Facts
Whitehorse facts
Whitehorse facts: population, when it became Yukon's capital, how it got its name, time zone, daylight and other numbers.
At a glance
| Population, Whitehorse area | 38,123 (June 30, 2025) |
| Population, City of Whitehorse | 28,201 (2021 Census) |
| Population, all of Yukon | 48,453 (March 31, 2026) |
| City land area | about 414 km² (2021 Census) |
| Median age, City of Whitehorse | 37.6 (2021 Census; Yukon 39.2) |
| Capital of Yukon since | April 1, 1953 |
| Incorporated as a city | 1950 |
| Traditional territories | Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta'an Kwäch'än Council |
| Latitude | 60.7° N |
| Elevation at the airport | 706 m |
| Time zone | UTC-7 all year, no daylight saving time |
| Daylight | about 5.5 hours in December, about 19 hours in June |
| Area code | 867 |
| Airport | Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport (YXY) |
Why two population numbers? The Whitehorse area count from the Yukon Bureau of Statistics includes the country residential areas and nearby communities around the city. The census number covers only the land inside city limits.
How Whitehorse got its name
The city is named after the White Horse Rapids on the Yukon River, below Miles Canyon. Early miners thought the white water looked like the manes of running horses, and the name was in use before the Gold Rush. The Southern Tutchone name for the canyon is Kwänlin, which the Kwanlin Dün First Nation carries today. A hydro dam built in 1958 flooded the rapids, and Schwatka Lake now sits where they were. The city's name was spelled "White Horse" until 1957.
First Nations
Whitehorse lies on the traditional territories of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta'an Kwäch'än Council. Their territories overlap around the city. Kwanlin Dün people lived around Miles Canyon, Fish Lake and Marsh Lake. Ta'an Kwäch'än people lived mostly along Lake Laberge, north of town. People from many other First Nations came to the area to trade, fish and gather.
Both are self-governing First Nations. The Ta'an Kwäch'än Council signed its final and self-government agreements in 2002, and the Kwanlin Dün First Nation in 2005. The Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre on the riverfront is a good place to learn more.
How the town began
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The White Pass & Yukon Route railway from Skagway reached Whitehorse in 1900. Here goods moved from the train to riverboats for the trip to Dawson City, and the town grew around that transfer point. During the Second World War the Alaska Highway brought thousands of soldiers and workers, and many of the older homes in Takhini and Hillcrest started out as army housing. In 1953 the territorial capital moved from Dawson City to Whitehorse.
Most Yukoners live here
About four out of five Yukoners live in the Whitehorse area. The population of the area grew by about 31% in the ten years to March 2026. Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Yukon grew faster than any province or territory in Canada, and most of that growth was in Whitehorse.
Whitehorse is also the only city in Yukon. All other communities are towns, villages or smaller settlements.
Time and daylight
The Yukon stopped changing its clocks in 2020 and stays on UTC-7 all year. In winter that is the same as Alberta, and in summer the same as British Columbia. Around the shortest day the sun rises around 11:10 AM and sets around 4:45 PM. Around the longest day it sets after 11:30 PM and it never gets fully dark.