| City of Brooks | |||
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| Nickname(s): Alberta's Centennial City | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country |  Canada |
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| Province |  Alberta |
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| Region | Southern Alberta | ||
| Census division | 2 | ||
| Incorporated | 1910 (village) | ||
| 1911 (town) | |||
| 2005 (city) | |||
| Government 1 | |||
| - Mayor | Martin Shields | ||
| - Governing body | Brooks City Council | ||
| - MP | LaVar Payne (Cons - Medicine Hat) | ||
| - MLA | Arno Doerksen (PC - Strathmore-Brooks) | ||
| Area 2 | |||
| - City | 17.70 km2 (6.8 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 760 m (2,493 ft) | ||
| Population (2006)3 | |||
| - City | 12,498 | ||
| - Density | 706/km2 (1,828.5/sq mi) | ||
| - Metro | 22,452 | ||
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) | ||
| Postal code span | T1R | ||
| Area code(s) | +1-403 | ||
| Highways | Trans-Canada Highway Highway 36 |
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| Website: City of Brooks | |||
Brooks is a city in Southern Alberta, 168 kilometres (104 mi) southeast of Calgary on the Trans-Canada Highway, and the Canadian Pacific Railway. Brooks is the centre of the County of Newell, and the Eastern Irrigation District. In 2007 Brooks had a population of 13,581.citation needed
Contents |
History
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008) |
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. In 1910, the Village of Brooks was created, which became a town a year later. More recently, Brooks has 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.
Industry
The largest employer in the Brooks Area is Lakeside Packers, an agriculture and meat packing plant recently bought by Canadian Company XL Foods.
Brooks is located in one of Alberta’s most active gas fields,citation needed and the city is home to regional offices of several major oil and gas companies.citation needed
The three main sectors of Brooks' economy are agriculture, the oil and gas industry, and the retail and service sector.citation needed
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 school. Brooks has won the Communities in Bloom competition four times in a row.
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.
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.
The Brooks Aqueduct southeast of Brooks was built to transport irrigation water across the Eastern Irrigaton District. It spans across a 3.2km 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.
The new 1,700 seat Brooks Regional Arena will be completed by August 2009.citation needed The facility will also include corporate boxes, individual seating, concession services, and a running track/mezzanine. In October 2007, the city announced that Bearden Engineering and Conrad Industries have been hired for the infrastructure of the facility. The facility has seen large amounts of fundraising in the 2007 and 2008. With $6 million through CAMRIF, and another $3.38 million through the Alberta Lottery Fund, the project budget sits around $14 million
Football in Brooks is also very popular.citation needed The Roadrunners and Buffalos are the two main teams in Brooks, 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 Buffalo's won there most recent league Championship in 2008.The first time in 11 years. The Roadrunners have gone to provincials three times as well, in 1995, 2004 and most recently, 2007.
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 17.70 km² (6.8 sq mi) and a population density of 706.0/km² (1,828.5/sq mi).3 Brooks also holds a large immigrant population of Africans, Middle-Easterners, as well as peoples from Eastern Canada, all brought to the town by jobs at the local abattoir, oil resources, and other industries in the area.citation needed
The largest age group according to the 2006 Census with 1,280 residents or about 10% were 25-29 year olds. The median age group of the city is 31.9. There are 6,625 males and 5,875 females in Brooks.
- Median family income: $56,421(2001)
- Average value of private dwelling: $125,741(2001)
Climate
 Weather averages for Brooks  |
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C | -5.6 | -2.7 | 3.7 | 12.7 | 18.9 | 23.1 | 25.7 | 25 | 18.8 | 13.6 | 1.9 | -4.2 | 10.9 |
| Average low °C | -17 | -14.1 | -7.8 | -1.7 | 4.2 | 8.8 | 10.9 | 9.7 | 4.2 | -1.1 | -9.7 | -15.7 | -2.4 |
| Precipitation mm | 14.7 | 12.2 | 19.5 | 27.9 | 44.1 | 58.8 | 41.7 | 39.3 | 39.4 | 17 | 14.7 | 18.9 | 348 |
| Average high °F | 22 | 27 | 39 | 55 | 66 | 74 | 78 | 77 | 66 | 56 | 35 | 24 | 52 |
| Average low °F | 1 | 7 | 18 | 29 | 40 | 48 | 52 | 49 | 40 | 30 | 15 | 4 | 28 |
| Precipitation inches | 0.58 | 0.48 | 0.77 | 1.1 | 1.74 | 2.31 | 1.64 | 1.55 | 1.55 | 0.67 | 0.58 | 0.74 | 13.7 |
| Source: Environment Canada4 August 2008 | |||||||||||||
City council
The Brooks City Council consists of one mayor alongside six councillors.
- Mayor Martin Shields
- Councillor Rolf Bander
- Councillor Norm Gerestein
- Councillor Clayton Johnson
- Councillor Noel Moriyama
- Councillor Bill Prentice
- Councillor Kimberley Sharkey
Local media
Radio
Newspaper
- Brooks Bulletin published Tuesdays
- The Weekender published Fridays by the Brooks Bulletin
- The Brooks and County Chronicle published Mondays
Notable people from Brooks
- Ryan Peake, lead guitarist of Nickelbackcitation needed
Notes
- ^ City of Brooks. "City Council". Retrieved on 2007-06-23.
- ^ Brooks Community Profile - Statistics Canada. 2002. 2001 Community Profiles. Released June 27, 2002. Last modified: 2005-11-30. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 93F0053XIE
- ^ a b Statistics Canada (Census 2006). "Brooks - Community Profile". Retrieved on 2007-06-13.
- ^ [1]
External links
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Calgary | Duchess | Dinosaur Provincial Park |
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Tilley | |||||
 Brooks  |
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| Lomond | Vauxhall | Medicine Hat |
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