Falher, Alberta

Falher
—  Town  —
Town of Falher
Main street
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Falher Location of Falher in Alberta
Coordinates: 55°43′23″N 117°12′05″W
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Northern Alberta
Census division	19
Municipal District	Smoky River
Founded	1912
Incorporated	1929 (village)
	1955 (town)
Government
• Mayor	Margaret Tardif
• Governing body	Falher Town Council
• MLA
Area (2011)
• Total	2.87 km2 (1.11 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	1,075
• Density	374.7/km2 (970/sq mi)
Time zone	MST (UTC−7)
• Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC−6)
Area code(s)	+1-780
Highways	Highway 49 Highway 2
Website	Town of Falher

Falher ( /fəˈlɛər/) is a town in the Peace Country area of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the Municipal District of Smoky River, along Highway 49. Falher is one of the earliest agricultural communities in the Peace Country.

History

The area was known to missionaries before it was surveyed in 1909 as an Indian Trail that led to British Columbia and later where the railway laid its tracks. In 1912, the settlement of "Mission St-Jean Baptiste de Falher" was opened 5 km from the current location of the town of Falher. When the railway came to the area in 1915, the settlement was named after Father Constant Falher, a Roman Catholic Oblate missionary who was born in the town of Josselin Brittany, France in 1863, arriving at Grouard, Alberta in 1889. The origin of the majority of local colonizers were from Quebec; some arrived in the area via the United States of America (French American), such as Robert Goulet's family, who settled in the nearby town of Girouxville. The town still remains a dominantly Francophone community.

The colony was divided into two; what is now the village of Donnelly and the town of Falher. In 1919, the town consolidated a school district and the first parish, parish Ste. Anne was established. The first post office was opened in 1923 when the settlement became a hamlet in 1923, in 1929 it became a village, and in 1955 Falher was incorporated as a town. It is also home to a French-language radio station, CKRP-FM.

Demographics

In the 2011 Census, the Town of Falher had a population of 1,075 living in 497 of its 522 total dwellings, a 14.2% change from its 2006 population of 941. With a land area of 2.87 km² (1.11 sq mi), it had a population density of 374.6/km² (970.1/sq mi) in 2011.

According to the 2006 census:

• population of 941 living in 465 dwellings, a 15.1% decrease from 2001.
• land area of 2.87 km² (1.11 sq mi)
• population density of 328.0 /km² (850 /sq mi).

Economy

The principal industries in the area are agriculture, forestry, oil and gas.

Established in 1973 as a private business, Falher Alfalfa (an alfalfa processing facility) was sold to a group of producers and farmers in 1978 with the same company. Under normal circumstances, Falher Alfalfa employed a staff of about 35 full-time employees in the spring and 110 at the busiest time of the season. Falher Alfalfa went under the Company Creditor Arrangement Act in June 2007, protecting the company against any legal action taken by creditors and gave the company a chance to sell its product to be able to repay creditors. In spring 2008, Falher Alfalfa declared bankruptcy due to production costs.

Education

There are two public schools in Falher:

• École Héritage School is a Francophone school that was built in 1951. École Héritage currently has students in grades K–12.

• École Routhier School is the primary educational institution in Falher. Routhier is an Anglophone and Francophone Elementary School which includes grades K–6.

Students in grades 7-12 attend classes at École Georges P. Vanier School in nearby Donnelly, Alberta.

Attractions and Events

Main Street Falher includes a large honey bee statue, as Falher is known as "Honey Capital of Canada". The statue's overall length is 22 feet 8 inches (6.91 m), and its diameter is 7 feet 7 inches (2.31 m).

Every year, a "Honey Festival" is held to pay tribute to the beekeeping industry which has created an impact in the Smoky River region and throughout Canada and the United States. The honey in the area is derived largely from clover seed operations. At its peak, more than 48,000 hives in the region produced 10 million pounds (4,500 t) of honey annually. Today the honey of the Smoky River Region is known worldwide.

Falher attracted national attention in 2006 due to its high standing in the "Kraft Hockeyville" contest, a coast-to-coast competition to elect the municipality that most embodies the spirit of Canada's national pastime.

See also

• List of communities in Alberta
• List of towns in Alberta

External links

• Town of Falher