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Raymond is a town in
southern Alberta Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. In 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017.County of Warner No. 5 The County of Warner No. 5 is a List of municipal districts in Alberta, municipal district in southern Alberta, Canada. Located in Division No. 2, Alberta, Census Division No. 2 just north of the United States border, its List of municipal dist ...
. It is south of
Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian Rocky Mountains contribute to t ...
at the junction of Highway 52 and Highway 845. Raymond is known for its annual
rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaq ...
during the first week of July and the large population of members of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church). Raymond is also significant for its connection to the history of the Japanese experience in Alberta. The town has a rich history in high school sports, basketball, Canadian football, Judo and women's rugby. Raymond was recently mentioned as one of the first communities in Alberta to become a net-zero solar-powered community, after having installed solar panels on most town buildings.


History

Raymond was founded in 1901 by mining magnate and industrialist Jesse Knight, who named the town after his son, Raymond. Knight's plans to build a sugar factory based on locally grown sugar beets attracted 1,500 settlers in a few years. Raymond was incorporated as a village in the
North-West Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
(NWT) on May 30, 1902. It incorporated as a town in the NWT 13 months later on July 1, 1903.


Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultu ...
, the Town of Raymond had a population of 4,199 living in 1,330 of its 1,383 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 3,713. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. The population of the Town of Raymond according to its 2019 municipal census is 4,241, a change from its 2017 municipal census population of 4,037. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Raymond recorded a population of 3,708 living in 1,134 of its 1,259 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 3,743. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.


Visible minorities

As of 2006, approximately 3.0% of the town's population were visible minorities. Of those minorities, 50 people identified themselves as
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
ese, 40 as
Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...
, and 10 as
South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...
n.


Indigenous

In 2006, there were 110 Indigenous Canadians resident in the town.


Religion

A majority of Raymondites are members of the LDS Church.Brigham Y. Card, "Mormons", in Paul R. Magocsi ed., ''Encyclopedia of Canada's peoples'' (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999, ). In the town, the church has built four meetinghouses, which house eleven separate congregations and which form one stake.Raymond Alberta Stake
churchofjesuschrist.org, accessed 2011-05-20.
(The church's closest
temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
, the Cardston Alberta Temple, is located 60 kilometres (37 mi) southwest in
Cardston Cardston is a town in Alberta, Canada. It was first settled in 1887 by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who travelled from Utah, via the Macleod-Benton Trail, to present-day Alberta in one of the century' ...
.) Raymond also has
Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...
,
Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the R ...
, and
United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (french: link=no, Église unie du Canada) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholi ...
congregations. Until its temple was relocated to Lethbridge in 2006, the Raymond Buddhist Church was the oldest continually used Buddhist sanctuary in Canada.Alberta Register of Historic Places: Raymond Buddhist Church


Charitable giving

Statistics Canada has reported that Raymond ranks among the top five communities in Canada for the highest level of charitable donations per capita, which is partially due to the town population's high rate of
tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more ...
s given to the LDS Church.


Attractions

In 1902, one year after it was founded, Raymond held an outdoor rodeo and called it a ''stampede''; this was Canada's first organized rodeo event. Since the inaugural event, the
Raymond Stampede The Raymond Stampede is an annual rodeo that is held in the town of Raymond, Alberta, Canada every 1 July. Famous for being Alberta's oldest rodeo, the Raymond Stampede is also known for being Canada's oldest professional rodeo, having started a ...
has been held annually. It is currently held in conjunction with Raymond's Heritage Days celebration between June 30 and July 1 every summer. Raymond Heritage Days are held annually during the first week of July to celebrate the founding of Raymond. Events and activities include family softball, fireworks, midnight golfing, a fair, a pancake breakfast, a parade and the Raymond Stampede. Raymond is home to the Raymond Judo Club, the first judo club in Alberta. The club was formed by Yoshio Katsuta in 1943. The Raymond Aquatic Centre opened in 2010. It features two small waterslides, a junior Olympic-sized pool for lane swimming, diving boards, a climbing wall, a baby pool, and an eating area. The aquatic centre holds 1,000,000 litres of water during the summer and attracts up to 500 visitors a day. The Raymond Buddhist Church is one of the oldest buildings in Raymond and the only remaining public building from the town's pioneer days. The building is a designated Provincial Historic Resource. It is significant for its association with two prominent religious communities in Raymond, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Japanese Buddhists. It is also the site of the Japanese Experience in Alberta National Historic Event. The Raymond Community Centre, also a designated Provincial Historic Resource, contains the Raymond Public Library and the Broadway Theatre.


Climate

Raymond has a
semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi ...
(
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
BSk BSK is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to: Sports * OFK Beograd, Serbian football club * FK BSK Borča, Serbian football club * FK BSK Batajnica, Serbian football club * FK BSK Banja Luka, Bosnian-Herzegovinian football club * FK BSK L ...
) it is part of the
Palliser's Triangle Palliser's Triangle, or the Palliser Triangle, is a semi-arid steppe occupying a substantial portion of the Western Canadian Prairie Provinces, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba, within the Great Plains region. While initially determined to be un ...
. Raymond is very windy this is due to the rocky mountains to the west.


Notable people

*
Earl W. Bascom Earl Wesley Bascom (June 19, 1906 – August 28, 1995) was an American painter, printmaker, sculptor, cowboy, rodeo performer, inventor, and Hollywood actor. Raised in Canada, he portrayed in works of fine art his own experiences of cowboying ...
, rodeo innovator, artist/sculptor * Ted E. Brewerton, LDS Church general authority * "Suicide Ted" Elder (1897–1981), seven-time World Champion Trick and Fancy Rider 1926 to 1932 *
Lloyd Fairbanks Lloyd Fairbanks (born April 28, 1953, in Raymond, Alberta) is a former Canadian Football League offensive lineman who played seventeen seasons in the CFL. Fairbanks was named to the CFL's All-Star team 5 times. Fairbanks was announced as a mem ...
, professional football player *
Skouson Harker Skouson Harker (born 1977) is a Canadian former professional basketball player of the FIBA European Leagues. Harker is from Raymond, Alberta, Canada. After five seasons as a Head Coach in the British Basketball League, Harker most recently co ...
, professional basketball player * Jim Hillyer, politician, Member of Parliament * Jennie B. Knight, LDS religious leader * Raymond Knight, founder of the Raymond Stampede * Brett Ralph, professional Canadian football player * Brock Ralph, professional Canadian football player * W. Cleon Skousen, author and political commentator *
Phil Tollestrup Phil Tollestrup (born October 21, 1949) is a former Olympic Games, Olympic basketball player as a member of the Canadian national men's basketball team during the 1970s. Six feet, six inches tall forward (basketball), forward, Tollestrup attribu ...
,
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...
basketball player and member of the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame * William R. Walker, LDS Church general authority“Elder William R. Walker Of the Seventy,”
'' Liahona'', July 2002, p. 123.
* Wendy Watson Nelson, therapist, professor, author


See also

*
List of communities in Alberta The province of Alberta, Canada, is divided into ten types of local governments – urban municipalities (including cities, towns, villages and summer villages), specialized municipalities, rural municipalities (including municipal districts ...
*
List of towns in Alberta A town is an urban municipality status type used in the Canadian province of Alberta. Alberta towns are created when communities with populations of at least 1,000 people, where a majority of their buildings are on parcels of land smaller tha ...
* Temple Hill (Warner County, Alberta) * John W. Taylor


References

* Lawrence Turner (ed.) (1993) ''Raymond Remembered : Settlers, Sugar and Stampedes : A History of the Town and People of Raymond'' (Raymond, AB: Town of Raymond) * Terrence C. Smith & Reed Turner (eds.) (2001). ''A Planting of the Lord : A Century of the Latter-day Saints in Raymond, 1901–2001'' (Raymond, AB: Raymond Alberta Stake)


External links

* {{Authority control 1902 establishments in the Northwest Territories Latter-day Saint settlements in Canada Populated places established in 1901 Towns in Alberta 1901 establishments in the Northwest Territories 1902 establishments in Alberta 1901 establishments in Alberta