Raymond, Alberta

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Town of Raymond
Nickname: Home of the First Stampede
Location of Raymond in Alberta
Town of Raymond
Location of Raymond in Alberta
Coordinates: 49°27′57″N 112°39′03″W / 49.46583, -112.65083
Country Flag of Canada Canada
Province Flag of Alberta Alberta
Region Southern Alberta
Census division 2
County Warner
Government
 - Governing body Raymond Town Council
 - Mayor L. George Bohne
 - Councillors Jim Steed, Marlin Hogg, Dana Higa, Doug Holt, Cathy Needham, Jim Depew
Area
 - Total 4.75 km² (1.8 sq mi)
Elevation 960 m (3,150 ft)
Population (2006)[1]
 - Total 3,205
 - Density 674.1/km² (1,745.9/sq mi)
Time zone MST (UTC-7)
Postal code span T0K 2S0
Area code(s) +1-403
Highways Highway 52
Highway 845
Waterways Milk River Ridge Reservoir
Website: Official Town of Raymond

Raymond is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located south of Lethbridge on Highway 52. Raymond is best known for its annual rodeo and its large Latter-day Saint population.[citation needed] It is also well known for its high school sports achievements by the Raymond Comets in basketball and football.[citation needed] High school girls sports teams of note are basketball and rugby.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] History

Raymond was founded in 1901 by mining magnate and industrialist Jesse Knight. Knight named the town after his son Raymond. On 1 July 1903, Raymond was incorporated as a Town in the Northwest Territories of Canada. On 1 September 1905, Raymond became part of the newly-created Province of Alberta.

[edit] Attractions

In 1902, one year after it was founded, Raymond held an outdoor rodeo and called it a stampede; this was Canada's first organized rodeo event.[2] Since the inaugural event, the Raymond Stampede has been held on 1 July or June 30 every summer. The Rotary Club of Raymond was officially begun in January, 1938, and it has been a notable and viable service club ever since. Rotary sponsors the July First Parade and the Christmas Carol Festival in December. Two significant Rotary fund-raiser events are the annual Rotary Dinner Dance held in February and the annual Golf Tournament held in August.

Raymond is also home to the Raymond Judo Club, the first Judo club in Alberta. The club was formed by Yoshio Katsuta in 1943. It was closed for a brief period until being reopened in 1985 by Glenn Iwaasa.

[edit] Demographics

The 2001 population for Raymond was 3,200 with a median age of 30.9. The bulk of the population is Caucasian, but of those classified as visible minorities, 47% are Japanese, 26% are Korean and 16% are Black. In addition, 5% of the entire population is Aboriginal.

A majority of Raymondites are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church). In the town, there are three LDS Church chapels and eight separate congregations of approximately 250 members each. (The closest LDS Church temple, the Cardston Alberta Temple, is located 60 kilometres (37 mi) southwest in Cardston.) Raymond also has Baptist, Buddhist, Mennonite, and United Church of Canada congregations.

In 2006, Raymond had a population of 3,205 living in 1,085 dwellings, a 0.2% increase from 2001. The town has a land area of 4.75 km² (1.8 sq mi) and a population density of 674.1/km² (1,745.9/sq mi).[1]

[edit] Notable people

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

  • Lawrence Turner (ed.) (1993) Raymond Remembered : Settlers, Sugar and Stampedes : A History of the Town and People of Raymond (Raymond, AB: Town of Raymond) ISBN 0969765509
  • Terrence C. Smith & Reed Turner (eds.) (2001). A Planting of the Lord : A Century of the Latter-day Saints in Raymond, 1901–2001 (Raymond, AB: Raymond Alberta Stake) ISBN 0968969100

[edit] External links