Wetaskiwin, Alberta

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City of Wetaskiwin
Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin
Location of Wetaskiwin within census division number 11 in Alberta, Canada
Area	16.7 km²
Population	11,154 (2004)
Location	52°58′10.1″N, 113°22′37.1″W
Altitude	760 metres
Incorporation	Founded: 1892 Village: 1900 Town: 1902 City:1906
Province	Alberta
Census Division	11
Members of Parliament	Blaine Calkins
Members of the Legislative Assembly	LeRoy Johnson
Mayor	Don Montgomery
Governing Body	Wetaskiwin City Council
Time zone	MST: UTC-7
Postal code	T9A
Area Code	+1-780
Wetaskwin.ca

Wetaskiwin is also the name of a federal electoral district. See Wetaskiwin (electoral district)

Wetaskiwin is a small city in the province of Alberta, Canada. This city, population 11,154 (2005) is located approximately 70 km south of the provincial capital of Edmonton. The city name comes from the Cree word wītaskīwin-ispatinaw (ᐑᑕᐢᑮᐏᐣ ᐃᐢᐸᑎᓇᐤ), meaning "the hills where peace was made". (Though it is worth noting that some Native Canadians that live in the area claim that it means "Sharing Mother Earth")

Wetaskiwin is home to the Reynolds-Alberta Museum, a very large museum dedicated to celebrating "the spirit of the machine". Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame is also located a short walk away from the museum.

Contents 1 Auto Mile 2 Politics 3 Physical geography 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Auto Mile

Wetaskiwin has the distinction of having the highest level of car sales per capita in Canada, thanks in a large part to city specific advertising produced through co-operation of all of the auto dealers lining the "Auto Mile". Though the slogan "Cars Cost Less in Wetaskiwin" tends to embarrass many of the residents of Wetaskiwin, the advertising campaign has clearly had an impact and is quite successful. In many cases, that slogan is all that the people in nearby towns know about Wetaskiwin.

[edit] Politics

Wetaskiwin, like much of rural Alberta, tends to vote very conservatively. In the 2004 federal election the Conservative candidate received almost 74% of the vote, enormously ahead of the local Liberal candidate who polled just under 12%.

[edit] Physical geography

Wetaskiwin sits on what was formerly the coast of the large sea that covered much of Alberta millions of years ago. The northwest end of Wetaskiwin is characterized by hills with sandy soil (formerly sand dunes), while the southeast end of the city is very flat with more silty soil.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Wetaskiwin City website
• Wetaskiwin's local paper

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