Strathmore is a town located 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.Wheatland County. It is along the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...

approximately east of

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

History

The town began as a hamlet for the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canad ...

(CPR) lines that were built in the area in 1883. The CPR named the town after one of its benefactors: Claude Bowes-Lyon, the

Earl of Strathmore Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne is a title in the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was first created as Earl of Kinghorne in the Peerage of Scotland in 1606 for Patrick Lyon. In 1677, the designation of the earldom ...

. The Earl's granddaughter,

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen ...

– as consort to

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

– later passed through the community on the "Royal Train" in late May 1939. A track-laying record was made between Strathmore and Cheadle when the railway was built. In one hour one mile (1.6 km) of steel was laid and – at the end of the ten-hour working day – the rails were laid to Cheadle, for a record. Efforts by the Canadian government to develop western Canada led to increases in Strathmore's population and its importance as a rail supply stop. In 1905 the CPR moved the Hamlet of Strathmore north to its current location. The first school opened in 1908. The CPR railway tracks are now gone, the land having been subdivided. In 2011, the Town of Strathmore celebrated its centennial – and released the book ''100 Years of Memories: Celebrating Strathmore’s Centennial'' through Polished Publishing Group in early 2012.

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 Strathmore had a population of 14,339 living in 5,517 of its 5,754 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 13,756. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Strathmore recorded a population of 13,756 living in 5,148 of its 5,358 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 12,305. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. The Town of Strathmore's 2015 municipal census counted a population of 13,327, a change of from its 2012 municipal census population of 12,352. At its current population, Strathmore is one of the largest towns in the province and is eligible for city status. According to Alberta's ''Municipal Government Act'', a town is eligible for city status when it reaches 10,000 residents.

Economy

Today, the town is an important agricultural community. Oil and gas exploration is also a growing interest in the area. It is the headquarters of

Golden Hills School Division No. 75 Golden Hills School Division No. 75 or Golden Hills School Division is a public school authority within the Canadian province of Alberta operated out of Strathmore. See also *List of school authorities in Alberta The Canadian province of Alb ...

. Many residents commute daily from Strathmore to Calgary. In the 21st century, the town has seen a major growth in commercial development, with many franchise restaurants and a few big-box chain stores opening in the community.

Sports

Strathmore was the home of the

Strathmore Rockies The Strathmore Rockies were a professional women's ice hockey team in the Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL). The team played its home games in Strathmore Family Center Arena, in Strathmore, Alberta, Canada. History Their first season in the WW ...

, a team in the WWHL. It is currently home to the Strathmore Wheatland Kings of the Heritage Junior "B" league; as well as the

UFA Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital city, capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya River (Kama), Belaya and Ufa River, Ufa rivers, in the centre-n ...

Bisons of the AMHL, who have helped produce NHL players

Zach Boychuk Zachary Boychuk (born October 4, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is currently playing for Eisbären Berlin in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round, 14th overall, i ...

and

Mason Raymond Mason Evan Raymond (born September 17, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames and the Anaheim Ducks. He represente ...

among others. The Strathmore Spartans football team has alumni players throughout the

CJFL The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national Major Junior Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players move on to profe ...

and Canadian University system. The Strathmore Venom Junior "B"

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

team won the provincial title in 2010 for the first time since the team was founded in 2004. Strathmore was one of the hosts for the

2013 Tour of Alberta The 2013 Tour of Alberta is the inaugural edition of the Tour of Alberta stage race. The inaugural event is included on the UCI America Tour, with a UCI classification of 2.1. As such, the race was only open to teams on the UCI Pro Tour, UCI Pr ...

Pro Cycling Festival. Every year Strathmore holds its Heritage Days celebrations, which include the Strathmore Stampede, Canada's third largest rodeo.

Education

Strathmore is part of the Golden Hills School Division. Strathmore has four

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

s (Wheatland, Westmount, Brentwood and George Freeman), one

junior high school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

(Crowther Memorial Junior High School), one

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

(Strathmore High School) and a

Catholic School Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...

providing

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

through grade 6 (Sacred Heart Academy) as well as a grade 7 to 12

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

school (Holy Cross Collegiate). Strathmore was the home of

Covenant Bible College Canada Covenant Bible College (CBC), or Covenant Bible College Canada (CBC-Canada), was a vocational Bible college. It closed in 2007. The last campus was held in Strathmore, Alberta. History Roots CBC-Canada began in 1941 in Norquay, Saskatchewan unde ...

. The CBC-C campus relocated in 1995 from its prior home in

Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada, after Saskatoon and Regina. It is situated near the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because ...

. In Covenant Bible College, students took a course in religious studies. It was closed in 2007 due to dropping student enrollment and other fiscal problems. The former CBC campus was sold for $5.5 million to another Christian organization, EnCharis. In September 2008, Trinity

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

Academy opened at the former Covenant Bible College property. Trinity Christian is a Christian school providing Kindergarten through grade 9 and is publicly funded.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1908 establishments in Alberta Calgary Region Towns in Alberta Strathmore