Yorkton, Saskatchewan, is a city nestled in the south-eastern part of Canada. It is approximately 450 kilometres north-west of Winnipeg and 300 kilometres south-east of Saskatoon, making it the sixth largest city in the province. Yorkton is surrounded by the rural municipalities of Orkney to the north, west, and south, and Wallace on the east.
Yorkton was established in 1882 by a group of businessmen and investors who formed the York Farmers Colonization Company. The company was authorized to issue up to $300,000 in debentures, and the lenient government credit terms on land purchases encouraged company representatives to visit the District of Assiniboia of the North-West Territories. They were impressed with the crown land available near the Manitoba border and purchased portions of six townships near the Little Whitesand River (now Yorkton Creek) for settlement and to establish a trade centre, which became known as York Colony. The colony was relocated alongside a new rail line in 1889 and was incorporated as a city in 1928.
Yorkton is situated in the aspen parkland ecosystem, with a terrain mainly dedicated to agriculture. The city is located on the edge of a maximum glacial lake, and the quaternary geology has left the area as a moraine plain consisting of glacial deposits. The bedrock geology is the Pembina Member of Vermillion River Formation and Riding Mountain Formation. Yorkton is part of the Quill Lake-Yorkton Plain region of the Saskatchewan Plains Region.
Yorkton experiences a humid continental climate, with extreme seasonal temperatures. The city has warm summers and cold winters, with the average daily temperatures ranging from −17.9 °C in January to 17.8 °C in July. The highest temperature ever recorded in Yorkton was 40.6 °C on 19 July 1941, and the coldest was −46.1 °C on 20 January 1943.
Yorkton has experienced several extreme weather events, including a severe thunderstorm on July 1, 2010, that resulted in pea-sized hail, strong winds, lightning, heavy rain, and a flash flood. Broadway Street was severely affected, with local businesses suffering significant damage. The city declared a State of Emergency, and the Canadian Red Cross assisted the victims. Another State of Emergency was declared on June 29, 2014, after rain caused flash floods in south-eastern Saskatchewan.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Yorkton had a population of 16,280 living in 6,974 of its 7,529 total private dwellings, a slight decrease from its 2016 population of 16,343. The city covers a land area of 36.19 km2, resulting in a population density of 449.8/km2 in 2021.
The first settlers in Yorkton were English from Eastern Ontario and Great Britain, with Scottish settlers establishing the settlement of Orkney 6 miles west. A significant number of residents are also descended from Ukrainian immigrants who arrived in the early 20th century.
Yorkton is home to the Gallagher Centre, an entertainment complex that includes an arena, curling rink, conference rooms, and an indoor swimming pool. The city also houses a branch of the Saskatchewan Western Development Museum, which showcases pioneer life in the town and surrounding prairie. Several buildings in downtown Yorkton feature murals depicting historic personalities.
Yorkton boasts a number of heritage buildings, including the Yorkton Tower Theatre, Army Navy and Air Force Veterans Building, Dulmage Farmstead, Hudson's Bay Company Store, St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Yorkton Armoury, Yorkton Court House, 29 Myrtle Avenue, 81 Second Avenue North, Old Land Titles Building, and Yorkton Organic Milling Ltd.
The Yorkton Film Festival has been a staple of life in Yorkton since October 1947. Initially known as the Yorkton International Documentary Film Festival, it shifted its focus to Canadian short films in 1977 and was renamed the Yorkton Short Film Festival. In 2009, it became the Yorkton Film Festival.
Yorkton Transit operates two routes, covering the majority of the city.
The 64th (Yorkton) Field Battery, Royal Canadian Artillery is garrisoned at the Yorkton Armouries. During World War II, the Yorkton airport was home to No. 23 Elementary Flying Training School and No. 11 Service Flying Training School, both part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The Royal Canadian Air Force Station Yorkton was a Long Range Radar and Ground Air Transmitter Receiver facility of the Pinetree Line, operational from 1963 to 1986.
