Sylvan Lake, Alberta

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This article is about the town. For the lake, see Sylvan Lake (Alberta).
Sylvan Lake
Town
Town of Sylvan Lake
Sylvan Lake town.JPG
Flag of Sylvan Lake
Flag		 Official logo of Sylvan Lake
Logo
Sylvan Lake is located in Alberta
Sylvan Lake
Sylvan Lake
Location of Sylvan Lake in Alberta
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country  Canada
Province  Alberta
Region Central Alberta
Census division 8
Municipal district Red Deer County
Founded 1898
Incorporated 1913
Government[1]
 • Mayor Sean McIntyre
 • Governing body
Sylvan Lake Town Council
  • Megan Chernoff
  • Christina Lust
  • Graham Parson
  • Jas Payne
  • Dale Plante
  • Matthew Prete
 • CAO Betty Osmond
 • MP Earl Dreeshen
 • MLA Don MacIntyre
Area (2011)[2]
 • Total 15.62 km2 (6.03 sq mi)
Elevation[3] 945 m (3,100 ft)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 12,327
 • Density 789.4/km2 (2,045/sq mi)
 • Municipal census (2015) 14,310[4]
Time zone MST (UTC−7)
 • Summer (DST) MDT (UTC−6)
Postal code span T4S
Area code(s) +1-403
Waterways Sylvan Lake
Highways Highway 11
Highway 11A
Highway 20
Website Official website

Sylvan Lake is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of the City of Red Deer along Highway 11 or Highway 11A. It is situated on the southeast edge of Sylvan Lake, a 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) long freshwater lake, in Red Deer County.

The lake is a popular destination for tourists from around Alberta, with over 1.5 million visitors each year. Popular tourist activities include sunbathing, swimming, water-skiing, and visiting the local Wild Rapids Waterslides. Camp Woods in Sylvan Lake played to the 12th Canadian Scout Jamboree in July 2013.[5]

History

Sylvan Lake was originally settled by French speaking immigrants from Quebec and the United States. Arriving in 1898 from Michigan, Alexandre Loiselle and his family homesteaded the quarter section that later became the west side of today's Main (50th) Street and the businesses and homes immediately to the west. When the first settlers arrived at Sylvan Lake in 1899, the lake was named Snake Lake from the Indian name Kinabik, which referred to the numerous garter snakes in the area. The name was officially changed to Sylvan Lake in 1903 (Gaetz 1948). "Sylvan" is from the Latin sylvanus, which means "of a forest".

Sylvan Lake Lighthouse

In the early twentieth century, groups of Estonian[6] and then Finnish settlers moved to homesteads to the south and west of the fledgling settlement at Sylvan Lake. With their arrival came the early business community, a general store, a blacksmith, a hardware store, post office, barber, and restaurants. The completion of the Canadian Northern line to Rocky Mountain House and Nordegg in 1912 and the parallel Canadian Pacific in 1914 opened the west country to settlement and resulted in the incorporation of Sylvan Lake in 1913 under Mayor E. S. Grimson, a local hardware store owner. The anniversary of the founding of the town is celebrated every year in Sylvan Lake as "1913 Days".

Farming quickly became a mainstay in the area and in 1923 an Alberta Pacific grain elevator was built on the CPR line immediately north of what is now Cottonwood Estates. The elevator was torn down in the 1970s and the CPR line was abandoned in 1983 and removed in 1986. Since then, the right of way has survived as a natural area and walking path through Sylvan Lake.

Elevators were also constructed along the CN line and were used by local farmers in the mid-century decades. They were torn down in the late 1990s.

Even prior to the building of the railways, Sylvan Lake was becoming a summer resort for families in Red Deer. With the coming of the trains, "the Lake" became a favourite of families from both Edmonton and Calgary. The summer visitors camped in tents, but soon the "Cottage Area" east of 46 Street and in "Lower Camp" on the southeast shore began to fill with summer cottages. In the 1930s and 1940s people began arriving by car and the areas around Norglenwold, Sylvan Lake Provincial Park and Jarvis Bay Provincial Park began to fill up with summer visitors.

The influx of summer residents and visitors also brought businesses and services that catered to the ever increasing number of tourists. In 1913, the first motor launch took paying passengers on tours around the lake. A large boathouse was constructed in 1926, allowing visitors to rent a boat, canoe, swimsuit, or buy ice cream, pop and other items necessary to a summer day at the lake. Regattas were held on the lake for a number of years beginning in 1923.

In 1928, the Dominion Government, assisted by the Sylvan Lake Women's Institute (WI), built the long pier that jutted out into the lake from the bottom of Main Street. This pier was connected to the earlier WI Pier and formed a square area used for swimming and mooring boats. The first "waterslide" at Sylvan Lake was part of this facility. The piers were prone to ice damage over the winter and were replaced by the existing "landfill" that now hosts beach volleyball tournaments, dragon boat racing and the lake tour on the "Zoo Cruise".

In 1983, the original waterslide was replaced by the Wild Rapids Waterslide, which is the largest facility of its kind in western Canada.

Another byproduct of losing the piers and later the government boat launch was the construction of the Sylvan Lake Marina, home of many of the permanent boats on the lake, boating facilities, and the Sylvan Lake lighthouse.

In 2014, Sylvan Lake won the Kraft Hockeyville contest, which included a large cash prize and the rights to host an NHL pre-season game between the Calgary Flames and the Arizona Coyotes.[7]

Geography

Climate

Climate data for Sylvan Lake, Alberta
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 13.3
(55.9)		 14.8
(58.6)		 15.4
(59.7)		 28.6
(83.5)		 32.5
(90.5)		 33.3
(91.9)		 32.2
(90)		 31.8
(89.2)		 29.6
(85.3)		 28.1
(82.6)		 19.1
(66.4)		 12.7
(54.9)		 33.3
(91.9)
Average high °C (°F) −9.5
(14.9)		 −6.4
(20.5)		 0.7
(33.3)		 9.3
(48.7)		 15.9
(60.6)		 19.5
(67.1)		 21.3
(70.3)		 20.1
(68.2)		 14.8
(58.6)		 9.2
(48.6)		 −2.1
(28.2)		 −8.7
(16.3)		 7
(45)
Daily mean °C (°F) −14.6
(5.7)		 −11.8
(10.8)		 −5.1
(22.8)		 3.1
(37.6)		 9.5
(49.1)		 13.7
(56.7)		 15.7
(60.3)		 14.4
(57.9)		 9.2
(48.6)		 3.9
(39)		 −6.4
(20.5)		 −13.4
(7.9)		 1.5
(34.7)
Average low °C (°F) −19.8
(−3.6)		 −17.6
(0.3)		 −11
(12)		 −3.1
(26.4)		 3.1
(37.6)		 7.8
(46)		 10
(50)		 8.6
(47.5)		 3.6
(38.5)		 −1.4
(29.5)		 −10.9
(12.4)		 −18.2
(−0.8)		 −4.1
(24.6)
Record low °C (°F) −42.8
(−45)		 −40
(−40)		 −38.3
(−36.9)		 −26.1
(−15)		 −7.2
(19)		 −2.7
(27.1)		 3.1
(37.6)		 −2.1
(28.2)		 −7.8
(18)		 −21.8
(−7.2)		 −36.1
(−33)		 −41.7
(−43.1)		 −42.8
(−45)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 25.8
(1.016)		 20.7
(0.815)		 25.5
(1.004)		 29
(1.14)		 67
(2.64)		 91.6
(3.606)		 97.2
(3.827)		 73.7
(2.902)		 55.9
(2.201)		 24.2
(0.953)		 21.3
(0.839)		 24.5
(0.965)		 556
(21.89)
Source #1: 1961-1990 Environment Canada[8]
Source #2: 1971-2000 Environment Canada Precipitation Only[9]

Seasonal mean temperatures:[8]

  • Winter −14.6 °C (5.72 °F)
  • Spring 9.5 °C (49.10 °F)
  • Summer 15.7 °C (60.26 °F)
  • Fall −6.4 °C (20.48 °F)

Annual precipitation:[9]

  • Rain: 398.3 millimetres (15.68 in)
  • Snow: 158.2 centimetres (62.28 in)
  • Total: 556.4 millimetres (21.91 in)

Average hours of sunshine: 2,125 hours

Demographics

The population of the Town of Sylvan Lake according to its 2015 municipal census is 14,310,[4] a 10% change from its 2013 municipal census population of 13,015.[29] At its current population, Sylvan Lake 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.[30]

In the 2011 Census, the Town of Sylvan Lake had a population of 12,327 living in 4,602 of its 5,595 total dwellings, a 20.3% change from its 2006 adjusted population of 10,250. With a land area of 15.62 km2 (6.03 sq mi), it had a population density of 789.2/km2 (2,044.0/sq mi) in 2011.[2]

In 2006, Sylvan Lake had a population of 10,208 living in 4,277 dwellings, a 36.1% increase from 2001. The town has a land area of 10.83 km2 (4.18 sq mi) and a population density of 942.3/km2 (2,441/sq mi).[31] The 2006 census also indicated that Sylvan Lake was ranked as the municipality with the sixth-highest population growth among municipalities in Canada with a population of 5,000 and over between 2001 and 2006.[32]

According to the Canada 2001 Census, the town's population was 7,493, of whom 50.96% were male and 49.03% were female. In the five years between 1996 and 2001, the population of Sylvan Lake grew by 44.5%, compared with the average provincial increase of 10.3% for Alberta.[33]

The town had a very young population when compared to Alberta in 2001. The town’s population of those 19 and under was 33.2% compared with the provincial average at 28.3%. Meanwhile, 6.7% of the population were of retirement age (65 and over for males and females) compared with national average of 13.2%. The average age of the town's residents in 2001 was 31.6 years of age compared to the national average of 37.6 years.[33]

Government

Federal

Sylvan Lake is within the Red Deer federal electoral district. It is represented by Earl Dreeshen of the Conservative Party.

Provincial

Sylvan Lake is within the Innisfail-Sylvan Lake provincial electoral district. It is represented by Don MacIntyre of the Wildrose Party of Alberta.

Municipal

Sylvan Lake Town Council consists of one Mayor and six Councillors that are elected every four years. The current mayor is Sean McIntyre, who was first elected as a Councillor in 2010 and as mayor in the 2013 municipal election. Councillors elected in the 2013 municipal election were Megan Chernoff, Jas Payne, Dale Plante, Chris Lust, Graham Parsons, and Matt Prete. Plante and Parsons were the only re-elected incumbent councillors.

Education

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. The town has four public schools in the Chinook's Edge School District.

  • Steffie Woima Elementary School
  • C. P. Blakely Elementary School
  • Fox Run Middle School
  • H. J. Cody High School

Two Catholic Schools in the Red Deer Catholic School Division.

  • École Mother Theresa Catholic School
  • Our Lady of the Rosary

The Fox Run Middle School's building is shared with the Mother Teresa Catholic School.

Also, Lighthouse Christian Academy and Sylvan Meadows Adventist School are two private schools that operate in Sylvan Lake.

Media

Sylvan Lake is served by one local newspaper, The Sylvan Lake News.[34] It also receives newspapers from Red Deer. They include:

  • Red Deer Advocate
  • Red Deer Express
  • Red Deer Life

Sylvan Lake has no broadcast television stations in the vicinity of the town. It does however have access to three main stations by antenna:

  • Channel 4: CityTV Edmonton
  • Channel 8: CTV Edmonton (CTV)
  • Channel 10: Global Edmonton (Global)

The cable and satellite television providers in Sylvan Lake are Shaw Cable, Bell ExpressVu, Shaw Direct and Telus Communications.

No radio stations are based in Sylvan Lake. However, it gets many radio stations from Red Deer including Kraze 101.3 (CKIK), KG Country (CKGY), Zed 99, Big 105, The River 100.7 and The Drive.[35]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Estonian history
  7. ↑ [1]
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Environment Canada—1961–1990. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Environment Canada—1971–2000. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Sylvan Lake News
  35. ↑ Radio stations in Sylvan Lake: KRAZE 101.3 (CKIK) CKGY (KG Country) Zed 98.9 Big 105.5 The Drive

External links

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 Rimbey Bentley Lacombe
Rocky Mountain House, Eckville Red Deer
  Sylvan Lake  
Caroline Innisfail Penhold
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