Hinton, Alberta

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Town of Hinton
Location of Hinton within census division number 14 in Alberta, Canada
Area	25.76 km²
Population	9,769 (2006)
Pop'n density	365.1 /km²
Location	53°24′41.1″N, 117°33′50.4″W
Altitude	1003 metres
Incorporation	1928
Province	Alberta
Census Division	14
MP	Rob Merrifield (Cons - Yellowhead)
MLA	Ivan Strang (PC - West Yellowhead)
Mayor	Glenn Taylor
Governing Body	Hinton Town Council
Time zone	MST (UTC-7)
Postal code	T7V
Area Code	+1-780
Town of Hinton.ca

Hinton is a town in western Alberta, Canada.

It is located in Yellowhead County, 81 km northeast of Jasper and about 284 km west of Alberta's capital city, Edmonton, at the intersection of Yellowhead and Bighorn Highway, in the Athabasca River valley.

Contents 1 History 2 Demographics 3 Recreation 4 Media 5 Education 6 References 7 External links

[edit] History

The town of Hinton was named for W.D. Hinton, Vice President and General Manager of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. The community was officially recognized in 1928.

The exact location of the town of Hinton has changed ten times in its history, its sites scattered along a line some twelve kilometres in length. The original location was along Hardisty Creek, where an aboriginal group from the Jasper area had left members stricken with smallpox while the rest of the group travelled to Lac Ste. Anne to find medical aid for the smallpox epidemic which was ravaging the indigenous population in Alberta. The area was thus dubbed Cache Picote (Smallpox Camp) in 1870.

Jack Gregg established a trading post at Prairie Creek in 1888 to serve travellers along the Jasper trail. The creek is now known as Muskuta Creek after an incorrect interpretation of the Cree name by white settlers. The construction of the railroad saw the establishment of a construction camp at Prairie Creek in 1908. The Canadian Northern Railway also established a station called Bliss, 8 km from Prairie Creek, in 1914. In 1915, Dalehurst became the postal station for Hinton. Entrance, another important centre to Hinton, served as its communications centre. Entrance was so named due to its location at the entrance to Jasper National Park.

The Canadian Northern Railway became an aggregating force as settlements grew around the operations of this company. The company, however, abandoned its track in 1926.

The population of Hinton experienced a boom during the 1930s when American entrepreneur Frank Seabolt and two partners opened the Hinton coal mine in 1931^[1]. Shortly thereafter, a recession caused the population to dwindle to less than 100 people, but the town rebounded in 1955 with the opening of a pulp mill. The mill brought rapid construction to Hinton and to the neighbouring village of Drinnan, and the two communities amalgamated in 1958 to form the present municipality of Hinton.

[edit] Demographics

According to the 2001 census:

• Population: 9,405 (9,961 in 1996)(9,769 in 2006)
• Land area: 25.76 km²
• Median family income: $65,269
• Average value of private dwelling: $116,808

Source: Statistics Canada 2001 Census'^[2].

[edit] Recreation

Hinton has many activities including:

• Skiing
• Kayaking
• Canoeing
• Slo-Pitch
• Fishing
• Hiking
• Golf
• Curling
• Hockey
• Minor Soccer
• Snowboarding
• Swimming

[edit] Media

A weekly newspaper is printed in Hinton, the Hinton Parklander. A short-wave radio station serves the town: FM 97.5 - CFXH - "The Fox" (classic hits).

[edit] Education

Grande Yellowhead Regional Division No. 35

• Cresent Valley Elementary School (K-7)
• Harry Collinge High School (8-12 English, French)
• Mountain View Elementary School (K-7 English, French)

Evergreen Catholic Separate Regional Division No. 2

• St. Gregory Catholic Elementary School (K-4)
• Gerard Redmond Community Catholic School (5-12)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official town website

---