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Red Deer (52°16′ N 113°48′ W) is a city in central Alberta, Canada, located almost exactly midway between Calgary and Edmonton within the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor. It is Alberta's third largest city by population after Calgary and Edmonton. Red Deer is located in the Parkland Red Deer , a region of rolling hills focused on oil, grain and cattle production. The population of Red Deer in 2005 was 79,082. The city is a center for oil and agriculture distribution, and the surrounding region is a major center for petrochemical production.
Red Deer County surrounds the city.
Nearby communities include: Lacombe (north); Sylvan Lake (west); Stettler (east); Penhold (south)
The name Red Deer is a translation of was-ka-soo which means "elk river" in the Cree aboriginal language. Waskasoo is also a neighborhood in Red Deer overlooking the Red Deer river.
Demographics
Racial diversity
- 90.7% Caucasian
- 4.0% Aboriginal
- 1.2% Filipino
- 1.0% Chinese
History
- Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by aboriginal tribes (Blackfoot, Plains Cree, and Stoney) and later by Metis and fur traders.
Red Deer Advocate - The city was named for the Red Deer River which runs through it.
- The first major road from Fort Calgary to Fort Edmonton was called the Calgary and Edmonton Trail (abbreviated to C&E Trail) and it crossed the Red Deer River near the present city at Red Deer Crossing.
- In 1882 a trading post was established at Red Deer Crossing.
- During the Riel Rebellion of 1885, the Canadian militia constructed Fort Normandeau at the Crossing and was later taken over by the North West Mounted Police who used it until 1893.
- By 1891 the Calgary and Edmonton Railway laid track east of the Crossing at the present site of the city.
- In 1901 Red Deer was incorporated as a town with a population of 343. Red Deer College
- In 1907 it became a major divisional point for the Canadian Pacific Railway.
- In 1911 the Alberta Central Railway and the Canadian Northern Railway entered the town.
- In 1913 Red Deer was incorporated as a city with a population of nearly 2800.
- In 1922, the province established in Red Deer an institution for the care of the mentally handicapped, currently called the Michener Centre.
- In the late 1950s, Red Deer claimed to be the fastest growing city in Canada.
Post-secondary
Red Deer College
Public schools (K-12)
As of 2005, public school students in Red Deer are served by the Red Deer Public School District No. 104 (RDPSD). The RDPSD includes thirteen elementary schools (K-5), four middle schools (6-8), one Christian school (K-9), several alternative school programs and two high schools, Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School (1800 students in grades 9-12) and Hunting Hills High School (1400 students in grades 9-12). The city is also home to various Christian and especially Catholic schools such as Saint Francis of Assissi, Saint Thomas, and Notre Dame.
- Hunting Hills High School
- Official Website of Red Deer
- Red Deer College
- Red Deer Public Schools
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