses, see Gander.
Gander is a Canadian town located in northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately 40 kilometres south of Gander Bay, a little over 100 kilometres from the town of Twillingate and 90 kilometres east of Grand Falls. Located on the northeastern shore of Gander Lake, it is the site of Gander International Airport, formerly an important refuelling point for transatlantic aircraft.
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[edit] History
Gander was chosen for the construction of an airbase in 1935 due to its location close to the northeast tip of the American continent. In 1936 construction of the base began and the town started to develop. During the Second World War as many as 10,000 people were settled around the airbase. Once the war was over the air base became a civilian airport and the location of the town was moved a safe distance from the runways. The present municipality was incorporated in 1958.
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. Recently 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.
Gander was the site of a major plane crash on December 12 1985, the Arrow Air Flight 1285.
The Gander airport played an important role in the world aviation in the immediate hours following the September 11, 2001 attacks when all of North America's airspace was closed by NORAD, and 39 trans-Atlantic 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.) Over 6,600 passengers and airline crew members 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 travellers in what became known as Operation Yellow Ribbon. This was largely because Transport Canada and NAV CANADA asked that trans-Atlantic 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 travellers on 9/11. In addition, a book called "The Day The World Came to Town" was published by Reagan Books and several stories and segements about Gander's role during 9-11 have been featured on various educational and news programs.
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.
[edit] Demographics
According to the 2001 Statistics Canada Census:
- Population: 9,651
- % Change (1996-2001): approx. -6.9
- Dwellings: 3,993
- Area (km².): 104.25
- Density (persons per km².): 92.6
- Mayor: Claude Elliot(Third Term)
| 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 |
[edit] Trivia
- Most of the streets in Gander are named after famous aviators, such as Charles Lindbergh, Eddie Rickenbacker and Chuck Yeager.
- Popular Newfoundland entertainer, Kevin Blackmore (a.k.a "Buddy Wasisname" from Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers) was born in Gander.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Town of Gander (Official Site)
- Photo of Lufthansa Airbus A340 D-AIFC Gander Halifax
- Transatlantic Re-enactment Flight
 Subdivisions of Newfoundland and Labrador |
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| Census divisions | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 |
| Cities | Corner Brook · Mount Pearl · St. John's |
| Other communities | Bishop's Falls · Bonavista · Botwood · Carbonear · Channel-Port aux Basques · Clarenville · Deer Lake · Ferryland · Fogo · Gander · Grand Falls-Windsor · Happy Valley-Goose Bay · Harbour Grace · Labrador City · Marystown · Nain · Pasadena · Peterview · Placentia · Red Bay · St. Anthony · Stephenville · Woody Point |
