Kapuskasing means “bend in the river” in Cree. Surrounded by the smaller communities of Opasatika, Val Rita-Harty, Moonbeam, Faquier and Smooth Rock Falls, Kapuskasing is the service centre for 15,000 people. Kapuskasing boasts the amenities of an urban centre, while providing the friendly and relaxing lifestyle of a smaller community. Forestry operations played a major role in developing the community’s economic base. After the First World War, the provincial government offered 100 acres of land to families willing to settle in the north, hoping to build an agriculture sector. Many of these early farmers abandoned farming to work in the lumber mills or logging camps. Today, the agriculture sector is beginning to grow once again and farming has potential for further growth.