Empress is a village in southern Alberta, Canada that is adjacent to the provincial boundary between Alberta and Saskatchewan. It is 121 km (75 mi) north of Medicine Hat. The village was named, in 1913, for Queen Victoria, who was also Empress of India.[6][7] In the past it was known as the "Hub of the West", connecting major cities together by the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Empress | |
|---|---|
| Village of Empress | |
 | |
 Location in Special Area No. 2 | |
  Empress Location of Empress in Alberta | |
| Coordinates: 50°57′17.4″N 110°00′31.4″W / 50.954833°N 110.008722°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Planning region | Red Deer |
| Special Area | No. 2 |
| Incorporated[1] | |
| • Village | February 5, 1914 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Dawna Martin (2024-Jul-17) |
| • Governing body[4] | Empress Village Council[2] |
| Area (2021)[5] | |
| • Land | 1.58 km2 (0.61 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 615 m (2,018 ft) |
| Population (2021)[5] | |
| • Total | 148 |
| • Density | 93.5/km2 (242/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Postal code span | |
| Highways | Highway 562 Highway 899 |
| Waterways | Red Deer River South Saskatchewan River |
| Website | villageofempress.com |
It is located on the southern bank above the Red Deer River, 9 km (5.6 mi) northwest of the confluence of Red Deer River and South Saskatchewan River, at an elevation of 650 metres (2,130 ft). It is connected to Buffalo Trail by Highway 899 and Highway 562.
Demographics
editIn the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Village of Empress had a population of 148 living in 69 of its 112 total private dwellings, a change of 9.6% from its 2016 population of 135. With a land area of 1.58 km2 (0.61 sq mi), it had a population density of 93.7/km2 (242.6/sq mi) in 2021.[5]
The population of the Village of Empress according to its 2017 municipal census is 160.[8]
In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Village of Empress recorded a population of 135 living in 58 of its 71 total private dwellings, a -28.2% change from its 2011 population of 188. With a land area of 1.58 km2 (0.61 sq mi), it had a population density of 85.4/km2 (221.3/sq mi) in 2016.[9]
Climate
editLocated in the steppe region known as Palliser's Triangle, Empress experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk). Winters are long, cold and dry, while summers are short, but with average daytime highs that are warm to hot, though nighttime lows are cool. Spring and autumn are quite short, essentially transition periods between winter and summer. Wide diurnal temperature ranges are regular, due to the aridity and moderately high elevation. Low humidity is prevalent throughout the year. Annual precipitation is very low, with an average of 311.6 mm (12.27 in), and is heavily concentrated in the warmer months. On average, the coldest month is January, with a mean temperature of −12 °C (10 °F), while the warmest is July, with a mean temperature of 19.8 °C (67.6 °F). The driest month is February, with an average of 8.6 mm (0.34 in) of precipitation, while the wettest is June, with an average of 68.9 millimetres (2.71 in).[10]
| Climate data for Empress Climate ID: 3022400; coordinates 50°57′21″N 110°00′22″W / 50.95583°N 110.00611°W; elevation: 612.0 m (2,007.9 ft); 1981-2010 normals | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 12.0 (53.6) |
17.0 (62.6) |
28.0 (82.4) |
32.0 (89.6) |
36.0 (96.8) |
41.1 (106.0) |
42.2 (108.0) |
41.7 (107.1) |
38.3 (100.9) |
31.7 (89.1) |
23.0 (73.4) |
15.0 (59.0) |
42.2 (108.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −6.5 (20.3) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
4.8 (40.6) |
13.9 (57.0) |
19.7 (67.5) |
23.8 (74.8) |
27.4 (81.3) |
27.0 (80.6) |
20.4 (68.7) |
12.9 (55.2) |
1.7 (35.1) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
11.5 (52.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −12.0 (10.4) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
6.6 (43.9) |
12.5 (54.5) |
16.9 (62.4) |
19.8 (67.6) |
19.1 (66.4) |
12.8 (55.0) |
5.8 (42.4) |
−3.8 (25.2) |
−10.1 (13.8) |
4.8 (40.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −17.5 (0.5) |
−14.1 (6.6) |
−7.2 (19.0) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
5.2 (41.4) |
9.9 (49.8) |
12.1 (53.8) |
11.1 (52.0) |
5.2 (41.4) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
−9.3 (15.3) |
−15.4 (4.3) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −47.8 (−54.0) |
−45.6 (−50.1) |
−40.0 (−40.0) |
−28.9 (−20.0) |
−14.4 (6.1) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
0.0 (32.0) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−10.0 (14.0) |
−26.0 (−14.8) |
−36.5 (−33.7) |
−45.0 (−49.0) |
−47.8 (−54.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 14.2 (0.56) |
8.6 (0.34) |
12.7 (0.50) |
18.7 (0.74) |
38.8 (1.53) |
68.9 (2.71) |
50.3 (1.98) |
33.9 (1.33) |
28.5 (1.12) |
11.5 (0.45) |
10.8 (0.43) |
14.8 (0.58) |
311.6 (12.27) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.2 (0.01) |
0.3 (0.01) |
2.1 (0.08) |
13.8 (0.54) |
38.2 (1.50) |
68.9 (2.71) |
50.3 (1.98) |
33.9 (1.33) |
28.1 (1.11) |
7.5 (0.30) |
1.0 (0.04) |
0.4 (0.02) |
244.5 (9.63) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 13.9 (5.5) |
8.3 (3.3) |
10.6 (4.2) |
4.9 (1.9) |
0.7 (0.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.5 (0.2) |
4.1 (1.6) |
9.8 (3.9) |
14.8 (5.8) |
67.1 (26.4) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 4.3 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 6.5 | 10.0 | 6.9 | 5.8 | 5.4 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 59.1 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.12 | 0.12 | 0.5 | 2.7 | 6.4 | 10.0 | 6.9 | 5.8 | 5.4 | 2.4 | 0.32 | 0.24 | 40.8 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 4.2 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.04 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 18.8 |
| Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada[10] | |||||||||||||
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Location and History Profile: Village of Empress" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. October 21, 2016. p. 281. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- ^ "Meet Your Council". Village of Empress. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ "Municipal Officials Search". Alberta Municipal Affairs. May 9, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ^ "Meet Your Council". Village of Empress. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities)". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ^ The Canadian Encyclopedia: Victoria Archived September 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Place-names of Alberta. Ottawa: Geographic Board of Canada. 1928. p. 48.
- ^ "Census". Village of Empress. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- ^ a b "Empress, Alberta". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment and Climate Change Canada. July 14, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
Further reading
edit- Empress. Golden Jubilee Committee. (1964). Golden jubilee : Empress 1914-1964. Medicine Hat, Alta. OCLC 911782558.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Empress Historical Society (1990). Echoes of Empress through 75 years : 1914-1989. Empress, Alta.: Empress Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-88925-982-9. OCLC 24213578.
