Portage la Prairie

Portage la Prairie is a city of over 13,000 people (2016) in the Central Plains region of Manitoba. Because the land is very fertile, Portage la Prairie is a major agricultural centre in Manitoba.

Understand
The name is derived from the French word portage, which means to carry a canoe overland between waterways. In this case the "portage" was between the Assiniboine River and Lake Manitoba, over la prairie.

The city became a major transportation centre due to its proximity to the river, and later, the location of the main lines of the country's national railways passing through the community.

Portage la Prairie has the most sunny days during the warm months in Canada. Portage has a humid continental climate with warm summers and cold, dry winters.

Talk
Despite the city's heritage, the vast majority of residents have English as their first language, with less than three percent speaking French; roughly the same percentage speak German.

By car
Portage la Prairie is located on Provincial Trunk Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway), about 60 km west of Winnipeg. About 13 km west of the city is the eastern terminus of Provincial Trunk Highway 16 (Yellowhead Highway), which travels from Prince Rupert, British Columbia via Edmonton, Alberta and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

By train

 * Train operator:
 * Routes serving Portage La Prairie:
 * The Canadian between Toronto and Vancouver with stops in both directions in medium to large cities and tourist destinations such as Sudbury, Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Jasper, and Kamloops. Travel time to Portage La Prairie from Winnipeg is 1.5 hours and from Saskatoon is 12.25 hours.
 * Between Winnipeg and Churchill twice per week with stops along the way in Portage la Prairie, Dauphin, Roblin, Kamsack, Canora, Hudson Bay, The Pas and Thompson. Travel time to Portage La Prairie from Winnipeg is 1.25 hours, from The Pas is 12.25 hours, from Thompson is 1 day 1.5 hours, and from Churchill is 1 day 20 hours.

By bus

 * Operates a route between Winnipeg and Flin Flon including stops in Portage la Prairie, Neepawa, Ste. Rose du Lac, Dauphin, Swan River, and The Pas.

Get around
Public transportation in Portage la Prairie is pretty scarce. Many people walk, but it is not a very efficient travel method as the town is very spread out and for a large part of the year it is quite cold.

Do

 * Hot Blizzard Folk Festival in February
 * Portage Exhibition & Fair ("PortageX") held every July
 * Portage Exhibition & Fair ("PortageX") held every July

Go next

 * The community of Southport, about 5 km (3.1 mi) south of Portage la Prairie, is home to a small recreation complex featuring a gymnasium and 5-pin bowling alley, and displays military/air force history throughout the town and airport. It celebrates Canadian Forces Day in early June.