Barons, Alberta

Barons
—  Village  —
Village of Barons
Barons' remaining elevators along the CPR tracks.
Motto: Wheat Heart of the West
Location of Barons in Alberta
Coordinates: 49°59′59″N 113°04′58″W
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Southern Alberta
Census division	2
Municipal district	County of Lethbridge
Government
• Mayor	Ronald Gorzitza
• Governing body	Barons Village Council
• MLA
Area (2011)
• Total	0.68 km2 (0.26 sq mi)
Elevation	965 m (3,166 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	315
• Density	462.2/km2 (1,197/sq mi)
Time zone	MST (UTC-7)
Postal code span	T0L 0G0
Highways	Highway 23 Highway 520

Barons is a village in southern Alberta, Canada in a region referred to as Palliser's Triangle. It is located 51 kilometres (32 mi) north of Lethbridge along Highway 23. A scene in a Superman movie was filmed at Barons.^{[citation needed]}

History

The Canadian Pacific Railway purchased the present townsite of Barons in early 1909. Charles S. Noble, an agent for the CPR sold lots to settlers. The train station was originally named "Baron", but public usage eventually evolved to "Barons".

Barons became a village on May 6, 1910 and early buildings included a hardware store, a grocery store, lumber yards, a bank, a feedmill, a dance hall, an opera house and a hotel.

With the loss of the majority of it's grain elevators the tax burden has shifted to residential properties resulting in dramatic tax increases. This prompted residents to request a dissolution study by Alberta Municipal Affairs in 2004 to dissolve Village status to that of Hamlet under the jurisdiction of the County of Lethbridge. The dissolution was defeated but another attempt was mounted in 2011 which failed to garner the minimum number of petitioners. Village residents have moved onto the next petition calling for an independent audit of Village finances. Lethbridge Herald Article

Government

The village is governed by a council composed of a mayor and two councillors.

Demographics

In the 2011 Census, the Village of Barons had a population of 315 living in 124 of its 139 total dwellings, a 14.1% change from its 2006 population of 276. With a land area of 0.68 km² (0.26 sq mi), it had a population density of 463/km² (1,200/sq mi) in 2011.

The population of the Village of Barons according to its 2010 municipal census is 326, a 9.8% increase over its 2007 municipal census population of 297.

In 2006, Barons had a population of 276 living in 135 dwellings, a 2.8% decrease from 2001. The village has an area of 0.68 km² (0.26 sq mi) and a population density of 405.0 inhabitants per square kilometre.

Services

High speed wireless Internet access is available from Figment Cablesystems via the Alberta SuperNet.

Infrastructure

The sewage system is an above ground evaporative sewage lagoon located approximately 0.5 km west of the Village. Google Earth aerial view

Water is supplied by a joint venture between the Village of Nobleford and the County of Lethbridge (NBC) in partnership with the Province of Alberta WATER FOR LIFE via a regional pipline. The state-of-the-art PALL water system delivers water to Barons via a 16km pipeline that links the two communities. Water Supply Partnership, NBC

See also

• List of communities in Alberta
• List of villages in Alberta

External links

• Alberta First - Barons statistics

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