Weyburn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Weyburn
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City
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| City of Weyburn | ||
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| Nickname(s):
The Opportunity City
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| Motto(s):
"Vision, Achievement, Progress"
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 Weyburn
Location in Saskatchewan
Weyburn
Location in Canada
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| Country | Canada | |
| Province | Saskatchewan | |
| Census division | 2 | |
| Rural municipality | Weyburn | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 15.78 km2 (6.09 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 561 m (1,841 ft) | |
| Population
(2016)
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| • Total | 10,870 | |
| Forward sortation area |
S4H
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| Website | City of Weyburn | |
Weyburn is the eleventh-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. The city has a population of 10,870. It is on the Souris River 110 km (68 mi) southeast of the provincial capital of Regina and is 70 km (43 mi) north from the North Dakota border in the United States. The name is reputedly a corruption of the Scottish "wee burn," referring to a small creek. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Weyburn No. 67.
Contents
History
The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) reached the future site of Weyburn from Brandon, Manitoba in 1892 and the Soo Line from North Portal on the US border in 1893. A post office opened in 1895 and a land office in 1899 in anticipation of the land rush which soon ensued. In 1899, Knox Presbyterian Church was founded with its building constructed in 1906 in the high-pitched gable roof and arches, standing as a testimony to the faith and optimism in the Weyburn area. Weyburn was legally constituted a village in 1900, a town in 1903 and finally as a city in 1913. From 1910 until 1931 the Weyburn Security Bank was headquartered in the city.
Weyburn had since become an important railroad town in Saskatchewan – the Pasqua branch or the Souris, Arcola, Weyburn, Regina CPR branch; Portal Section on the CPR / Soo Line; Moose Jaw, Weyburn, Shaunavon, Lethbridge CPR section; the Brandon, Marfield, Carlyle, Lampman, Radville, Willow Bunch section of the Canadian National Railway (CNR); and the Regina, Weyburn, Radville, Estevan, Northgate CNR section have all run through Weyburn.
Weyburn was previously home to the Souris Valley Mental Health Hospital, which was closed as a health care facility and sold in 2006, and demolished in 2009. When the mental hospital opened in 1921, it was the largest building in the British Commonwealth and was considered to be on the cutting edge of experimental treatments for people with mental disabilities. The facility had a reputation of leading the way in therapeutic programming. At its peak, the facility was home to approximately 2,500 patients. The history of the facility is explored in the documentary Weyburn: An Archaeology of Madness.
In 2016, Weyburn was named best place to live in Saskatchewan by MoneySense magazine, which had measured quality of life in 219 cities in Canada. The city was ranked second best city to live among all prairie cities in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, being ranked above all small, medium and large sizes of cities in the Prairies such as Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Weyburn had a population of 11,019 living in 4,655 of its 5,142 total private dwellings, a change of 1.4% from its 2016 population of 10,870. With a land area of 19.03 km2 (7.35 sq mi), it had a population density of 579.0/km2 (1,500/sq mi) in 2021.
| Census | Population |
|---|---|
| 1901 | 113 |
| 1911 | 2,210 |
| 1921 | 3,193 |
| 1931 | 5,002 |
| 1941 | 6,119 |
| 1951 | 7,148 |
| 1961 | 9,101 |
| 1971 | 8,815 |
| 1981 | 9,523 |
| 1991 | 9,673 |
| 2001 | 9,534 |
| 2006 | 9,433 |
| 2011 | 10,484 |
| 2016 | 10,870 |
| Canada census – Weyburn community profile | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2006 | ||
| Population: | 10,484 (11.1% from 2006) | 9,433 (-1.1% from 2001) | |
| Land area: | 18.49 km2 (7.14 sq mi) | 15.78 km2 (6.09 sq mi) | |
| Population density: | 566.9/km2 (1,468/sq mi) | 597.7/km2 (1,548/sq mi) | |
| Median age: | 41.8 (M: 39.5, F: 43.9) | ||
| Total private dwellings: | 4,645 | 4,267 | |
| Median household income: | $49,793 | ||
| References: 2011 2006 earlier | |||
Geography and climate
Weyburn is situated near the upper delta of the 470-mile (760 km) long Souris River. The Souris River continues southeast through North Dakota eventually meeting the Assiniboine River in Manitoba. In the 1800s this area was known as an extension of the Greater Yellow Grass Marsh. Extensive flood control programs have created reservoirs, parks and waterfowl centres along the Souris River. Between 1988 and 1995, the Rafferty-Alameda Project was constructed to alleviate spring flooding problems created by the Souris River.
Climate
| Climate data for Weyburn, 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1916–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11.5 (52.7) |
16.0 (60.8) |
23.5 (74.3) |
32.2 (90.0) |
37.5 (99.5) |
40.5 (104.9) |
42.5 (108.5) |
40.0 (104.0) |
38.0 (100.4) |
31.1 (88.0) |
24.0 (75.2) |
14.5 (58.1) |
42.5 (108.5) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −8.2 (17.2) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
1.4 (34.5) |
11.9 (53.4) |
18.6 (65.5) |
23.2 (73.8) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.2 (79.2) |
19.6 (67.3) |
11.4 (52.5) |
0.8 (33.4) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
10.0 (50.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −13.5 (7.7) |
−10.5 (13.1) |
−3.6 (25.5) |
5.2 (41.4) |
11.7 (53.1) |
16.7 (62.1) |
19.6 (67.3) |
18.8 (65.8) |
12.5 (54.5) |
5.1 (41.2) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
−11.1 (12.0) |
3.9 (39.0) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −18.8 (−1.8) |
−15.6 (3.9) |
−8.7 (16.3) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
4.8 (40.6) |
10.1 (50.2) |
12.7 (54.9) |
11.4 (52.5) |
5.5 (41.9) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
−9.1 (15.6) |
−16.2 (2.8) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −42.9 (−45.2) |
−41.9 (−43.4) |
−41.1 (−42.0) |
−30.6 (−23.1) |
−13.3 (8.1) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−13.3 (8.1) |
−20.6 (−5.1) |
−34.0 (−29.2) |
−42.0 (−43.6) |
−42.9 (−45.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 19.7 (0.78) |
11.9 (0.47) |
22.2 (0.87) |
27.6 (1.09) |
56.8 (2.24) |
75.5 (2.97) |
66.1 (2.60) |
47.5 (1.87) |
33.2 (1.31) |
24.2 (0.95) |
18.5 (0.73) |
20.8 (0.82) |
423.9 (16.69) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.7 (0.03) |
0.8 (0.03) |
6.1 (0.24) |
19.2 (0.76) |
51.3 (2.02) |
75.5 (2.97) |
66.1 (2.60) |
47.5 (1.87) |
32.1 (1.26) |
16.4 (0.65) |
2.2 (0.09) |
0.5 (0.02) |
318.2 (12.53) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 19.0 (7.5) |
11.1 (4.4) |
16.1 (6.3) |
8.3 (3.3) |
5.5 (2.2) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.1 (0.4) |
7.8 (3.1) |
16.4 (6.5) |
20.3 (8.0) |
105.7 (41.6) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 98.0 | 125.4 | 150.4 | 222.7 | 268.3 | 309.4 | 353.0 | 294.5 | 192.5 | 176.0 | 117.3 | 80.1 | 2,387.7 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 36.5 | 44.0 | 40.9 | 54.1 | 56.4 | 63.6 | 71.9 | 65.8 | 50.7 | 52.6 | 42.8 | 31.4 | 50.9 |
| Source: Environment Canada | |||||||||||||
Culture
The Soo Line Historical Museum (c. 1910) is a Municipal Heritage Property under Saskatchewan's Heritage Property Act.
Weyburn is also home to the world's first curling museum, the Turner Curling Museum.
Sports and recreation
Weyburn is the home of the Weyburn Red Wings of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and the Weyburn Beavers of the Western Canadian Baseball League, a collegiate summer baseball league in Canada's prairie provinces. In addition, Weyburn is home to Saskatchewan's largest amateur wrestling club.
Economy
Weyburn is the largest inland grain gathering point in Canada. Well over half a million tons of grain pass through the Weyburn terminals each year. Oil and gas exploration make up the other major component of the economy.
Education
Elementary and secondary
The public school system, South East Cornerstone School Division No. 209, operates the following schools.
- Assiniboia Park Elementary School
- Haig School
- Queen Elizabeth School
- Souris School
- Weyburn Comprehensive High School
It also operated Weyburn Junior High School from 1966 to 2016, which was closed in favour of relocating students to Weyburn Comprehensive High School.
Haig School, Queen Elizabeth School, and Souris School are being closed in favour of relocating students to Legacy Park Elementary School in September 2021.
The separate school system, Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division No. 140, operates St. Michael School.
Post-secondary
Southeast College offers technical, trade and non-degree programs, as well as distance learning from the University of Regina and University of Saskatchewan.
Other
The Weyburn Public Library is a branch of the Southeast Regional Library system.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Weyburn is at the junction of highways 13, 35 and 39. The Weyburn Airport is northeast of the city.
Utilities
Electricity is provided by SaskPower and natural gas is provided by SaskEnergy. The city maintains its own water treatment plant and waste management system. Telephone and internet services are provided by both SaskTel and Access Communications.
Public safety
The Weyburn Police Service and local RCMP detachment provide law enforcement for the city. Fire protection services are provided by the Weyburn Fire Department.
Notable people
- Tenille Arts - country music singer
- Pat Binns - former premier of Prince Edward Island
- Neil Cameron - politician, academic, journalist
- Graham DeLaet - professional golfer
- Shirley Douglas - actress
- Tommy Douglas - politician, recipient of The Greatest Canadian award in 2004
- Eric Grimson - former Chancellor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Brett Jones - professional football player
- Guy Gavriel Kay - writer
- Trenna Keating – actress
- Brendon LaBatte - professional football player
- W. O. Mitchell - writer
- Humphry Osmond - medical researcher
- Derrick Pouliot - professional hockey player
- John Saywell - Canadian historian
- Dave "Tiger" Williams - former professional hockey player
