Our Community
City of Portage la Prairie
Native North Americans occupied the Portage Plains for approximately 8,000 years before European settlement. Exploreres Radisson and Groseilliers were credited with the "discovery" of the Portage area when they arrived in the region in search of furs between 1658 and 1690. Pierre Gaultier de Varnes Sieur de la Verendrye established Fort la Reine on the site of what is now known as Portage la Prairie in 1738. The name Portage la Prairie reflects this early voyageur heritage because it derives its meaning from the "Prairie Portage" that the early explorers had to endure when transporting goods from the Red and Assiniboine Rivers across to Lake Manitoba.
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For More Information on the History of Portage la Prairie, please contact:
Portage Heritage Advisory Committee at City Hall at 204-239-8321
Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie
The Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie was incorporated in 1879. It is the largest municipality in Manitoba with an area of approximately 864 square miles. Our population is 7,156. We are centrally located in the Province of Manitoba. The west boundary is about 60 miles from Brandon and Winnipeg is located about 30 miles from our east boundary.
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For more information on the Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie please visit:
2023 Community Assessment
Urban Systems has completed the 2023 Community Assessment for Portage la Prairie. Special thanks to the Portage la Prairie Regional Library & Portage Community Revitalization Corporation for their contributions towards the project. Thank you to the CFPD Board for all of their input and also to anyone who assisted by taking the time to fill out the survey. Please visit the link below.
