Penhold is a town in central Alberta

Central Alberta

Central Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.Central Alberta is the most densely populated rural area in the province...

, Canada

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...

. Penhold is surrounded by the county of Red Deer No. 23, 16 km (9.9 mi) south 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 the junction of Highway 2A and Highway 42. It is located 128 kilometres (79.5 mi) north of Calgary, along the Red Deer River

Red Deer River

The Red Deer River is a river in Alberta, Canada. It is a major tributary of the South Saskatchewan River.Red Deer River has a total length of and a drainage area of...

Originally, Penhold was one of the many whistle stops along the Canadian Pacific Railway

Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

. It incorporated as a the Village of Penhold in 1904.

With its proximity to the City of Red Deer and the Town of Innisfail

Innisfail, Alberta

Innisfail is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located in the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor, south of Red Deer at the junction of Highway 2 and Highway 54....

, Penhold enjoys the advantages of a small town without lacking any of the amenities of a large city.

In 1981, the Village of Penhold became a town as a result of large population growth in the late 1970s. Penhold, known as "The Home of Future Generations", now lies on both sides of Highway 2A with future expansion planned on the east side of the highway.

Demographics

The population of the Town of Penhold according to its 2010 municipal census is 2,322, a 9.8% increase over its 2009 municipal census population of 2,114.

In 2006, Penhold had a population of 1,961 living in 732 dwellings

House

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 13.4% increase from 2001. The town has a land area of 2.35 km² (0.907340072692457 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 834.8 /km2.

Businesses

Penhold has numerous businesses including a spa, a pizza place, a motel, a liquor store, two gas stations and a grocery store.

Services and amenities

Penhold has numerous services and amenities including a post office, two schools, a church, a museum, a splash park and an outdoor ice rink. A recreation centre is currently being built.

Air Cadet Summer Training Centre

During the summer, Springbrook, a hamlet 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north of Penhold, is home to Penhold Air Cadet Summer Training Centre (PACSTC) for the Royal Canadian Air Cadets

Royal Canadian Air Cadets

Royal Canadian Air Cadets is a Canadian national youth program for persons aged 12 to 18. It is administered by the Canadian Forces and funded through the Department of National Defence with additional support from the civilian Air Cadet League of Canada...

. It was also the location of a now-decommissioned Diefenbunker

Diefenbunker

Emergency Government Headquarters are nuclear fallout bunkers built by the Government of Canada at the height of the Cold War during the infancy of the ICBM threat...

 government nuclear shelter. An air force training base was also located here: RCAF Station Penhold.
During the summer PACSTC hosts approximately 800 air cadets at a time (approximately 1,700 air cadets throughout the summer) who attend one of the many courses offered on base. These are taught by an additional 150 staff cadets who run the canteen, sports activities, security and training on base. There is also approximately 200 officers and civilian instructors who supervise all activities at the summer training centre.

PACSTC offers the following courses:

• General Training - A two-week course designed for first year cadets which teaches basic cadet knowledge in all fields of air cadets including music, drill, physical fitness and gliding.
• Basic Leadership - A three-week course teaching basic leadership skills and preparing the cadet for higher-level leadership training.
• Introduction to Rifle Coaching (ITRC) - A six-week course in rifle safety, marksmanship and coaching of Olympic-style target shooting. Included in this course is some basic biathlon style shooting. Cadets taking this course can shoot the .177 Daisy 853c air rifle.
• Basic Band (Military Band) - A three-week course combining musical instruction with the more broad cadet instruction taught in the General Training course.
• Musician I-V (Military Band) - A six-week course of more advanced musical instruction.
• Flying Scholarship - A seven-week course where cadets aged 17 and 18 can train to gain their pilots license.

7 Penhold Squadron parades at Hangar 6 on the base during the autumn, winter, and spring seasons when the summer training centre is inactive.

External links

• Town of Penhold