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Airdrie, Alberta

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For other uses, see Airdrie (disambiguation).
Airdrie
City
City of Airdrie
Aerial view of Airdrie
Aerial view of Airdrie
Flag of Airdrie
Flag
Official logo of Airdrie
CountryCanada
ProvinceAlberta
RegionCalgary Region
Census division6
Incorporated [1]
 - Village 
September 10, 1909
 - TownMay 1, 1974
 - CityJanuary 1, 1985
Government
[2]
 • MayorPeter Brown
 • Governing body
Airdrie City Council
  • Glenda Alexander
  • Murray Buchanan
  • Fred Burley
  • Ron Chapman
  • Kelly Hegg
  • Allan Hunter
 • ManagerPaul Schultz
 • MPBlake Richards (Wild Rose - Cons)
 • MLARob Anderson (Airdrie-Chestermere - Wildrose Alliance)
Area
 (2006)[3]
 • Total33.10 km2 (12.78 sq mi)
Elevation
1,089 m (3,573 ft)
Population
 (2006)[3]
 • Total28,927
 • Density874.0/km2 (2,264/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Airdrite; Airdronian[4]
Time zoneUTC-7 (MST)
Postal code span
T4A, T4B
Area code403
HighwaysQueen Elizabeth II Highway
WebsiteCity of Airdrie

Airdrie is a city in Alberta, Canada, located just north of Calgary within the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. The City of Airdrie is part of Calgary's Census Metropolitan Area and a member community of the Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP). Due to its proximity to Calgary, Airdrie's population has been exploding in recent years. The city's boundaries are completely within the rural Rocky View County.

The Canada 2006 Census reported Airdrie to have a population of 28,927.[3] As of the 2010 municipal census, Airdrie's population was 39,822.[5]

Airdrie was first established as a railway village in 1889 during the construction of the Calgary and Edmonton Railway, named for Airdrie, Scotland. Today, Airdrie is a scenic bedroom community and industrial centre. Its primary body of water is Nose Creek, which is the focal point of a number of city parks and green spaces including Nose Creek Park. The park hosts the annual Airdrie Festival of Lights in the Christmas season. Other annual festivals include the Canada Day Parade and the Airdrie Pro Rodeo. Airdrie's primary cultural venues include the Nose Creek Valley Museum and the Bert Church Live Theatre.

Airdrie is situated on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway (Alberta's busiest highway) which connects Calgary and Edmonton, thus making it a small transportation hub. Airdrie is also served by the small Airdrie Airport that does not provide regular scheduled flights. The closest major airport is Calgary International Airport, though given Airdrie's location, residents live closer to the international airport than many residents of Calgary.

Airdrie is home to several sporting franchises. Major teams include the Knights of Airdrie, a senior men's lacrosse team that plays in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League. The Airdrie Thunder, a Jr. B level hockey team that competes in the Heritage Junior B Hockey League. Team Airdrie is a Jr. C level hockey team that competes in the Calgary Jr. C Hockey League.

Recent annexation of land by Airdrie to the south, coupled with recent expansion of Calgary's city limits in July 2007, have placed the two cities' boundaries within only a few kilometres of each other.

Attractions

  • Nose Creek Valley Museum[6]
  • Bert Church Live Theatre[7]
  • Iron Horse Park[8]
  • Airdrie Festival of Lights[9]
  • Airdrie Pro Rodeo [10]

Demographics

The population of the City of Airdrie according to its 2011 municipal census is 43,155,[11][12] a 8.4% increase over its 2010 municipal census population of 39,822.[13][5]

According to the Canada 2006 Census[3]

* Population: 28,927
* Land area: 33.1 km2 (12.8 sq mi)
* Population density: 1,150 people/km² (2,263.6/sq mi)
* National population rank (Out of 5,008): Ranked 142
* Median age:† 32.6 (males: 32.2, females: 32.9)
* Total private dwellings: 13,375
* Dwellings occupied by permanent residents: 13,080
* Median after-tax household income: $69,762
Census History
[citation needed]
Year Population
1941 191
1976 1,408
1981 8,414
1991 12,456
2001 20,382
2006 28,927

Religion

According to 2001 Statistics Canada Census,[14] the religious breakdown of Airdrie's residents was as follows:

  • Protestant: 46.3%
  • Catholic: 22.7%
  • Other Christian: 3.9%
  • Other Non-Christian: 1.58%
  • Muslim: .018%
  • No religion: 24.2%

Media

Due to its proximity to Calgary, Airdrie receives radio and television broadcasts from the city (see Media of Calgary). It at present has no local television broadcasters but has a radio station, The Range 106.1 FM. The city has two local newspapers, the Airdrie Echo and the Airdrie City View. A community newsletter, Here's the Scoop, is also published weekly and delivered door to door as part of a larger flyer package throughout the city. A quarterly magazine, AirdrieLIFE, is also available, and a community internet portal, AirdrieOnLine. There is also a new website for the city's economic development agency at AirdrieNow. Airdrie is also in the local delivery area of the Calgary Herald and Calgary Sun.

Neighbourhoods

The majority of new development in Airdrie occurs on west side of the city, west of Highway 2. Airdrie addresses are divided into quadrants, with the majority of the city's established communities located in the southeast and northeast quadrants.

According to the City of Airdrie's official 2007-2008 city map, the communities of Airdrie are:

Northwest

  • Williamstown (under construction)
  • Reunion
  • Silver Creek
  • Fairways
  • Woodside
  • Willow Brook
  • Sun Ridge
  • Stonegate

Northeast

  • Gateway Industrial Park (under construction)
  • Jensen
  • The Village
  • Downtown (portion)
  • East Lake Industrial Park
  • Highland Industrial Park

Southwest

  • Sagewood
  • Canals (under construction)
  • Bayside (under construction)
  • Bayview (opening late 2011)
  • Mackenzie Pointe (under construction)
  • Luxstone (under construction)
  • Prairie Springs (under construction)
  • Coopers Crossing
  • Morningside (almost complete)
  • Hillcrest (opening late 2011)
  • Windsong (under construction)

Southeast

  • Downtown (portion)
  • Airdrie Meadows
  • Edgewater
  • Waterstone
  • Summerhill
  • Ridgegate
  • Sierra Springs (commercial park; under construction)
  • Big Springs
  • Thorburn
  • Marquis Place
  • Maple Way
  • Meadowbrook
  • Kingsview Industrial Park (under construction)
  • King's Heights
  • Ravenswood (under construction)

Roads and transportation

Airdrie's main access road is the Queen Elizabeth II Highway which for many years bisected the city (recent development has made the western half of the city significantly larger in area than the eastern side). The highway is a major north/south trade corridor providing direct access to Calgary to the south and to Red Deer, Edmonton and other major centres to the north. The city is also connected to other local towns and hamlets via several secondary highways that pass through the city. A number of rural roads, upgraded and paved in recent years, provide alternate access into north Calgary for motorists wishing to avoid Hwy. 2.

Airdrie launched the InterCity Express (ICE) in the fall of 2010, connecting Airdrie and Calgary transit hubs by a two way express bus service.[15]

Local bus service is provided by Airdrie Transit.

Shopping and Services

Airdrie offers a full slate of resident services, with any services not available in the city easily obtainable in nearby Calgary.

The city is served by a number of strip-mall developments, including Tower Lane Mall (a former enclosed shopping centre converted to a strip mall in the late 2000s) and Yankee Valley Crossing. On the city's south end, the Sierra Springs area is seeing the ongoing development of big-box retail, including a Wal-Mart Supercentre. The city's north end includes Real Canadian Superstore and Canadian Tire locations and other major grocery chains such as Sobey's, Canada Safeway and Calgary Co-op are also located in the city.

Airdrie is located immediately north of the hamlet of Balzac, which is the location of the major regional shopping mall CrossIron Mills, which opened in 2009, and its neighboring retail/business park development. In addition, north Calgary's numerous malls and retail areas are quickly accessible via Hwy. 2 and the recent extension of Calgary's Metis Trail into the Balzac/CrossIron Mills area.

Sister cities

Country City County/District/Region/State Date
 South Korea Gwacheon South Korea 1997

See also

References

  1. ^ Alberta Municipal Affairs (2010-09-17). "Municipal Profile – City of Airdrie". Retrieved 2010-10-01.
  2. ^ Alberta Municipal Affairs: Municipal Officials Search
  3. ^ a b c d Statistics Canada (Census 2006). "Airdrie - Community Profile". Retrieved 2007-06-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  4. ^ http://www.noslangues-ourlanguages.gc.ca/bien-well/fra-eng/vocabulaire-vocabulary/demonyms-eng.html
  5. ^ a b "Airdrie population number steadies" (PDF). City of Airdrie. 2010-07-06. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  6. ^ Nose Creek Valley Museum
  7. ^ Bert Church Live Theatre
  8. ^ Iron Horse Park
  9. ^ Airdrie Festival of Lights
  10. ^ Airdrie Pro Rodeo
  11. ^ "2011 Municipal Affairs Population List" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. 2010-10-05. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
  12. ^ "2011 Official Census Results – 43,155 people call Airdrie home" (PDF). City of Airdrie. 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2011-07-19.
  13. ^ "2010 Official Population List" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. 2010-09-15. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  14. ^ Statistics Canada (2002). "Airdrie - 2001 Census". Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  15. ^ Airdrie Echo. "Transit to debut this fall". Retrieved April 14 '2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
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