Despite the growth of the oil, gas, and lumber industries in the 1960s and 70s, Fort Nelson retains the atmosphere of a northern frontier town. Before the building of the Alaska Highway in the 1940s, Fort Nelson was an important stop on route for the Yukon and Alaska, and until the 1950s was without running water or electricity. Fur trading was the main activity until the energy boom; even today both native and white trappers hunt wolf, beaver, and lynx, for both their fur and their meat.

Today, the town has an air and bus service, a hospital, and good visitor facilities such as motels, restaurants, and gas stations. Local people are famous for their friendliness, and during the busy summer months run a program of free talks describing life in the north to visitors. A small museum displays photographs and artifacts that tell the story of the building of the 2,394-km (1,488-mile) Alaska Highway.