Wetaskiwin

City of Wetaskiwin
—  City  —
Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Pacem Volo Bellum Paro"
City of Wetaskiwin Location of Wetaskiwin in Alberta
Coordinates:
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Central Alberta
Census division	11
Founded	1892
Incorporated	1900 (Village)
	1902 (Town) 1906 (City)
Government[1]
- Mayor	Don Montgomery
- Governing body	Wetaskiwin City Council
- MP	Blaine Calkins
- MLA	Verlyn Olson
Area
- Total	16.74 km2 (6.5 sq mi)
Elevation	760 m (2,493 ft)
Population (2006)[2]
- Total	11,673
- Density	697.5/km2 (1,806.5/sq mi)
Time zone	MST (UTC−7)
- Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC−6)
Postal code span	T9A
Area code(s)	+1-780
Highways	Highway 2A Highway 13
Website	City of Wetaskwin

Wetaskiwin is a small city in the province of Alberta, Canada (pronounced /wəˈtæskɨwɨn/). The city is located 70 kilometres (43 mi) 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".^[3]

Wetaskiwin is home to the Reynolds-Alberta Museum, a very large museum dedicated to celebrating "the spirit of the machine", as well as the Wetaskiwin and District Heritage Museum which documents pioneer arrival and lifestyle in Wetaskiwin's early years. Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame is also located a short walk away from the museum.

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.

The city lies at an altitude of 760 m (2,493 ft). Coal Lake, a reservoir developed on the Battle River is located immediately east of the city, and other nearby waterways include Pipestone Creek, Bigstone Creek, Bittern Lake and Bearhills Lake.

Wetaskiwin is located at the junction of Highway 2A, Highway 13 and the Canadian Pacific railroad.

Demographics

The population of the City of Wetaskiwin according to its 2009 municipal census is 12,285.^[4]

In 2006, Wetaskiwin had a population of 11,673 living in 4,956 dwellings, a 4.7% increase from 2001. The city has a land area of 16.74 km² (6.5 sq mi) and a population density of 697.5 /km² (1,806.5/sq mi).^[2]

Almost 12% of the population identified as aboriginal at the time of the 2006 census.^[5]

Almost 90% of residents identified English as their first language. About 2.5% identified German, 1.5% French, 1.0% Cree, 0.9% Tagalog, 0.5% identified Chinese, and 0.4% each identified Swedish and Ukrainian as their first language learned.^[6]

About 75 percent of residents identified as Christian at the time of the 2001 census, while 24 percent indicated they had no religious affiliation. For specific denominations Statistics Canada found 20% identified as Roman Catholic, 15% identified with the United Church of Canada, more than 12% identified as Lutheran, 5% identified as Baptist, more than 4% identified as Anglican, and almost 2% identified as Pentecostal.^[7]

The city had a population 11,154 in 2001.^[8]

Economy

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.

Politics

Historically the population of Wetaskiwin has voted Conservative in both provincial^[9] and federal^[10] politics.

Media

Wetaskiwin is served by two local newspapers, the Leduc - Wetaskiwin Pipestone Flyer (currently branded the The Pipestone Flyer) and the Wetaskiwin Times-Advertiser.

Wetaskiwin Tomorrow

In February 2009, the City of Wetaskiwin started the process of creating a Municipal Sustainability Plan. The project entitled "Wetaskiwin Tomorrow" is about getting feedback from those with an interest in Wetaskiwin on the kind of city that they would like to live and work in for the next 20+ years. Then, using that feedback, a group of citizens will create a plan to present to City Council.

Once accepted, the Wetaskiwin Tomorrow plan will help guide Council when decisions have to be made about the future of the city. It will help set the city’s direction when it comes to areas like business development, social services, cultural activities, and environmental protection.

A first draft of the plan is expected by be completed by March 2010.

Wetaskiwin has also put in new plans for a new swimming pool as well as an indoor soccer facility. They are expected to be complete within the next year (2010–2011).

Trivia

Many scenes from the movie "Santa's Slay" were filmed in Wetaskiwin.
Wetaskiwin is the home town of both current and retired NHL players such as Martin Sonnenberg, Erik Sonnenberg (ECHL), Val Fontyne, Kelly Kisio, Rod Buskas, Gus Marker, and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Allen York.
Informal names for the city include Wakabashi and the Wonk

See also

• List of communities in Alberta
• List of cities in Alberta

References

External links

• City of Wetaskiwin
• Wetaskiwin Tomorrow website
• Wetaskiwin Museum
• The Leduc - Wetaskiwin Pipestone Flyer

	Calmar	Leduc	Hay Lakes
	Ma-Me-O Beach		Camrose
		Wetaskiwin
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