Norman Wells, NWT, Town, pop 666 (2001c), 798 (1996c), 627 (1991c), area 93.28 km², is located on the N bank of the MACKENZIE R, 145 km S of the ARCTIC CIRCLE and 684 air km NW of YELLOWKNIFE. It was the first settlement in the NWT to be established entirely as a result of nonrenewable-resource development. During WWII an oil pipeline was built between Norman Wells and WHITEHORSE, YT; it was abandoned after the war. Oil and gas fields in the area produce over a million barrels of crude oil per year, and the community is a major supplier of fuel to northerly locations, as well as a transportation centre for air and river traffic. In the spring of 1985, the Norman Wells pipeline, linking Norman Wells to the south, was completed.