Red Deer, Alberta

For other uses, see Red Deer.

City of Red Deer
Bower Ponds
Flag of City of Red Deer Flag Coat of arms of City of Red Deer Coat of arms
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Calgary-Edmonton Corridor
Census division	8
Established	1882 as a Trading post
Incorporated	1901 (Town)
	1913(City)
Government
• Mayor	Morris Flewwelling
• Governing_body	Red Deer City Council
• City Manager	Craig Curtis
• MP	Bob Mills (Cons)
• MLAs	Victor Doerksen (P.C.), Mary Anne Jablonski (P.C.)
Area
• Total	69.23 km2 (26.73 sq mi)
Elevation	855 m (2,805 ft)
Population  (2006)
• Total	82,972
• Density	1,196/km2 (3,100/sq mi)
	Ranked 44th largest in Canada
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST)
Postal code span	T4N to T4R
Area code	403
Highways	Queen Elizabeth II Highway David Thompson Highway
Waterways	Red Deer River
Website	City of Red Deer

Red Deer is a city in central Alberta, Canada. It is located near the midpoint of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor, and is Alberta's third most populous city - after Calgary and Edmonton. Red Deer is located in aspen parkland, a region of rolling hills focused on oil, grain, and cattle production. The city is a centre for oil and agriculture distribution, and the surrounding region is a major centre for petrochemical production.

Red Deer County surrounds the city.

The city takes its name from Red Deer River, a translation of was-ka-soo which means "elk river" in the Cree aboriginal language. Waskasoo is also a neighborhood overlooking the Red Deer River.

Red Deer is the hometown of several famous people, including former NHLer Ron Anderson, current NHLer Glen Wesley and Olympic gold medalist Jamie Salé.

History

• Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by aboriginal tribes (Blackfoot, Plains Cree, and Stoney) and later by Métis and fur traders.
• The city was named for the Red Deer River, which runs through it.
• The first major road from Fort Calgary to Fort Edmonton was called the Calgary and Edmonton Trail (abbreviated to C&E Trail) and it crossed the Red Deer River near the present city at Red Deer Crossing.
• In 1882, a trading post was established at Red Deer Crossing.
• During the Riel Rebellion of 1885, the Canadian militia constructed Fort Normandeau at the Crossing, which was later taken over by the North West Mounted Police, who used it until 1893.
• By 1891, the Calgary and Edmonton Railway laid track east of the Crossing at the present site of the city.
• In 1901, Red Deer was incorporated as a town with a population of 343.
• In 1907, it became a major divisional point for the Canadian Pacific Railway.
• In 1911, the Alberta Central Railway and the Canadian Northern Railway entered the town.
• On March 25, 1913, Red Deer was incorporated as a city with a population of nearly 2800.
• In 1922, the province established an institution in Red Deer for the care of the mentally disabled, currently called the Michener Centre.
• In the late 1950s, Red Deer claimed to be the fastest-growing city in Canada.

Education

Post-secondary

Red Deer College was founded in 1964 as Red Deer Junior College. Today, it offers adult upgrading, certificate programs, diploma programs, university transfer courses, applied degree programs, and apprenticeship and trades training.

K-12 Schools

As of 2005, public school students in Red Deer are served by the Red Deer Public School District. The RDPSD includes 13 elementary schools (K-5), four middle schools (6-8), one Christian school (K-9), several alternative school programs, and two high schools, Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School (1900 students in grades 9-12) and Hunting Hills High School (1400 students in grades 9-12). The city is also home to various Christian, especially Roman Catholic, schools such as Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Thomas, and École secondaire Notre Dame High School. The Catholic schools fall under the administration of the Red Deer Catholic Regional Division.

Demographics

In 2006, Red Deer had a population of 82,772 living in 33,894 dwellings, a 22.0% increase from 2001. The city has a land area of Template:Km2 to mi2 and a population density of Template:Pop density km2 to mi2.

Media

Newspapers

• Red Deer Advocate
• Red Deer Express

Radio

• FM 89.9: CKTC
• FM 93.1: CHIM-FM-5 (Contemporary Christian music)
• FM 95.5: CKGY "KG Country" (country)
• FM 98.9: CIZZ "Zed 99" (active rock)
• FM 99.9: CBR-FM-1 (CBC Radio Two)
• FM 101.3: CKUA-FM-6 (moved to FM 107.7)
• FM 102.5: CBRD (CBC Radio One)
• FM 103.5: CHFA-FM-2 (La Première Chaîne)
• FM 105.5: CHUB "Big 105" (hot adult contemporary)
• FM 106.7: CFDV "The Drive" (classic rock)
• FM 107.7: CKUA-FM-6 (public radio) (new)

Television

• Channel 6: CHCA (CH)
• Shaw Television

Sports

• Red Deer Rebels
• Red Deer Magpies
• Red Deer Riggers
• Red Deer Stags
• Red Deer Generals
• Red Deer Buccaneers

External links

• City of Red Deer
• Red Deer Chamber of Commerce
• Red Deer Royals Marching Band
• Red Deer Business Directory