At some point in every internet user’s life, a stray click on a Google search result will have inevitably led them into the weird wild world of Yahoo Answers, a Q&A site known both for the often boneheaded and linguistically mangled questions posed there — most famously, perhaps, the much-memed “How is babby formed? How girl get pragnent? Condom broke, am pragnent?” — and the often equally informed responses. The site has been around since 2006, though it seems somehow primordial, a spot frequented by people with only the barest grasp on how the internet works, or that Google exists, or how to put socks on.
It was suggested to us that we take a look at what the Yahoo Answers community had to say about Yellowknife, and we thought, sure, why not? And sure enough, between the desperate school kids late on geography and social studies assignments (“What was Yellowknife’s climate in 1950?” “What places would I pass if I was on a train from Halifax to Yellowknife?”), inquiries from Ice Road Trucker fans (“How can I get Ice Road Trucker job?”), and queries from folks considering a big life change (“How to move to Yellowknife from UK?”), we found some very interesting queries, and the responses they received. Below you’ll find a selection of them, ever-so-lightly edited where necessary for clarity, but otherwise untouched. Pay attention. No matter how much of a local expert you are, you may learn something:
Q: Are there sewers in Yellowknife?
A: Let me guess, in your mind Yellowknife is a frozen wasteland, the ground is solid ice, it is freezing cold 365 days of the year, people live in igloos, travel by dog sled and you slept all the way through school right?
And you probably believe that when you cross the USA/Canada border you drive into a wall of ice right? Why dont you step back from the computer and THINK about it …….
Yes but they are frozen most of the year.
Q: How to move to Yellowknife, Canada? I am 23 years old from the UK. I don’t have any education, – I am a professional dancer. I want to move to Northwest Territories, possibly Yellowknife, Canada… how do I go about this with visas, ect? I don’t plan on working in Yellowknife, only living. I plan to still work in Europe but travel back.
A: No skills, no job, no money? You cannot live in Canada anywhere. It isn’t allowed. You can come and visit, but you cannot stay.
A: I migration is heavily biased to qualifications. There isn’t a lot of demand for dancers.
Q: Do you think global warming will make Yellowknife a metropolis?
A: With all due respect… I don’t know.
Q: Would Yellowknife, NWT be a really awesome place to live? Wouldn’t it be amazing that in summer you could romance in the lingering evening twilight and long summer days and cook barbecue and smoker to keep out the mosquitoes and fireflies? Then you’d see blankets of autumn foliage and the return of the night sky? And then you would see these amazing nights…
A: I agree with your sense of adventure and the feelings you have about our wonderful north country. The best way to find out is to do it. I lived in Yellowknife for 12 years back in the 60’s and 70’s. It was a wonderful experience, but now I wouldn’t go back because, (a) Yellowknife has become a larger and more urbanized city and (b) one can never recapture the essence they experienced by going back for a visit. If you want my advice — the place to visit is Whitehorse in the Yukon. However, I wouldn’t leave out Yellowknife because then, at the very least, you can come to your own conclusions by the mere fact of being there in person. Bon voyage!
A: Yelloknife is not one of those nicer places. Whitehorse is the way to go 🙂 Source: Born and raised in whitehorse
A: Sure, if you like potatoes, ice storms and corrugated iron shacks.
Q: Are there snakes in yellowknife? Just wondering
A: I assume you are talking about Yellowknife, Canada in the Northwest Territories. If so, no. The only snakes in the Northwest Territories are Red-sided garter snakes found around Fort Smith.
Q: Help walking from Yellowknife, NWT to Iqaluit, Nunavut offroad? In summer you have tundra, Boreal Forest, waterways to get around, right? Can this be done with a backpack and a canoe? And for winter, you could dogsled part of the way?
I want to do this walk but obviously there are no roads and no mapquest routes for how to walk this path?
The only technology I want to take with me on this walk is my ipod and Emergency transmission. What is a safe way to do this walk?
I refuse to pay for airplane or any motor vehicles.
What steps should I take to complete this walk? Can I hire some first nations people or Metis to help me?
Do I need hunting gear?
Bear bangers and bear spray?
What about how to sleep in these conditions?
Update: I am brave and I insist on doing this walk. I will donate all proceeds of fame for completing this walk to the people of Port Au Prince.
Update 2: Another concern I have on this trip is how am I gonna charge up my ipod battery? during the summer I could use a solar charger, but in winter it’s lots of darkness that far north….. what about wind powered ipod chargers? Why can’t Canadians manufacture this?
A: You may be brave, but if you do not know the terrain and are not equipped for the long journey, you may not survive.
You say you refuse to pay for airfare or motor vehicles, but then how will you get to Yellowknife in the first place? That may end your trek before it even starts.
And Iqaluit is on Baffin Island, so you may need to arrange for a kayak or canoe for at least one part of the trip.
Your best bet would be to arrange for sponsors and get guides who know the area to assist you. By the way, many of the Inuit and First Nations people have switched from dogsleds to snowmobiles, so they may insist on at least some “motor vehicles”.
Good luck to you. The distance between those two cities is like from Calgary to Halifax. It’s about 36 days of non-stop walking. With only an iPod and if you start this weekend, I should expect your next post on Y! Questions to be sometime in April or May?
A: There is no safe way to do this trip. Unless you are a Master Survivalist you are going to cost me, the tax payer, a lot of money to find your remains. Please save us and your family a lot of grief. A dream, is a dream, is dream.
Q: Is Yellowknife a good place to spend vacation in January? Why? I am from Brazil!
A: While winter temperatures in Yellowknife regularly fall into the minus 30’s, January is a great time to see the Northern Lights up close. Other than that, it is too cold for much else, summers are gorgeous though.
A: Define “good”. In January, Yellowknife would get pretty cold.
A: Yes it is. But only if you’re properly prepared for the extremely cold temperatures of a Canadian winter.
Q: Are there cougars in Yellowknife? I’m moving there in the next year hopefully and I’m just wondering. Also, do lynx attack people? Thanks
A: There may be, but, you’ll never see one. They avoid people. Same with lynx – they are very skittish indeed. They are only slightly larger than a big house cat. The real issue is bears. 99% will not attack, but…
A: Only in the bars on Saturday nights.
Q: Is it true that in Yellowknife BC there is no running water and you have to go to the bathroom in an outhouse…..and its winter 24/7 all yr long?…….. the reason i am asking is because my boyfriend and his friend are telling me this and they always joke with me and tell me things that are not true
A: that is quite possible, but I bet during the summer it heats up a little bit.
Q: Why aren’t there roads Northeast of Yellowknife?I wanted to take a drive 700 kilometres Northeast from Yellowknife on a winter wonderland adventure into undiscovered Canada, but there are not roads built in the direction.
Why aren’t there roads past Yellowknife??? What if I want to live out there? Can I build my own road then? How can roads just come to an end?
A: I have a friend that works at Diavik base camp on the ice highway every year. It’s my understanding there’s no roads because it’s either lakes or swampy, so they have to wait until January when the ice is thick enough to support all the heavy duty trucks going in. That’s the only way to truck in supplies. Whatever doesn’t make it through in the winter, has to get flown in on small aircraft. Hope that made sense.
Q: Possible Diamond Mine. Who do i contact? I currently live in yellowknife canada, and i know that a diamond mine has already been discovered here, but I have a camp out cabin way northeast, were it hasnt been searched yet. Ever since i was young we have hiked the mountain hills and me and my brother have found pepples of diamond rock. We have had these anaylized from a jeweler and he says they are real. The mountains dont seem like a diamond mine, but im now very possative because we have found so much of it around. Who should i contact about it because im afraid if I let the government know they will only confiscate the land not let me have a share. I was thinking about buying the land or to just try and mine it myself with the help of family.
A: Wow thats cool, you should try contacting the owner if there is one. and see if its for sale and if he knows about the mine. Other wise you can buy the land, or if you don’t want to buy it mine out as much diamond as you can, and make sure to send some to me lol ; )
Q: If you were to be exiled to any of these cities for the rest of your life where you prefer and why?
Ulan Bator, Mongolia
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Yellowknife, Canada
Al Khor, Qatar
A: It would probably be between Yellowknife and Al Khor. I’d just have to decide which I hate worse: Heat or cold.
A: Yellowknife is in Canada and it still is the greatest country in the world so no argument there. The arctic is amazing. I would love it there.
A: Yellowknife Canada. I can understand the language without needing an education. I love the locale far above the others. The hunting possibilities in Canada are awesome.
A: What the hell is wrong with Yellowknife? It’s a bit cold and boring, but I’ve been there and the people are friendly.
