Fort McMurray's history greatly focuses on the development of the city. This town is blessed with bodies of water, such as the Athabasca and the Clearwater and Rivers, where confluences of traders and explorers were held. Perhaps most important are the rich oil sands that attract many explorers to visit this place.

Fort McMurray is known as the center of one of the numerous oil production hubs of Alberta and Canada. The top oil sand mining firms in the city are Suncor Energy and Syncrude. Apart from obtaining oil from the sands, the people of Fort McMurray make a living in bitumen production. This town is one of the regions in the country where early production of bitumen started. In fact, the Athabasca Oil Sands, which are located at Alberta, are a huge oil-rich bitumen reserve.

Aside from oil sands, Fort McMurray is making money through the production of natural gas that is used in households and in power generation. In addition, the city is visited by numerous tourists because of its astounding spots. In winter, people from various parts of Canada and the globe go to experience the thrill of skiing. The unabated growth of Fort McMurray's economy made it a boom town - or a community that suddenly experiences economic growth and rapid population. A lot of people actually refer to it as 'Fort McMoney' because of its boosting economy.