Stony Plain is a town in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region of

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada that is surrounded by Parkland County. It is west of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anc ...

adjacent to the City of Spruce Grove and sits on Treaty 6 land. Stony Plain is known for its many painted murals representing various periods, events and people throughout the town's history. The town was originally known as Dog Rump Creek.

History

The name of the town is believed to have come from one of two possible origins. The first is that the

Stoney people The Nakoda (also known as Stoney or ) are an Indigenous people in Western Canada and, originally, the United States. They used to inhabit large parts of what is now Alberta, Saskatchewan and Montana, but their reserves are now located in Albe ...

camped in the area historically. The second possibility is that Dr. James Hector, a

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, alt ...

on the Palliser Expedition, noticed boulders scattered across the area. The official name for the settlement was adopted in 1892. Alex McNabb and McPherson were the first homesteaders in the area. File:Stony Plain, Alberta (1910).jpg, Train station, 1910 File:Welcome to Stony Plain, Alberta (circa 1912).jpg, Circa 1912 File:Stony Plain, Alberta (circa 1912).jpg, Circa 1912 File:Stony Plain, Alberta (circa 1925).jpg, Circa 1935

Geography

Climate

has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(

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 ...

'' Dfb'') It falls into the NRC Plant Hardiness Zone 4a.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Stony Plain had a population of 17,993 living in 7,134 of its 7,475 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 17,189. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. The population of the Town of Stony Plain according to its 2019 municipal census is 17,842, a change of from its 2015 municipal census population of 16,127. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Stony Plain recorded a population of 17,189 living in 6,641 of its 6,954 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 15,051. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Arts and culture

Stony Plain is home to many colourful

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

s that depict important figures and events of local history. The Town held a mural project in 2006 where artists were selected through open competition to paint two murals. The Parkland Potters Guild & Crooked Pot Gallery is also located within Stony Plain. Cultural institutions in the town include the Stony Plain Public Library, the Multicultural Heritage Centre, and the Stony Plain Pioneer Museum. Stony Plain celebrates Farmers' Days in the first week of June each year, complete with the Farmers' Days Parade, the Kinsmen rodeo, a pancake breakfast and fair grounds. The town also plays host to the Great White North Triathlon in the first week of July. In the summer, Stony Plain hosts two major festivals — the Blueberry Bluegrass and Country Music Festival, which is held in early August and is the largest bluegrass event in western Canada, and the Cowboy Poetry and Country Music Gathering held in late August. In December, the town sets up a large Christmas tree on Main Street and is lit throughout the Christmas season. To celebrate New Year's Eve, the town holds its Family Fest event at Heritage Park. Family Fest features outdoor ice skating, hot chocolate and fireworks.

Attractions

The Town of Stony Plain jointly owns and operates the TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre sports complex located within neighbouring Spruce Grove. The town is also home to the Multicultural Heritage Centre, the Pioneer Museum, and multiple parks including Shikaoi and Rotary, a skate park, a BMX park and a green path system running through town.

Government

The town is governed by one mayor and six councillors.

Infrastructure

;Health care Stony Plain is home to the WestView Health Centre, a 68-bed public hospital.

Education

Parkland School Division operates five schools and an outreach centre within the town. Evergreen Catholic Separate Regional Division No. 2 operates a school for students in kindergarten through grade 8. There are also a variety of small private schools and home schooling organizations.

Sports

The

Stony Plain Eagles The Stony Plain Eagles are a senior ice hockey team based in Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada. Founded in the 1930s, the team moved up to the Senior AAA ranks in 1992. They played in the Allan Cup Hockey West until 2020. The Eagles were the 199 ...

of Allan Cup Hockey West play out of Glenn Hall Arena.

Media

Newspapers covering Stony Plain include the ''Stony Plain Reporter'' and the ''Tri Area News''. On the radio

88.1 The One CKSS-FM is an FM radio station in Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada. Owned by Blackgold Broadcasting, it broadcasts a country format branded as ''88.1 The One''. Programming team consists of Katie Stanners on One Mornings, Justin Hartman on the Dri ...

Notable people

* Cornelia Lucinda Railey Wood - Canadian politician, Social Credit MLA (1959-1967), former mayor of Stony Plain

Sister town

Stony Plain is twinned with Shikaoi, Hokkaido, Japan.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1907 establishments in Alberta Edmonton Metropolitan Region Towns in Alberta