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History Inuvik was conceived in 1953 as a replacement administrative centre for the hamlet of Aklavik[?] on the west of the Mackenzie Delta[?] as the latter was prone to flooding and had no expansion room. Initially called "New Aklavik", it was renamed to Inuvik (meaning "Place of Man" in Inuvialuktun[?]) in 1958 because of the confusion surrounding the Aklavik/New Aklavik split.
Inuvik achieved village status in 1967 and became a full town in 1970 with an elected mayor and council. In 1979, with the completion of the Dempster Highway, Inuvik became a part of Canada's highway system and, simultaneously, the most northerly town to which one could drive.
Between 1971 and 1990, the town's economy was supported by the local Canadian Forces Station (a naval station that maintained part of the DEW Line[?]) and by petrochemical companies exploring the Mackenzie Valley and the Beaufort Sea for petroleum. This all collapsed in 1990 for a variety of reasons including disappearing government subsidies, local resistance to petroleum exploration and low international oil prices.
Facilities A new hospital opened early 2003, providing service to an area extending from Sachs Harbour[?] on Banks Island to Holman[?] on Victoria Island and from Paulatuk[?] into the Sahtu[?] region including Norman Wells[?], Tulit'a[?], Deline[?], Fort Good Hope[?] and Colville Lake[?].
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