Brooks, Alberta

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City of Brooks
Location of Brooks within census division number 2 in Alberta, Canada
Area	17.46 km²
Population	11,604 (2001)
Pop'n density	665 /km²
Location	50°33′50.5″N, 111°53′55.8″W
Altitude	760 metres
Incorporation	1910 (village) 1911 (town) 2005 (city)
Province	Alberta
Census Division	2
MP	Monte Solberg (Cons - Medicine Hat)
MLA	Lyle Oberg (PC - Strathmore-Brooks)
Mayor	Don Weisbeck
Governing Body	Brooks City Council
Time zone	MST: UTC-7
Postal code	T1R
Area Code	+1-403
Brooks.ca

Brooks is a city in Alberta, Canada. It became a city on September 1, 2005 and is located 168 km east of Calgary on the Trans-Canada Highway.

Contents 1 History 2 Community 3 Demographics 4 References 5 External links

[edit] History

Originally, the area of Brooks was used as a buffalo hunting ground for the Blackfoot and Crow natives. After Treaty 7 was signed in 1887, homesteaders moved into the area to begin dry land farming. The arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railroad saw more settlers move to the area of Brooks. By 1904, Canada Post was interested in putting a post office in the settlement, however the area was still unnamed. By a Canada Post sponsored contest, the new area was named after Noel Edgell Brooks, a Canadian Pacific Railway Divisional Engineer from Calgary.

The Village of Brooks was incorporated in 1910, and became a town a year later.

To encourage immigration and growth into the region in the early part of the century, the Canadian Pacific Railway began the construction of major irrigation works. These works included the two mile long Brooks Aqueduct, constructed over 2½ years and completed in 1915. The aqueduct is featured on the city crest. In 1935, the C.P.R. transferred control of these works to local farmers and the Eastern Irrigation District was formed. Irrigation has allowed Brooks to become a service center for livestock, grain and vegetable producing industries.

In more recent years Brooks has experienced growth due to the oil and gas industry. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw Brooks’ population grow from 5,000 to around 8,000. The oil and gas industry, and those activities that provide services to oil and gas exploration are still a large driving force in the continued growth of Brooks. The town’s population in 1996 for the first time exceeded 10,000, due in large part to expansion at Lakeside IBP meat packing plant, making Brooks the largest town in Alberta.

In the fall of 2005, the city became the scene of a tense and sometimes violent job dispute (including an RCMP officer and other employees being attacked and/or injured) between workers at Lakeside Packers and Tyson Foods. Tensions had been mounting for years, with workers at the plant, many of whom were Sudanese refugees, alledging unfair and often inhumane business practices. The dispute culminated in a strike, which saw employees and at least one union official physically injured. The strike, which lasted several weeks, garnered national attention before being resolved^[1].

On September 1, 2005, with an estimated population of 13,000, Brooks was incorporated as the City of Brooks, "Alberta's Centennial City™"^[2]. The trademark was established at this time to commemorate the event and to celebrate Alberta's Centennial year.

[edit] Community

The City of Brooks is one of fastest growing communities in Alberta with a multi-cultural flavor unique to other municipalities in Alberta boasting a growing population of about 13,000. Brooks is steadily growing with residential and commercial development and is proud to announce the completion of a new Aquatic Center that is a state of the art facility, a wide range of restaurants, grocery and retail outlets plus educational facilities including the Medicine Hat College, two high schools, 3 junior high schools, 4 elementary schools and a francophone school. Brooks has a strong community spirit where people work together to continuously enhance the quality of life. One prime example is Communities in Bloom where the City of Brooks has won 4 times in a row. Residents volunteered their time and together with employees from the City of Brooks this program has been very successful.

[edit] Demographics

According to the 2001 census^[3]:

• Population: 11,604 (10,093 in 1996)
• Land area: 17.46 km²
• 1996 to 2001 population change (%): 15.0
• Median family income: $56,421
• Average value of private dwelling: $125,741

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Brooks Website

Home of

• Lakeside Packers
• ZXKY Enterprises