Lethbridge, Alberta
- For other meanings of Lethbridge, see Lethbridge (disambiguation).
}|135px|City of Lethbridge, Alberta Coat of Arms]]}}</div> | ||||
| Motto:Sunny South | ||||
| Image:Lethbridge, Alberta Location.png City of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada's Location. | ||||
| Area: | 121.83 km² | |||
| Population:
- Total (2005) | 77,202 | |||
| Population density: | 553/km² | |||
| Time zone: | Mountain: UTC -7 | |||
| Postal code span: | T1H-T1K | |||
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Latitude:
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| Elevation: | 900 m MSL | |||
| Mayor: | Robert D. Tarleck List of mayors of Lethbridge, Alberta</div> | |||
| Governing body: | Lethbridge City Council <tr><td align = center colspan = 2>MPs | |||
| 1(sc) According to the Canada 2001 Census. Template help Edit Template Image:Flag of Canada.svg | ||||
Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is Alberta's fourth largest city by population, after Calgary, Edmonton, and Red Deer, but at 121.83 square kilometres it is the third largest in area after Calgary and Edmonton. It is located near the Canadian Rockies and is 210 km (130 miles) southeast of Calgary on the Oldman River.
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History
The city developed from drift mines opened by Nicholas Sheran (1874) and the North Western Coal and Navigation Company, Limited (1882), whose president was William Lethbridge. Names that have been used to identify the Lethbridge area include the Blackfoot Aksaysim, also transliterated as Aksiiksahko or Steep Banks, Mek-kio-towaghs, also Miiksskoowa, variously translated as Painted Rock, Red Painted Rock, or Medicine Stone, Assini-etomochi, also Asinaawaiitomottsaawa, or Where We Slaughtered the Crees, and Sik-ooh-kotok, Black/Rocks or Coal, the Sarcee Chadish-kashi, Black/Rocks; the Cree Kuskusukisay-guni, Black/Rocks; the Stony Ipubin-saba-akabin, or Digging Coal; and the European names, Coalbanks, Sherans, or Sheran's Ferry, The Crossing, The Colliery, Newlethbridge, Lethbridge Colliery, Upper and Lower Town, Coalhurst, and, official since October 15, 1885, Lethbridge (The name Lethbridge was in common, if unofficial, use for the river bottom community at least as early as May 1884). Before settlement the area where Lethbridge is located was known as The Arid Region. When geological surveys around 1880 revealed an abundance of coal, it was called The Belly River Coal District. After the Galts introduced irrigation to counter the Arid Region image around 1900, the locality was called the Irrigated District. Finally, as an aid to land sales after the rush of dryland settlement started about 1905, the non-irrigable portion was called The Winter Wheat Lands.Culture & Demographics
The city's population grew at an average of 2.2% a year between 2002 and 2005.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
- European: 90.2%
- Aboriginal: 3.5%
- Chinese: 1.8%
- Japanese: 1.8%
- Other: 2.7%
Religion
The most commonly observed faith in Lethbridge is Christianity. According to the 2001 federal census, there were 50,245 residents who indicated they were Christian. Of these, 62.6% were Protestant, 30.4% were Catholic, 0.6% were Christian Orthodox, and 6.3% were unspecified. The remainder of those who professed religious affiliation amounted to roughly 2%.
While Statistics Canada does not include numbers of Mormons in their census reports separately, it is estimated that there are nearly 10,000 adherents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lethbridge. At between nine and ten percent of the city's population, this is significantly higher than the national average of 0.5%.
Major attractions
The Lethbridge Viaduct or High Level Bridge (common), constructed on the western edge of the city is the longest railway bridge of its kind in the world. It was built in 1905.
Indian Battle Park, located in the coulees of the Oldman River, commemorates the last battle between the Cree and the Blackfoot First Nations in 1870. A formal peace treaty between the two nations was reached in 1871. In 2005, a city council bid to rename the park Valley Of Peace (to remove negative referents to First Nations) was rejected.
Colleges and universities
It is home to the University of Lethbridge, founded in 1967, and Lethbridge Community College, founded in 1957, the first public college in the country.
Geography
Lethbridge is located at degrees 49.7 degrees North latitude and -112.833 degrees East longitude. The following are satellite communities of Lethbridge:
Lethbridge is a short drive north from the United States border via highways 4 and 5; and a two hour drive (210 km) south of Calgary, Alberta via highways 2 and 3. Highways 2, 3 and 4 form part of the CANAMEX trade route between Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
Other
- In 2003, Lethbridge city councillor Dar Heatherington became embroiled in a scandal when it was alleged that she had filed false reports with police about a stalker. She was convicted of public mischief on June 29, 2004, and resigned her seat on August 9.
- Lethbridge was designated a Cultural Capital of Canada for the 2004-2005 season.
Local Radio Stations
- The River 107.7FM
- The Rock 106.7FM
- The Bee 93.3FM
- Country 95.5FM
- CKXU 88.3 FM - University of Lethbridge Radio
See also
- Brocket 99, a racist comedy tape made by local DJs
- Charles Alexander Magrath
- Fort Whoop-Up
- Lethbridge Collegiate Institute
- Lethbridge County Airport
- Montague Aldous
- Winston Churchill High School
External links
- Lethbridge Community College
- City of Lethbridge home page
- Lethbridge Herald
- University of Lethbridge
- Lethbridge School District No. 51