Rockies in northeastern British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Peace River Regional District.

It is part of the Peace River South provincial electoral district and the Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies federal riding.

The study of the area led to a recognition of its geological importance and listing in the UNESCO Global Geopark Network.

[7] Formal exploratory and surveying expeditions were conducted by S. Prescott Fay, with Robert Cross and Fred Brewster in 1914, J.C. Gwillim in 1919, Edmund Spieker in 1920, and John Holzworth in 1923.

In the 1950s and 1960s, oil and natural gas exploration and logging was conducted through the area, and 15 significant coal deposits were discovered.

[10] With these coal deposits in mind, a purchasing agreement was signed in 1981 by two Canadian mining companies, a consortium of Japanese steel mills, and the governments of British Columbia and Canada.

[12] The planners of the community advised the mining companies to hire workers who were married, believing they would live in Tumbler Ridge longer and reduce employment turnover.

[13] Coordinated through the provincial Ministry of Municipal Affairs, the community, regional infrastructure, and mining plants were all built simultaneously.

Their 1990 ruling required the Quintette Operations Company to reduce coal prices and reimburse the Japanese consortium $4.6 million.

After 30% of the workforce had been laid off, new contracts with the Japanese consortium were signed in 1997, allowing re-hirings to begin, but with lower export levels.

To survey and study the finds, government funding was secured to found both the Tumbler Ridge Museum Foundation and Peace Region Palaeontology Research Centre.

[37] The site, above the floodplain of the Murray River, has well-drained soils with easy access to aquifers with potable water.

[45] Fossils of Cretaceous plants such as ferns, redwoods, cycads, and ginkgo, and Triassic fishes and reptiles such as coelacanths, Weigeltisaurus, and ichthyosaurs have been recovered.

[17] An attempt to mitigate potential lifestyle conflicts between families and childless households was made by separating the low-density, single-family dwellings from the low-rise apartments.

The closest airports with regularly scheduled flights are in Dawson Creek, Fort St John and Grande Prairie.

Drinking water is drawn from two drilled wells south of the townsite where it is stored in a 7 million litre reservoir before being chlorinated and pumped into town.

Post-secondary courses, programs, and industry training are offered by Northern Lights College at the secondary school and community centre.

Tumbler Ridge was built to provide a labour force for the coal mining industry, which has remained the dominant employer throughout the town's history.

The mining companies had a contract to sell 100 million tons of coal to a consortium of Japanese steel mills over 15 years for US$7.5 billion (1981).

[63] While there was an intent by the town's planners to move to a more diversified economy, the few initiatives in this direction were not supported by the industries or local decision-makers.

[64] Uncertainty about the town's future had been a serious concern to residents since the 1984 price reduction demands, but it was not until the closure of the Quintette mine that the town pursued diversification initiatives, such as tourism (attractions from dinosaur fossil discoveries, outdoor recreation, and nearby provincial parks), forestry, and oil and gas exploration.

After dinosaur trackways were discovered in 2000, and bones in 2002, the Tumbler Ridge Museum Foundation began excavations and opened the Peace Region Palaeontology Research Centre.

Comprising 7,822 km2, the geopark highlights the geological heritage of the area such as Cretaceous dinosaur tracks and bone bed and fossils of Triassic fishes and marine reptiles.

[67][68] Tumbler Ridge's location among the Rocky Mountains has allowed for the development of numerous trail systems for motorized and non-motorized recreation.

Kinuseo Falls along the Murray River in the Monkman Provincial Park is the most popular destination for visitors to Tumbler Ridge.

Annual events held in Tumbler Ridge include the Grizfest Music Festival and the Emperor's Challenge.

[73] The Tumbler Ridge Observer formerly covered the town and was published by the Peace River Block Daily News in Dawson Creek.

[77] For representation in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Tumbler Ridge is part of the Peace River South electoral district which has been represented by Mike Bernier of the BC Liberal Party since 2013.

[83] Federally, Tumbler Ridge is in the Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies riding, represented in the House of Commons of Canada by Conservative Party Member of Parliament Bob Zimmer.