Black Diamond (Alberta)
| Black Diamond | |||
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 Downtown |
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| Location in Alberta | |||
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| State : |
 Canada
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| Province : | Alberta | ||
| Municipal District: | Foothills County | ||
| Coordinates : | 50 ° 41 ′ N , 114 ° 14 ′ W | ||
| Height : | 1180 m | ||
| Area : | 3.84 km² | ||
| Residents : | 2700 (as of 2016) | ||
| Population density : | 703.1 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Time zone : | Mountain Time ( UTC − 7 ) | ||
| Municipality number: | 0030 | ||
| Postal code : | T1S | ||
| Foundation : | 1907 | ||
| Website : | www.town.blackdiamond.ab.ca | ||
Black Diamond is a small town in Alberta , Canada with 2,700 residents. It is in close proximity to the town of Turner Valley , with which it is also connected by a hiking trail. The city at the foot of the Canadian Rockies has an elementary school and a high school. The surrounding area is characterized by livestock farming , and there are also small oil and gas deposits.
geography
Black Diamond is located in southwest Alberta on the east bank of the Sheep River in the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains . Calgary , the largest city in the province, is about 25 miles northeast. Administratively, Black Diamond is assigned to Foothills County . The city is crossed by Alberta Highway 7 , which begins here, and Alberta Highway 22 .
history
At the end of the 18th century, rich coal deposits were discovered in the area of today's small town. In 1899, A. McPherson and JJ Cooper opened a mine on the west bank of the Sheep River that produced 650 tons of coal a year. Coal workers and ranchers established a settlement that grew rapidly. Around 1907 Herb Arnold opened the first shop and the first post office on today's main street. In the same year, the city was given its name Black Diamond in reference to the name given to the miners for the coal that was extracted . The name was able to prevail in a lottery against Arnoldsville , which was chosen based on Herb Arnold .
After the discovery of oil and gas reserves in the neighboring town of Turner Valley, a large influx of people to Black Diamond began in the 1920s. Housing construction could not keep up with the population growth, so that the oil field workers sometimes had to live in huts and tents. The oil and gas industry remained the main industry in Black Diamond until 1947 when oil was discovered in Leduc , after which production activities shifted north.
In 1949 large parts of the city center were destroyed by fire. As a result, many buildings that had previously been in the surrounding settlements were moved to the city center.
Demographics
The 2016 Zenus revealed a population of 2,700 for Black Diamond, which was distributed among 1,108 households. With an area of 3.84 km² there is a population density of 702.7 inhabitants per square kilometer. 17.6 percent of the population were 0 to 14 years old, 59.8 percent 15 to 64 years and 22.6 percent were 65 years or older. The mean age was 44.3, while the median age was 46 years.
education
Black Diamond is part of the Foothills School Division, which operates two schools in town: The C. Ian McLaren School (K-6), a primary school , and the Oilfields High School (7-12).
Web links
swell
- ↑ a b c Presentation of the local history on the Black Diamond website (accessed on May 16, 2020)
- ↑ Statistics Canada: Black Diamond (Retrieved May 16, 2020)
- ^ Foothills School Division website (accessed May 16, 2020)