Strathmore, Alberta
Encyclopedia
Strathmore is a town located along the Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
in southern Alberta
Southern Alberta
Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of the year 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017. The primary cities are Lethbridge and Medicine Hat...
, 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...
, 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) east of the city of Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, within the boundaries of Wheatland County
Wheatland County, Alberta
Wheatland County is a municipal district in south-central Alberta, Canada, east of Calgary.It is located in Census Division 5. The municipal seat is the Town of Strathmore.-Demographics:...
.
History
The town began as a hamlet for the Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian 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...
(CPR) lines that were built in the area in 1883. The CPR named the town after one of its benefactors: Claude Bowes-Lyon, the Earl of Strathmore
Claude Bowes-Lyon, 13th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
Claude Bowes-Lyon, 13th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne , styled The Honourable from 1847 to 1865, was a British peer. He was the 13th holder of the Earldom of Strathmore and Kinghorne....
. The Earl's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
– as consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
to King George VI – later passed through the community
Royal tours of Canada in the 20th century
There was an extended royal presence in Canada through the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, either as an official tour, a vacation, a period of military service, or a viceregal posting by a member of the Royal Family. Originally, official tours were events predominantly for Canadians to see and...
on the "Royal Train" in June 1939. In 1905 the CPR moved the Hamlet of Strathmore 4 miles (6.4 km) north to its current location.
A track laying record was made between Strathmore and Cheadle
Cheadle, Alberta
Cheadle is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada, within Wheatland County. It is located on Highway 24, south of the Highway 1 and approximately east of the City of Calgary....
when the railroad was built. In one hour one mile (1.6 km) of steel was laid and – at the end of the ten-hour working day – the rails were laid to Cheadle, 9 miles (14.5 km) for a record. Efforts by the Canadian government to develop western Canada
Dominion Lands Act
The Dominion Lands Act was an 1872 Canadian law that aimed to encourage the settlement of Canada's Prairie provinces. It was closely based on the United States Homestead Act, setting conditions in which the western lands could be settled and their natural resources developed...
led to increases in Strathmore's population and its importance as a rail supply stop.
The CPR railroad tracks are now gone, the land having been subdivided.
Demographics
| Census History |
|
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1941 | 560 |
| 1981 | 2,986 |
| 1991 | 4,185 |
| 2001 | 7,621 |
| 2006 | 10,225 |
| 2010 | 12,139 |
The population of the Town of Strathmore according to its 2010 municipal census is 12,139, a 2.5% increase over its 2009 municipal census population of 11,838. At its current population, Strathmore is one of the largest towns in the province and is eligible for city status. According to Alberta's Municipal Government Act, a town is eligible for city status when it reaches 10,000 residents.
In 2006, Strathmore had a population of 10,225 living in 3,943 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 34.2% increase from 2001. The town had a land area of 15.59 km² (6 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 655.7 /km2.
Industry and employment
Today, the town is an important agricultural community.Oil and gas exploration is also a growing interest in the area.
It is the headquarters of the Golden Hills School Division.
Many commute daily from Strathmore to Calgary.
Over the past three years the town has seen a major growth in commercial development.
Education
Strathmore is part of the Golden Hills School Division.Strathmore has three elementary schools (Wheatland, Westmount, and Brentwood), one junior high school (Crowther Memorial Junior High School), one high school (Strathmore High School) and a Catholic School that runs from K-6 (Sacred Heart Academy) as well as a 7-12 Catholic school (Holy Cross Collegiate).
Strathmore was the home of Covenant Bible College Canada
Covenant Bible College Canada
Covenant Bible College CBC, Covenant Bible College Canada, or CBC-Canada as it is sometimes more commonly referred to was a vocational/Bible college was located in Strathmore, Alberta where the last campus was held. It closed in 2007.-Roots:...
. The CBC-C campus relocated in 1995 from its prior home in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is situated in the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because it is the last major centre along the route to the resources of northern Saskatchewan...
. In Covenant Bible College, students took a course in religious studies. It was closed in 2007 due to dropping student enrollment, and other fiscal problems. The former CBC campus was sold for $5.5 million. It was sold to another Christian organization EnCharis.
In September 2008 Strathmore's newest school, Trinity Lutheran Christian Academy, opened at the former Covenant Bible College property. It is a Christian school with grades K through 9 and is publicly funded.
Climate
Average precipitation per year:412.6 mm or 16.2 inches
Measurable bright sunshine:
332.9 days per year
Total hours of bright sunshine:
2,294.6 hours per year
Average wind speed:
14.8 kilometers per hour, from the West and Northwest
Total snowfall per year:
135.4 centimeters or 53.3”
Days with measurable snowfall:
62 days
Average number of frost-free days:
112 frost-free days per year
Sports
Strathmore is the home of the Strathmore RockiesStrathmore Rockies
The Strathmore Rockies are a professional women's ice hockey team in the Western Women's Hockey League . The team played its home games in Strathmore Family Center Arena, in Strathmore, Alberta, Canada.-History:...
of the WWHL
Western Women's Hockey League
The Western Women's Hockey League is one of two major women's hockey leagues in Canada. The league was established in 2004, and consisted of teams in Canada and one from the United States...
and the Strathmore Wheatland Kings of the Heritage Junior "B" league
Heritage Junior B Hockey League
The Heritage Junior B Hockey League is a Junior "B" ice hockey league in Alberta, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The HJHL was founded in 1987 and is made up of teams from southern and central Alberta...
; as well as the UFA Bisons of the AMHL
Alberta Midget Hockey League
The Alberta Midget Hockey League or AMHL is the provincial Midget AAA ice hockey league for Alberta, Canada. The league consists of 18 teams split into the Dodge and Chrysler Divisions. League champions go on to compete with the BC Hockey Major Midget League champions to represent the Pacific at...
, who have helped produce NHLers Zach Boychuk
Zach Boychuk
Zachary Boychuk is a professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. He was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round, 14th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft...
and Mason Raymond
Mason Raymond
Mason Evan Raymond is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League . Born in Cochrane, Alberta, he played Junior A in the Alberta Junior Hockey League for two seasons, where he captured league and regional titles with the...
among others.
The Strathmore Spartans football team has alumni players throughout the CJFL
Canadian Junior Football League
The Canadian Junior Football League is a national amateur Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in six provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl...
and Canadian University system
CIS football
Twenty-six universities across Canada compete in football under the auspices of Canadian Interuniversity Sport . The teams are divided into four conferences, drawing from the four regional associations of the CIS: Canada West Universities Athletic Association, Ontario University Athletics, Quebec...
; most notably starting Center Sean Seafoot of the St. Mary's University
Saint Mary's University (Halifax)
Saint Mary's University is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada. The school is best known for having nationally lead programs in Business, Astronomy and International Development Studies as well, one of the best football and Men's hockey programs in Canada .The campus is situated in Halifax's...
Huskies.
The Strathmore Venom Junior "B" lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
team won the provincial title in 2010 for the first time since the team was founded in 2004.