Hardisty

For the neighbourhood in Edmonton, see Fulton Place, Edmonton.
Hardisty
Town
Town of Hardisty
Hardisty

Location of Hardisty in Alberta

Coordinates: 52°40′30.2″N 111°18′12.4″W / 52.675056°N 111.303444°W / 52.675056; -111.303444Coordinates: 52°40′30.2″N 111°18′12.4″W / 52.675056°N 111.303444°W / 52.675056; -111.303444
Country  Canada
Province  Alberta
Region Central Alberta
Census division 7
Municipal district Flagstaff County
Incorporated[1]  
  Village December 11, 1906
  Town November 9, 1910
Government[2]
  Mayor Anita Miller
  Governing body Hardisty Town Council
  MP Leon Benoit
  MLA Wes Taylor
Area (2011)[3]
  Total 5.48 km2 (2.12 sq mi)
Elevation[4] 615 m (2,018 ft)
Population (2011)[3]
  Total 639
  Density 116.6/km2 (302/sq mi)
Time zone MST (UTC-7)
Postal code span T0B 1V0
Area code(s) -1+780
Highways Highway 13
Highway 881
Waterway Battle River
Website Official website

Hardisty, Alberta is a town in Flagstaff County in Alberta, Canada. It is located in east-central Alberta, 111 kilometres (69 mi) from the Saskatchewan border, near the crossroads of Highway 13 and Highway 881, in the Battle River Valley. Hardisty is mainly known as a pivotal petroleum industry hub where petroleum products such as Western Canada Select blended crude oil and Hardisty heavy oil are produced and traded.[5]

History

The Town of Hardisty was named after Senator Richard Hardisty. It began in 1906 as a hamlet, and officially became a town in 1911.

The first people we know of to live in the Battle River Valley were the native First Nations. This country was the wintering grounds for thousands of buffalo, moose, elk and deer, which attracted these people to the area.

The Town of Hardisty owes its existence to the Canadian Pacific Railway. About 1904 the surveyors began to survey the railroad from the east and decided to locate a divisional point at Hardisty because of the good water supply from the river.

Although this was a trading centre as early as 1904, it became a boom town by 1906, spawned by the influx of workers who were building the CPR. By the fall of 1906 the rail line reached Hardisty from Daysland. Then began the task of building the bridge, a task which took about three years.

Settlers also began arriving in large numbers. During 1906 to 1907, Hardisty was referred to as a tent town because people lived in tents until lumber could be hauled in. Business places sprang up overnight and, as with many towns, they were built along the railroad track.[6]

Demographics

In the 2011 Census, the Town of Hardisty had a population of 639 living in 263 of its 366 total dwellings, a -15.9% change from its 2006 population of 760. With a land area of 5.48 km2 (2.12 sq mi), it had a population density of 116.6/km2 (302.0/sq mi) in 2011.[3]

In 2006, Hardisty had a population of 760 living in 397 dwellings, a 2.3% increase from 2001. The town has a land area of 5.48 km2 (2.12 sq mi) and a population density of 138.6/km2 (359/sq mi).[7]

Economy

The main industries in and around Hardisty are petroleum and farming. There is a large petroleum "tank farm" near Hardisty, which is also a nexus of oil pipelines. The oil industry in Hardisty focuses primarily on transport rather than oil processing or collection. Some of the petroleum companies are, Gibson Energy, Enbridge, EnCana Corporation, and many others.

Hardisty is the start of the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline, which is intended to transport synthetic crude oil, blended crude oil from the Athabasca oil sands to refineries in the United States.

Attractions

Hardisty Lake Park is located within the town limits and has camping, swimming, boating, trout fishing, golfing, baseball diamonds, rodeos and sporting events. Hardisty also has a soccer field, a curling rink, a hockey rink, and cross-country skiing. The Hardisty area is also known for upland game, geese, duck, mule deer and whitetail deer hunting.

Education

Hardisty's school is named Allan Johnstone School, and teaches kindergarten and Grades 1 to 9. High school students (Grades 10 to 12), are taken by bus to Sedgewick. There is also a playschool in Hardisty.

Television

Paperny Films taped the reality television show The Week The Women Went in Hardisty from June 2 to June 9, 2007. It aired on CBC in Canada for eight consecutive weeks starting January 21, 2008. The show explored what happens when all the women in an ordinary Canadian town disappear for a week and leave the men and children to cope on their own.

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/17/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.