Castor, Alberta
Encyclopedia
Castor is a town in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. It is intersected by Highway 12 and Highway 861, 143 km (88.9 mi) east of the city of Red Deer
Red Deer, Alberta
Red Deer is a city in Central Alberta, Canada. It is located near the midpoint of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor and is surrounded by Red Deer County. It is Alberta's third-most-populous city – after Calgary and Edmonton. The city is located in aspen parkland, a region of rolling hills...
, at an elevation 816.8 m (2,679.8 ft).
It was incorporated July 13, 1910. Castor is French (Latin) for beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
(the nearby Battle River
Battle River (Canada)
Battle River is a river in central Alberta and western Saskatchewan. It is a major tributary of the North Saskatchewan River.The Battle River flows for and has a total drainage area of...
is home to these animals).
Castor is known for its duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
and geese
Goose
The word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
migration
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
in the fall since its territory includes many stopping points well frequented by migrating waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
.
The town's main industries are agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, oil and gas services, and mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
.
The Postal Code is T0C 0X0. The phone exchanges are 882 (area code 403
Area code 403
Area code 403 is a telephone area code in the Canadian province of Alberta, encompassing the southern half of the province, including the Calgary area...
) and 726 (area code 587
Area code 587
Area code 587 is a telephone area code that covers all of Alberta, Canada, in addition to the incumbent codes, 403 and 780. Numbers in this area code started being allocated in late 2008....
).
Demographics
In 2006, Castor had a population of 931 living in 437 dwellingsHouse
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
, a 0.4% decrease from 2001. The town has a land area of 2.72 km² (1.1 sq mi) and a population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 342.7 /km2.
Education
The town of Castor has two schools, one Public named Gus Wetter School and one Catholic named Theresetta Catholic SchoolTheresetta Catholic School
Theresetta Catholic School is a Catholic separate school in the town of Castor, Alberta, Canada. Its principal is Richard Ries, and its patron saint is Saint Thérèse, from whom it takes its name.-External links:*...
. A source of humour for those familiar with Castor is the name of Gus Wetter's school men's sports teams: The Castor Raiders.
Media
The town newspaper is the Castor Advance and it covers news events occurring in Castor as well as neighbouring communities.Notable residents
- Darcy TuckerDarcy TuckerDarcy Tucker is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player, who played most of his National Hockey League career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. A sixth round draft choice, Tucker began his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens...
, NHL Right Wing, currently playing for the Colorado AvalancheColorado AvalancheThe Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...
. - Shane DoanShane DoanShane Albert Doan is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and captain of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League . Doan is the longest tenured player on the club, having played all fourteen of his NHL seasons with the original Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes franchise...
, NHL Left Wing, currently the Captain for the Phoenix CoyotesPhoenix CoyotesThe Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena....
.