Airdrie, Alberta
Encyclopedia
Airdrie is a city in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, located just north of Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
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
Calgary Region
The Calgary Region is an area centred around Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It consists of the City of Calgary, Rocky View County and the municipalities it encloses, and the Municipal District of Foothills No. 31 and the municipalities it encloses. The Calgary Census Metropolitan Area and Calgary...
(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
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
reported Airdrie to have a population of 28,927. As of the 2010 municipal census, Airdrie's population was 39,822.
Airdrie was first established as a railway village in 1889 during the construction of the Calgary and Edmonton Railway
Calgary and Edmonton Railway
The Calgary and Edmonton Railway was an early pioneer railway in what was then the Northwest Territories, now Alberta, Canada. It connected the towns of Calgary and Strathcona and opened in 1891...
, named for Airdrie
Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
Airdrie is a town within North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on a plateau roughly 400 ft above sea level, and is approximately 12 miles east of Glasgow city centre. Airdrie forms part of a conurbation with its neighbour Coatbridge, in the former district known as the Monklands. As of 2006,...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. 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
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
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
Calgary/Airdrie Airport
Airdrie Airport or Calgary/Airdrie Airport, , is a registered aerodrome located southeast of Airdrie, Alberta, Canada.-Airdrie Regional Airshow:...
that does not provide regular scheduled flights. The closest major airport is Calgary International Airport
Calgary International Airport
Calgary International Airport, , is the international airport that serves Calgary, Alberta, Canada and the surrounding region; it is situated approximately northeast of downtown 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
Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League
The Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League is the name of the box lacrosse leagues in Alberta with one team in Saskatchewan and as of 2011 one in Manitoba. It is sanctioned by the Alberta Lacrosse Association. It organizes all senior and junior play in the province...
. The Airdrie Thunder
Airdrie Thunder
The Airdrie Thunder are a Junior "B" Ice Hockey team based in Airdrie, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the North Division of the Heritage Junior B Hockey League...
, a Jr. B level hockey team that competes in the Heritage Junior B Hockey League
Heritage Junior B Hockey League
The Heritage Junior B Hockey League is a Junior "B" ice hockey league in Alberta, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The HJHL was founded in 1987 and is made up of teams from southern and central Alberta...
. 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
- Bert Church Live Theatre
- Iron Horse Park
- Airdrie Festival of Lights
- Airdrie Pro Rodeo
Demographics
The population of the City of Airdrie according to its 2011 municipal census is 43,155, a 8.4% increase over its 2010 municipal census population of 39,822.According to the Canada 2006 Census
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
-
* Population: 28,927 * Land area: 33.1 km² (12.8 sq mi) * Population density:
>* 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 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, 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 FMCFIT-FMCFIT-FM is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts a modern adult contemporary format at 106.1 FM in Airdrie, Alberta and its transmitter 91.5 FM in Cochrane. The station, which officially signed on April 12, 2007, is branded as The Range and is owned by Tiessen Media...
. 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 HeraldCalgary HeraldThe Calgary Herald is a daily newspaper published in the Canadian city of Calgary, Alberta.- History :The paper was first published on August 31, 1883 by Andrew Armour and Thomas Braden as The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate and General Advertiser. It started as a weekly paper with only...
and Calgary SunCalgary SunThe Calgary Sun is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is a division of Sun Media, a Quebecor company.First published in 1980, the tabloid-format daily replaced the long-running broadsheet newspaper, The Albertan soon after it was acquired by the publishers of the Toronto...
.
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 DeerRed Deer, AlbertaRed Deer is a city in Central Alberta, Canada. It is located near the midpoint of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor and is surrounded by Red Deer County. It is Alberta's third-most-populous city – after Calgary and Edmonton. The city is located in aspen parkland, a region of rolling hills...
, EdmontonEdmontonEdmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
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.
Airdrie is set to launch the InterCity Express (ICE) in the fall of 2010, connecting Airdrie and Calgary transit hubs by a two way express bus service.
Local bus service is provided by Airdrie TransitAirdrie TransitAirdrie Transit is a public transportation system which serves the city of Airdrie, Alberta, Canada, which is located just north of Calgary within the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. Service consists of the Intercity Express regional transit service, three conventional fixed routes within Airdrie and...
.
Sister cities
Country City County/District/Region/State Date 
South KoreaGwacheon GwacheonGwacheon is a city in Gyeonggi-do Province, South Korea. It lies close to Seoul in the heart of the Seoul National Capital Area, and also lies just east of Anyang...South Korea South KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...1997
External links
- City of Airdrie - Official Website
- Airdrie Economic Development
- Airdrie Public Library