LACOMBE, ALBERTA

'Lacombe' is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located north of Red Deer, the nearest city, and south of Edmonton, the nearest metropolitan area. The town is set in the beautiful, rolling parkland of central Alberta, between the Rocky Mountains foothills to the west, and the flatter Alberta prairie to the east.

Contents

History

Demographics

Education

Economy

See also

References

External links

History

Lacombe is named after Father Albert Lacombe (28 February, 1827 — 12 December, 1916), a French-Canadian Oblate (Roman Catholic) missionary who lived among and evangelized the Cree and Blackfoot First Nations of western Canada. He is now remembered for having brokered a peace between the Cree and Blackfoot, negotiating construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway through Blackfoot territory, and securing a promise from the Blackfoot leader Crowfoot to refrain from joining the North-West Rebellion of 1885.
One of Lacombe's most famous residents was Roland Michener, Governor General of Canada from 1967 to 1974. A local museum and park, Michener House and Michener Park, commemorate his legacy as one of Canada's most famous and influential Governors General.
Several times, the main street of this community has been used in films, since it was re-modelled to resemble a town in the early 1900s. Lacombe's lovingly restored Edwardian buildings in the downtown, a historic Flat Iron building, a working blacksmith shop, and the ''Michener House Museum'' all provide appealing visual backdrops for films, and a taste of the history of the town.
Anna Maria Kaufmann^[1], an international opera singer now living in Germany was raised in Lacombe.

Demographics

In 2006, Lacombe had a population of 10,742 living in 4,037 dwellings, a 14.5% increase from 2001. The town has a land area of and a population density of .

Northern Lights over Canadian University College in Lacombe

Education

The Canadian University College was first located near Lacombe in 1909 and continues to operate today.
Lacombe is home to many schools including the Lacombe Composite High school which is currently going under a large renovation planning to be done sometime in the 2008 year.

Economy

Nestled in one of Central Alberta's most fertile valleys between Calgary and Edmonton, the local economy includes a strong agricultural base supplemented by a the oil and gas industry.
Lacombe is also home to one of Canada's largest agricultural research facilities, the "Lacombe Research Centre", at which the "Lacombe hog" breed was developed. A new meat packing plant in this heavily agricultural area is the most modern meat packing and research facility of its kind in Canada.

See also

★ Towns of Alberta

References

1. Anna Maria Kaufmann

External links

★ Town of Lacombe