Summerside was incorporated as a town on April 1, 1877, and as a city on April 1, 1995. The largest employer in the city is the Canada Revenue Agency. The city was home to CFB Summerside, an air force base located in the city, but that has since closed. The city is the only municipality in North America that owns its own electric utility and provides its residents with 46% of their energy consumption through green wind energy. The city is home to the Summerside Storm which play in the National Basketball League of Canada. The former post office that is located on Summer Street is a National Historic Site of Canada.