Brooks, Alberta

City of Brooks
City
Nickname:  Alberta's Centennial City
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Southern Alberta
Census division	2
Incorporated	1910 (village)
	1911 (town)
	2005 (city)
Government
• Mayor	Martin Shields
• Governing body	Brooks City Council
• MP	LaVar Payne (Cons - Medicine Hat)
• MLA	Arno Doerksen (PC - Strathmore-Brooks)
Area
• City	17.70 km2 (6.83 sq mi)
Elevation	760 m (2,490 ft)
Population  (2006)
• City	12,498
• Density	706/km2 (1,830/sq mi)
• Metro	22,452
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST)
Postal code span	T1R
Area code	+1-403
Highways	Trans-Canada Highway Highway 36
Website	City of Brooks

Brooks is a small city in south-east Alberta, Canada Template:Km to mi south-east of Calgary, and Template:Km to mi north-west of Medicine Hat. The city is located in the County of Newell, along the Trans Canada Highway and the Canadian Pacific Railway.

History

Brooks was originally used as a buffalo hunting ground for the Blackfoot and Crow. After Treaty Seven was signed in 1877, homesteaders moved into the area to begin farming. Before 1904, the area still did not have a name. By a Canada Post sponsored contest, the area was named after Noel Edgell Brooks, a Canadian Pacific Railway Divisional Engineer from Calgary.

On July 14, 1910, the Village of Brooks was created, which became a town a year later. In the late 20th century, Brooks experienced growth thanks to the oil and gas industry. In the early 1980s, its population grew from 5000 to 8000. In 1996, the population exceeded 10,000 due to expansion at Lakeside IBP meat packing plant. In 2005, Brooks became a city, with a population of about 13,000.

In 2010, Brooks will celebrate its 100th year since being incorporated in 1910.

Community

The City of Brooks is one of fastest growing communities in Alberta with a multi-cultural flavour unique to other similar sized municipalities in Alberta. Brooks is steadily growing with residential and commercial development. It has educational facilities including a satellite campus of Medicine Hat College, two high schools, two junior high schools, three elementary schools, and two primary schools. Brooks has won the Communities in Bloom competition four times in a row. Brooks has won Tidiness and Community Involvement Awards at a national level.

Demographics

In 2006, Brooks had a population of 12,498 living in 5,051 dwellings, a 7.7% increase from 2001. The city has a land area of Template:Km2 to mi2 and a population density of Template:Pop density km2 to mi2.

A municipal census performed in 2007 showed a population of 13,581.

Brooks is a very multicultural community for a city of its size. There are over 76 different languages spoken and many residents are refugees and temporary foreign workers. The community has been called "The City of 100 Hellos" due to its multiculturalism and welcoming/inclusive nature.

City council

The Brooks City Council for the 2007-10 term consists of one mayor with six councillors.

• Mayor Martin Shields
• Councillor Rolf Bander
• Councillor Norm Gerestein
• Councillor Clayton Johnson
• Councillor Noel Moriyama
• Councillor Bill Prentice
• Councillor Kimberley Sharkey

Recreation and attractions

The Lakeside Leisure Centre is the area's main recreation centre. It includes two arenas, a curling rink, an aquatic centre with a waterslide and wave pool, a gymnasium, a fitness centre, and multipurpose rooms. The complex was renovated in 2005.

The region's new 1,700 seat Centennial Regional Arena is to be completed in the fall of 2009, and open by December 31, 2009. It will take the place of the Old Centennial Arena, located at the Leisure Centre, which will be demolished.

There are three provincial parks in the area: Kinbrook Island Provincial Park to the south; Dinosaur Provincial Park, a world heritage site, to the northeast; and Tillebrook Provincial Park to the east. In additon, there are several other recreational sites in the area including the Rolling Hills Reservoir, Crawling Valley Reservoir, and Emerson Bridge.

Brooks from the sky

The Brooks Aqueduct south-east of Brooks was built to transport irrigation water across the Eastern Irrigaton District. It spans across a 3.2 km valley, about 20m above the ground.

During the winter months, the Brooks Bandits play in the Alberta Junior Hockey League They joined the league in 2000 and have become more and more popular over the years. During the spring of 2005, The AJHL's Brooks Bandits advanced to the playoffs for the first time, but lost to the Camrose Kodiaks.

There are two football teams in Brooks: The Roadrunners and The Buffalos, which are made up of players from local schools. Brooks has had a lot of success in the past in football. The Buffalos have had 3 teams go to provincials, in 1989, 1995, and 1997, wining in both '95 and '97. The Buffalos won their most recent league Championship in 2008, the first time in 11 years. The Roadrunners have gone to provincials three times, in 1995, 2004 and most recently, 2007.

Climate

Climate data for Brooks
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Source: Environment Canada

Local media

Brooks is served by two radio stations, CIBQ-AM (Q13 Country), and CIXF-FM (The Fox). Both stations are owned by Newcap Broadcasting

Brooks has two distinct newspapers. The Brooks and County Chronicle is published Sundays. It is a total market coverage product. The Brooks Bulletin is published every Tuesday, and has served Brooks and the County of Newell since 1910.

The Weekender is a weekly supplement to the Bulletin, and it is published on Fridays.

Notable residents

• Ryan Peake, lead guitarist of Nickelback
• Sherraine Schalm, Olympic Fencer

External links

• City of Brooks
• Brooks Tourist site
• Newell Regional Tourism Association
• Brooks Bulletin: Local News