Camrose, Alberta

Camrose, a small Canadian city, is situated in Central Alberta, amidst some of the richest farmland in the prairies. It is a relatively small city which originally grew up along a railroad and now grows along Highway 13. Camrose is a scenic city with many parks, leading to its moniker "The Rose City". Camrose offers a relaxed lifestyle with a large population of retirees.

Geography and location

Camrose is situated about from Edmonton, the capital of Alberta. Camrose is a small city, but is actively growing along Highway 13, which runs through its centre. Camrose is in a transitory region of Alberta, between prairie and boreal forest, known as aspen parkland. It is a major centre to the small farming communities in the surrounding area. The Stoney Creek runs through the city and flows into the Battle River south of the city.

Demographics

According to the Canada 2006 Census :

* Population:	15,620 (5.0% increase from 2001)
* Land area:
* Population density:
* Median age:†	39.7 (males: 37.7, females: 41.7)
* Total private dwellings:	6,962
* Mean household income:↑	$39,759

Footnotes: ^↑ The data has not yet been released and is based on 2001 Census. The five major ancestries are Scandinavian (26.3%), German (25.6%), English (20.2%), Scottish (17.6%), Irish (14.4%).

About 3.5% of residents identified as aboriginal.

English is the first language of 90% of the population. About 2.1% of residents said German, 1.1% said Ukrainian, 1.0% said French, and 0.7% said Spanish was their first language. The next most common languages were Chinese and Dutch at 0.6% each, followed by Danish and Norwegian at 0.4% each, Swedish at 0.3%, and Lao at 0.2%.

The 2001 census found 85% of residents identified as Christian, while 14% had no religious affiliation. For specific denominations Statistics Canada found that 24% of residents identified as Roman Catholic, while 20% identified as Lutheran, and 19% identified with the United Church of Canada. Among the less numerous denominations, 4% identified as Anglican, and about 2% each identified as Baptist and Pentecostal.

History

The area around Camrose was first settled in around 1900. At that time the nearby settlement of Wetaskiwin was a major centre for pioneers; typically, it was the last stopping-off point before they set out in search of nearby land. The site that was to be Camrose was about a day's journey from Wetaskiwin along the railroad, which made it a popular place on the route of pioneers. Soon businessmen and other settlers arrived to stay. The settlers came primarily from Scandinavian countries, such as Norway and Sweden, and many settlers also came from the United States. At that time the settlement was known as the hamlet of Stoney Creek. In 1904, Stoney Creek began receiving mail service, its first businesses began to open, and its first RCMP officer (Constable "Blue" Smith) arrived.

On May 4, 1905, the settlement was incorporated as the village of Sparling, named for Reverend Dr. Sparling. However, because the name was often confused with Sperling and Stirling, in 1906 the Village Council renamed the settlement to Camrose. There is no factual evidence about the reason for the choice of the name Camrose, but it is generally thought that it was named after the village of Camrose in Pembrokeshire, South Wales. In December 1906, Camrose was incorporated as a town.

In 1906, Camrose opened its first newspaper, The Camrose Mail, which was replaced in 1908 by the Camrose Canadian, which is still published to this day. In March 1907 the town erected a building for town administration, which also held its first police and fire station. In October 1907 men from Alberta Government Telephones set up Camrose's first telephone exchange, and by 1908 about fifty residents had telephone access. 1911 saw the construction of Camrose's first power plant.

From 1905 to 1914, there was a great deal of railway construction in the Camrose area. Camrose became a bit of a railroad hub, sitting on railways that connected to Edmonton and Calgary, as well as many of the smaller towns in central Alberta, such as Vegreville, Stettler, Drumheller, and Wetaskiwin. By 1914, twelve passenger trains came through Camrose daily. In those days the growth of Camrose was strongly linked with the railroad.

On June 26, 1912, the first building of the Camrose Lutheran College (known as Augustana University College from 1991 to 2004) was opened. Today the campus continues as the Augustana Faculty of the University of Alberta. During World War II, the Camrose Fairgrounds converted to an army training grounds. About ten H-Shaped huts were built, as well as mess quarters, medical building and a storehouse. Thousands of Canadian boys came to Camrose to receive their basic training.

Camrose became a city on January 1, 1955. By 1958, Camrose had converted the old Post Office into the new City Hall. In 1954, however, Camrose had sold the old town hall to the federal government, so in the interim the city council met for almost three years in the hall of the local Methodist Church.

Camrose has continued to expand, even as the significance of the railroads waned. It is now stretching out along Highway 13, and is becoming a major stop for travellers along that road. With the advent of the Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose it has become even more oriented towards tourism and hospitality.

Camrose was host to a popular Alberta Music Camp for upwards of 40 years, named MusiCamrose, until it later changed to MusiCamp Alberta, now hosted in Red Deer, Alberta. It celebrated its 50th anniversary in the summer of 2007. It was founded by Peterkin.

Camrose is home to the popular Christmas treat, the Christmas sausage, which can be bought in the winter season. Fred Duggan and his butcher invented these. (The Duggan family is one of the four founding families of Camrose.)

On Wednesday, October 26, 2005, a single lottery ticket worth $54,000,000 (the largest in Canadian history) was sold in Camrose. The ticket belonged to seventeen oil industry workers.

In August 2006, Camrose held a Founders Day when four men were inducted as founding fathers of Camrose.

In early 2008, Camrose received intense media coverage arising out of the Camrose cat killing of December 30, 2007.

Education

Post-secondary

The primary post-secondary institution in Camrose is the Augustana Faculty of the University of Alberta (formerly known as Augustana University College). Established in 1910 by Norwegian settlers, under the name Camrose Lutheran College, Augustana is still inspired by convictions that are part of its pioneer legacy: that personal wholeness emerges from a liberal education, that the proper end of leadership is service to others, and that the spirit of cooperation so crucial to rural life invigorates human endeavour. As a Faculty of the University of Alberta, Augustana continues to build on its reputation for high-quality teaching in a friendly, caring, residence-based setting. In doing so, it provides a distinctive small-campus undergraduate experience within one of Canada’s leading universities. Augustana remains mindful of its heritage, open to a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds, and responsive to the rural region in which it is located.

In 2006, the university celebrated its first fourth generation graduate.

Camrose also hosts the Canadian Lutheran Bible Institute and Gardner College (previously known as Gardner Bible College and Alberta Bible Institute).

Other levels

Camrose contains both a public and a Catholic school board. The public school board, known as the Battle River School Division supports thirty-seven schools in Camrose and the surrounding area. The Catholic school board supports one elementary school and one junior/senior high-school.

City life

Parks

Camrose is often called the "Rose City" due to its large amount of parkland containing a large number of wild roses. Also, local rose grower, Jerry Twomey, bred and patented the beautiful Camrose Rose to honour his birth place. This elegant tea rose boasts abundant pink blooms and rich green foliage, making it the most stunning flower in our rose beds. Developed to withstand the drastic Alberta climate, the Camrose Rose was introduced to the city in 1995. It may be seen on display at the Bill Fowler Centre.

• Jubilee Park is often used by the community, located in a valley and featuring barbecue shelters, a wandering stream and wide open space.
• Mirror Lake sits in the centre of the city. The lake is home to two species of swan; the trumpeter and the Polish mute. The city of Camrose provides a winter shelter to the clipped birds. These swans have called Camrose home for over twenty years. Mirror Lake Park is the focal point of the Camrose urban parks system. Located on the edge of Mirror Lake, it is the home of the Bill Fowler Centre which contains the Chamber of Commerce office and the Tourist Information Centre. The Bill Fowler Centre features a nature mural, carved out of red brick. The mural features many of the animals which are indigenous to the Mirror Lake area.
• Mirror Lake flows from Stoney Creek, which wanders through the city, and provides a river valley for viewing wildlife through paved walking paths.

Sports and recreation

The new Edgeworth Centre, a multi-purpose sporting facility, officially opened on September 28, 2007. The complex includes the 2,500 seat Encana Arena (new home for the AJHL Camrose Kodiaks and the Augustana Vikings (ACAC)), and the 300+ seat Border Paving arena. The Edgeworth Centre also boasts a three lane fitness track, fitness centre, physiotherapy clinic, physiotherapy lab, children's play room, meeting rooms, and food and beverage facilities. Attached to this multi-million dollar facility is the Max McLean Arena (former home of the Viking Cup, Augustana Vikings ACAC, and Camrose Kodiaks AJHL), as well as the Camrose Equatic Centre and curling rink.

Other recreational facilities include the Camrose Community Centre (walking track and indoor soccer centre), spray park, Camrose Skate Park, Kinsmen Park (which includes tennis courts, three fastball fields, football field, beach volleyball courts, a 2.2km walking path), and Rudy Swanson Park, home to various soccer facilities and recreational groups.

Camrose is blessed with a large urban trail system which winds through the beautiful Stoney Creek Valley. The total trail length is approximately 10.2 km.

Camrose is also home to a wide variety of sports clubs including figure skating, baseball, fastball, hockey and swimming to name a few.

Former NHL forward Josh Green hails from Camrose and now plays in Europe. Other NHLers from Camrose include Tyler Bouck and Scott Ferguson.

Media

Camrose is served by three local papers. The weekly Camrose Canadian, the weekly Camrose Booster and the small daily, Camrose Morning News. There is also a local Christian paper published monthly called "Crosswalk".

Camrose has its own local television station which is primarily used for advertising.

Camrose is also home to two radio stations. The first, and most famous, is AM station 790 CFCW. Despite having a studio in West Edmonton Mall, CFCW still has its main broadcast studio in Camrose.

The second station is the much-newer FM station, CAM-FM, at a frequency of 98.1 FM. Both stations are owned by Newcap Broadcasting.

Sister cities

The City of Camrose has twinning agreements with several similar communities in Canada and around the world. These relationships are developed in part with a mind toward promoting goodwill, education, and economic and tourist benefits.

• Kamifurano, Hokkaido, Japan - 1984
• Warwick, Queensland, Australia - 1974
• Saguenay, Quebec (formerly Chicoutimi) - 1978
• Kentville, Nova Scotia - 1980

References

External links

• The City of Camrose website
• Tourism Camrose
• Camrose Chamber of Commerce
• Camrose & District Centennial Museum
• Camrose Booster
• Camrose Morning News
• Radio 98.1 CAM-FM
• Camrose Founders Days
• Downtown Camrose
• Camrose Kodiaks Jr A Hockey Club