History of Northwest Territories capital cities 18, 1967, after the Carrothers commission chose it for its central location, transportation links, industrial base and residents' preferences. Yellowknife, in 1967, was not yet ready to serve as home for the government. During the years that it took for the capital's infrastructure to slowly develop, most of the civil service remained in Fort Smith for many years and the governing Council continued its practice of holding legislative sessions all over the territory for a number of years. The Northwest Territories marked a new era when the legislative council moved into a newly constructed legislature building on November 17, 1993.
Yellowknife According to Environment Canada, Yellowknife has the sunniest summer in the country, averaging 1,034 hours from June to August. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Yellowknife was on 31 January 1947, and the highest was on 16 July 1989. Yellowknife averages 2256.5 hours of bright sunshine per year or 43.5% of possible daylight hours, ranging from a low of 15.4% in December to a high of 63.0% in June. Due to its warm summer temperatures, Yellowknife is well below the Arctic tree line in stark contrast to areas further east in Canada on similar parallels. In 2014, Environment Canada ranked