Why did Whitehorse become the capital and largest city of Yukon territory?

Whitehorse became the capital and largest city of the Yukon primarily due to its superior accessibility and strategic importance as a transportation hub.

While Dawson served as the capital following the Klondike Gold Rush, its population declined sharply once local gold deposits were exhausted. In contrast, Whitehorse developed into a vital center for transportation and services, particularly after it became a construction base for the Alaska Highway during World War II.123

The city's location on the Alaska Highway made it significantly more accessible than Dawson, leading the territorial government to transfer the capital from Dawson to Whitehorse in 1953. Following this shift, Whitehorse solidified its role by providing essential administrative and service functions for the territory's smaller settlements, eventually becoming home to approximately two-thirds of the Yukon's total population.124