▁a ▁hospital . ▁ ▁Dem ograph ics ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁census ▁to ▁include ▁Fort ▁St . ▁John ▁as ▁a ▁defined ▁sub div ision ▁occurred ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 1 ▁and ▁recorded ▁ 8 8 4 ▁people . ▁The ▁population ▁rapidly ▁increased , ▁dou bling ▁almost ▁every ▁ 5 ▁years ▁for ▁ 1 5 ▁years ▁so ▁that ▁by ▁ 1 9 6 6 ▁there ▁were ▁ 6 , 7 4 9 ▁residents ▁living ▁in ▁the ▁community . ▁Population ▁growth ▁slow ed ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s , ▁rising ▁by ▁ 1 , 5 5 1 ▁people , ▁from ▁ 8 , 2 6 4 ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 1 ▁to ▁ 9 , 8 1 5 ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 8 . ▁However , ▁by ▁ 1 9 8 1 ▁the ▁population ▁had ▁sw elled ▁to ▁ 1 4 , 3 3 7 ▁people , ▁an ▁increase ▁of ▁ 4 , 5 2 2 ▁people ▁in ▁just ▁ 3 ▁years . ▁A ▁re cess ion ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s ▁kept ▁the ▁population ▁from ▁reaching ▁ 1 5 , 0 0 0 ▁until ▁ 1 9 9 4 . ▁However , ▁Fort ▁St . ▁John ▁has ▁managed ▁to ▁become ▁the ▁largest ▁city ▁in ▁the ▁BC ▁Peace , ▁and ▁second ▁largest ▁after ▁Grande ▁Pra irie ▁in ▁the ▁entire ▁Peace ▁region , ▁which ▁str add les ▁the ▁boundary ▁between ▁the ▁provinces ▁of ▁BC ▁and ▁Al berta . ▁Since ▁then , ▁the ▁population ▁has ▁continued ▁to ▁rise ▁stead