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City of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
List of cities in Canada
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Motto: Sunny South |
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City of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada location.
Image:Lethbridge, Alberta Location.png
City of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada location.
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| Area: |
121.83 km˛ |
| Population:
- Total (2005)
- Cdn. CA Rank:
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77,202
Ranked 48th
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| Population density: |
553/km˛ |
| Time zone: |
Mountain: UTC -7 |
| Postal code span: |
T1H-T1K |
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Latitude:
Longitude:
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49°42′ N
112°49.5′ W
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| Elevation: |
900 m MSL |
| Mayor: Lethbridge University |
Robert D. Tarleck
{{Template:Canadian_City/Disable Field={{{Disable Mayor Listing}}}}}
List of mayors of Lethbridge, Alberta |
| Governing body: |
Lethbridge City Council |
| MPs |
| Rick Casson |
| MLAs |
| Bridget Pastoor, Clint Dunford |
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City of Lethbridge
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| 1(sc) According to the Canada 2001 Census.
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Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is Alberta's fourth largest city by population, after Calgary, Edmonton, and Red Deer. It is located near the Canadian Rockies and is 210 km (130 miles) southeast of Calgary on the Oldman River.
History
William Lethbridge, 1825-1901, after whom the City of Lethbridge was named.
The city developed from drift mines opened by Nicholas Sheran (1874) and the North Western Coal and Naviagtion Company, Limited (1882), whose president was William Lethbridge. Names that have been used to identify the Lethbridge area include the Blackfoot Aksaysim Lethbridge , also transliterated as Aksiiksahko or Steep Banks, Mek-kio-towaghs, also Miiksskoowa, variously translated as Painted Rock, Red Painted Rock, or Medicine Stone, Assini-etomochi, also Asinaawaiitomottsaawa, or Where We Slaughtered the Crees, and Sik-ooh-kotok, Black/Rocks or Coal, the Sarcee Chadish-kashi, Black/Rocks; the Cree Kuskusukisay-guni, Black/Rocks; the Stony Ipubin-saba-akabin, or Digging Coal; and the European names, Coalbanks, Sherans, or Sheran's Ferry, The Crossing, The Colliery, Newlethbridge, Lethbridge Colliery, Upper and Lower Town, Coalhurst Herald Lethbridge , and, offical since October 15, 1885, Lethbridge (The name Lethbridge was in common, if unoffical, use for the riverbottom community at least as early as May 1884). Before settlement the area where Lethbridge is located was known as The Arid Region. When geological surveys around 1880 revealed an abundance of coal, it was called The Belly River Coal District. After the Galts introduced irrigation to counter the Arid Region image aruond 1900, the locality was called the Irrigated District. Finally, as an aid to land sales after the rush of dryland settlement started about 1905, the non-irrigable portion was called The Winter Wheat Lands.
Culture & Demographics
The city's population grew at an average of 2.2% a year between 2002 and 2005.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
- European: 90.2%
- Aboriginal: 3.5%
- Chinese: 1.8%
- Japanese: 1.8%
- Other: 2.7%
Religion
The most commonly observed faith in Lethbridge is Christianty. According to the 2001 federal census, there were 50,245 residents who indicated they were Christian. Of these, 62.6% were Protestant, 30.4% were Catholic, 0.6% were Christian Orthodox, and 6.3% were unspecified. The remainder of those who professed religious affiliation amounted to roughly 2%.
While Statistics Canada does not include numbers of Mormons in their census reports separately, it is estimated that there are nearly 10,000 adherents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lethbridge. At between nine and ten percent of the city's population, this is significantly higher than the national average of 0.5%.
The Lethbridge Viaduct or High Level Bridge (common), constructed on the western edge of the city is the longest railway bridge of its kind in the world. It was built in 1905.
Indian Battle Park, located in the coulees of the Oldman River, commemorates the last battle between the Cree and the Blackfoot First Nations in 1870. A formal peace treaty between the two nations was reached in 1871.
Colleges and universities
It is home to the University of Lethbridge, founded in 1967, and Lethbridge Community College, founded in 1957, the first public college in the country.
Geography
Lethbridge is located at degrees 49.7 degrees North latitude and -112.833 degrees East longitude. The following are satelitte communities of Lethbridge:
- Coaldale, Alberta
- Raymond, Alberta
- Magrath, Alberta
- Coalhurst, Alberta
- Picture Butte, Alberta
Lethbridge is a short drive north from the United States border via highways 4 and 5; and a two hour drive (210 km) south of Calgary, Alberta via highways 2 and 3. Highways 2, 3 and 4 form part of the CANAMEX trade route between Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
Other
In 2003, Lethbridge city councillor Dar Heatherington became embroiled in a scandal when it was alleged that she had filed false reports with police about a stalker. She was convicted of public mischief on June 29, 2004, and resigned her seat on August 9.
Lethbridge was designated a Cultural Capital of Canada for the 2004-2005 season. Lethbridge Community College |
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