Red Deer is a city in Alberta, Canada, located midway on the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. Red Deer serves central Alberta, and its key industries include health care, retail trade, construction, oil and gas, hospitality, manufacturing and education. It is surrounded by Red Deer County and borders on Lacombe County. The city is in aspen parkland, a region of rolling hills, alongside the Red Deer River.

History

The area was inhabited by First Nations including the Blackfoot, Plains Cree and Stoney before the arrival of European fur traders in the late eighteenth century. A First Nations trail ran from the Montana Territory across the Bow River near present-day Calgary and on to Fort Edmonton, later known as the Calgary and Edmonton Trail. The trail crossed the Red Deer River at a wide, stony shallows. The "Old Red Deer Crossing" is 7 km upstream from the present-day city. Cree people called the river Waskasoo Seepee, which means "Elk River." European arrivals sometimes called North American elk "red deer," after the related Eurasian species, and later named the community after the river. The name for the modern city in Plains Cree is a calque of the English name (mihkwâpisimosos, literally "red type of deer"), while the name of the river itself is still wâwâskêsiw-sîpiy or "elk river." First Nations on the north side of the river entered into Treaty 6 in 1876 and on the south side Treaty 7 in 1877. Farmers and ranchers began to settle on the fertile lands. A trading post and stopping house were built at the Crossing in 1882. This became Fort Normandeau during the 1885 North-West Rebellion. Leonard Gaetz gave a half-share of 1240 acre he had acquired to the Calgary and Edmonton Railway to develop a bridge over the river and a townsite. As a result, the Crossing was gradually abandoned. The first trains arrived in 1891. Following World War I, Red Deer emerged as a small, quiet, but prosperous, prairie city. Bird watcher Elsie Cassels helped to establish the Gaetz Lakes bird sanctuary. During Great Depression of the 1930s, Central Alberta was not hit by severe drought. The city was virtually debt-free and profited from its ownership of the local public utilities. In World War II, a large army training camp was located where Cormack Armoury, the Memorial Centre and Lindsay Thurber High School are now. Two training airfields were built south of the city at Penhold and Bowden. Red Deer expanded rapidly following the discovery of major oil reserves in Alberta in the late 1940s. Red Deer became a centre for oil and gas and related industries, such as the Joffre Cogeneration Plant. North Red Deer was amalgamated in 1948. Government and administrative services include a hospital, a courthouse and a provincial building. The railway moved to the outskirts and passenger train service ceased. The CPR bridge is now a walking trail. Red Deer is Alberta's third largest city, with a slightly higher population than Lethbridge.

Geography

Climate

Red Deer has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), with something of a semi-arid influence due to the city's location within Palliser's Triangle. The highest temperature ever recorded in Red Deer was 37.2 C on 8 July 1906, 2 July 1924, and 28 & 29 June 1937. The lowest recorded temperature was -50.6 C on 17 December 1924. The city lies in the 4a plant hardiness zone. Summers are typically warm and rainy with cool nights. Winters are typically long, cold, and very dry.

Neighbourhoods

Red Deer includes the following neighbourhoods:

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the City of Red Deer had a population of 100,844 living in 40,512 of its 43,404 total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of 100,418. With a land area of 104.34 km2, it had a population density of in 2021. The Red Deer census agglomeration (CA) was promoted to a census metropolitan area (CMA) in the 2021 Census, becoming the fourth CMA in Alberta (joining Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge). As of 2021, the Red Deer CMA is coincident with the City of Red Deer, thus it similarly had a population of 100,844 living in 40,512 of its 43,404 total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population (when the CA was also coincident with the city) of 100,418. With a land area of 104.34 km2, it had a population density of in 2021. The population of the City of Red Deer according to its 2019 municipal census is 101,002, a change of NaN% from its 2016 municipal census population of 99,832. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the City of Red Deer (and coincident Red Deer CA) had a population of 100,418 living in 39,982 of its 42,285 total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2011 population of 90,564. With a land area of 104.73 km2, it had a population density of in 2016.

Ethnicity

According to the 2016 census, 15.2% of the general population identified as visible minority (non-aboriginal), an increase of 55.9% over the previous five years. A separate 7.1% reported North American Aboriginal Origins (4.2% First Nations and 3.1% Métis).

Arts and culture

Red Deer hosts many arts and cultural groups, including: Central Alberta Theatre, Ignition Theatre, Red Deer Players Society, Bull Skit Comedy troupe, Central Music Festival, the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra, the Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery, the Red Deer Royals and other performing arts and fine arts organizations. The Red Deer Arts Council is a member-based Multi-disciplinary Arts Service Organization and registered charity that serves the local and area community of visual, literary and performing artists.

Attractions

Sports

The Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League play at the Peavey Mart Centrium. Red Deer hosted the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and co-hosted the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. The Rebels hosted the 2016 Memorial Cup. Red Deer replaced Edmonton as host of the Canadian Finals Rodeo from 2018 to 2023. Red Deer hosted the 2019 Canada Winter Games, leaving the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre at Red Deer Polytechnic and the Downtown Servus Arena as legacy facilities. The city is the hometown to numerous Olympic and NHL athletes. Hockey Night in Canada personality Ron MacLean calls Red Deer home.

Transportation

The Queen Elizabeth II Highway links the North-South Calgary-Edmonton Corridor, including Wetaskiwin and Camrose, with Red Deer. The David Thompson Highway links Rocky Mountain House in the West Country with Stettler in East-Central Alberta. Red Deer Regional Airport, in Penhold, serves mostly general aviation and is expanding to encourage passenger service. Red Deer Transit provides local bus service throughout the city.

Infrastructure

The Red Deer Regional Hospital is undergoing a significant expansion. Red Deer receives its drinking water supply from the Red Deer River which is treated and distributed throughout the city. One distinct feature of the water distribution system is the Horton Water Spheroid which, at the time of its construction in 1957, was the world's largest spheroid shaped reservoir. Water from the Red Deer water treatment plant is distributed to neighbouring communities including Red Deer County, Lacombe, Blackfalds and Ponoka as managed by the North Red Deer Regional Water Services Commission.

Education

Post-secondary

Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP), formerly Red Deer College, was founded in 1964 as Red Deer Junior College. RDP offers certificates, diplomas, advanced certificates, applied degrees, bachelor's degrees, academic upgrading and apprenticeship in over 75 different career and academic programs, including the creative and liberal arts, engineering, and trades.

Secondary

Three school authorities operate in Red Deer. Founded in 1887, the Red Deer Public School District serves 10,000 students in thirty schools. Offering a wide range of programming, including French Immersion from K-12, the district hosts international students from around the world. They operate Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School and Hunting Hills High School. Founded in 1909, when the Daughters of Wisdom, a religious order from France, accepted the challenge of the Tinchebray Fathers, also from France, to offer Catholic schooling in Red Deer, Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) welcomes over 10,000 students in six Central Alberta communities, including Red Deer. They operate École Secondaire Notre Dame High School and St. Joseph's High School. Greater North Central Francophone Education Region No. 2's school École La Prairie is a French school near downtown Red Deer that offers pre-kindergarten through grade 9 programs. It offers all courses in French to a population of 119 students whose first language is French. • Elementary: • Annie L. Gaetz Elementary (K–5) • Aspen Heights Elementary (K–5) • Barrie Wilson Elementary School (K–5) • Don Campbell Elementary (K-5) • Fairview Elementary (K–5) • G.W. Smith Elementary (K–5) • Gateway Christian School (K–5) • G.H. Dawe Community School (K–8) • Glendale School (PreK–8) • Grandview Elementary (K–5) • Joseph Welsh Elementary (K–5) • Mattie McCullough Elementary (K–5) • Mountview Elementary (K–5) • Normandeau School (K–8) • Oriole Park Elementary (K–5) • Pines School (K–5) • West Park Elementary (K–5) • Middle school: • Central Middle School (6–8) • Eastview Middle School (6–8) • G.H. Dawe Community School (K–8) • Gateway Christian School (6–8) • Glendale School (PreK–8) • Normandeau School (K–8) • West Park Middle School (6–8) • Secondary/high school: • École Secondaire Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School (9–12) • Gateway Christian School (9–12) • Hunting Hills High School (9–12) • North Cottage High School (10–12) • Elementary: • École Camille J. Lerouge School (K–9) • École Mother Teresa School (K–5) • École Our Lady of the Rosary School (PreK–2) • Father Henri Voisin School (K–5) • Holy Family School (K–5) • Maryview School (PreK–5) • St. Elizabeth Seton School (K–5) • St. Marguerite Bourgeoys School (PreK–5) • St. Martin de Porres School (K–5) • St. Patrick's Community School (K–9) • St. Teresa of Avila School (PreK-5) • Middle school: • École Camille J. Lerouge School (K–9) • St. Francis of Assisi Middle School (6–9) • St Lorenzo Ruiz Middle School (6-9) • St. Patrick's Community School (K–9) • St. Thomas Aquinas Middle School (6–9) • Secondary/high school: • École Secondaire Notre Dame High School (10–12) • St. Joseph's High School (10-12)

Media

The local news outlets are the Red Deer Advocate and rdnewsNOW. The City of Red Deer also releases regular updates.