Vegreville /ˈvɛɡrəvɪl/ (Ukrainian: Веґревіль) is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is on Highway 16A approximately 103 km (64 mi) east of Edmonton, Alberta's capital city. It was incorporated as a town in 1906,[6] and that year also saw the founding of the Vegreville Observer, a weekly newspaper for the region.[7]
Vegreville | |
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Town | |
Town of Vegreville | |
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![]() ![]() Vegreville Location of Vegreville in Alberta Show map of Alberta![]() ![]() Vegreville Vegreville (Canada) Show map of Canada | |
Coordinates: 53°29′44″N 112°03′06″W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Alberta |
Region | Central Alberta |
Census division | 10 |
Municipal district | County of Minburn No. 27 |
Incorporated[1] | |
• Village | April 4, 1906 |
• Town | August 15, 1906 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Tim MacPhee |
• Governing body | Vegreville Town Council |
• MP | Shannon Stubbs (Lakeland-Cons) |
• MLA | Jackie Armstrong Homeniuk (Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville-UCP) |
Area (2021)[3] | |
• Land | 14.08 km2 (5.44 sq mi) |
Elevation | 635 m (2,083 ft) |
Population | |
• Total | 5,689 |
• Density | 404/km2 (1,050/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
Forward sortation area | T9C |
Area code(s) | +1-780, +1-587 |
Highways | Highway 16 Highway 857 |
Waterways | Vermilion River |
Website | Official website |
A large percentage of Vegreville's population is of Ukrainian Canadian descent, and it is home to the Vegreville egg, the world's second largest pysanka (Ukrainian Easter egg).[8][9][10]
Vegreville experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb).
Climate data for Vegreville | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high humidex | 9.1 | 6.7 | 19.1 | 26.2 | 31.4 | 36.8 | 38.7 | 40.1 | 32.9 | 25.3 | 17.6 | 11.0 | 40.1 |
Record high °C (°F) | 10.3 (50.5) |
15.0 (59.0) |
19.1 (66.4) |
29.0 (84.2) |
33.5 (92.3) |
35.7 (96.3) |
35.4 (95.7) |
34.7 (94.5) |
35.5 (95.9) |
28.5 (83.3) |
19.0 (66.2) |
11.3 (52.3) |
35.7 (96.3) |
Average high °C (°F) | −7.9 (17.8) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
0.1 (32.2) |
10.7 (51.3) |
17.4 (63.3) |
21.2 (70.2) |
23.1 (73.6) |
22.8 (73.0) |
17.0 (62.6) |
9.7 (49.5) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
8.4 (47.1) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −13.3 (8.1) |
−10.8 (12.6) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
4.3 (39.7) |
10.3 (50.5) |
14.4 (57.9) |
16.6 (61.9) |
15.6 (60.1) |
10.1 (50.2) |
3.5 (38.3) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
−11.8 (10.8) |
2.3 (36.1) |
Average low °C (°F) | −18.6 (−1.5) |
−16.5 (2.3) |
−10.3 (13.5) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
3.2 (37.8) |
7.7 (45.9) |
10.1 (50.2) |
8.3 (46.9) |
3.2 (37.8) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
−11.1 (12.0) |
−17.1 (1.2) |
−3.8 (25.2) |
Record low °C (°F) | −44.9 (−48.8) |
−46.5 (−51.7) |
−42 (−44) |
−32 (−26) |
−10.7 (12.7) |
−3 (27) |
2.0 (35.6) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−10.8 (12.6) |
−23 (−9) |
−36 (−33) |
−42.5 (−44.5) |
−46.9 (−52.4) |
Record low wind chill | −57 | −58 | −51 | −30 | −15 | −5 | 0 | −3 | −13 | −25 | −44 | −52 | −58 |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 15.1 (0.59) |
11.0 (0.43) |
15.9 (0.63) |
21.3 (0.84) |
37.1 (1.46) |
60.6 (2.39) |
76.3 (3.00) |
51.8 (2.04) |
40.5 (1.59) |
12.8 (0.50) |
12.9 (0.51) |
12.3 (0.48) |
367.5 (14.47) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.6 (0.02) |
0.3 (0.01) |
0.9 (0.04) |
15.6 (0.61) |
34.4 (1.35) |
60.6 (2.39) |
76.3 (3.00) |
51.8 (2.04) |
40.4 (1.59) |
7.6 (0.30) |
1.4 (0.06) |
0.2 (0.01) |
289.9 (11.41) |
Average snowfall cm (inches) | 14.8 (5.8) |
10.7 (4.2) |
14.6 (5.7) |
5.7 (2.2) |
2.7 (1.1) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.0) |
5.2 (2.0) |
11.5 (4.5) |
12.2 (4.8) |
77.5 (30.5) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 6.8 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 8.8 | 12.4 | 14.2 | 10.4 | 9.9 | 6.7 | 6.4 | 5.7 | 98.0 |
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.44 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 4.8 | 8.4 | 12.4 | 14.2 | 10.4 | 9.9 | 5.3 | 1.5 | 0.36 | 68.7 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 6.4 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 2.2 | 0.62 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.8 | 5.2 | 5.4 | 31.5 |
Source: Environment Canada[11] |
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Vegreville had a population of 5,689 living in 2,463 of its 2,735 total private dwellings, a change of -0.3% from its 2016 population of 5,708. With a land area of 14.08 km2 (5.44 sq mi), it had a population density of 404.0/km2 (1,046.5/sq mi) in 2021.[3]
In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Vegreville recorded a population of 5,708 living in 2,429 of its 2,734 total private dwellings, a -0.2% change from its 2011 population of 5,717. With a land area of 14.08 km2 (5.44 sq mi), it had a population density of 405.4/km2 (1,050.0/sq mi) in 2016.[12]
The Town of Vegreville's 2012 municipal census counted a population of 5,758,[13] a 1.3% decrease over its 2010 municipal census population of 5,834.[14]
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The primary economic base of the town is agricultural.
Due to Vegreville's close relationship with the 41 Combat Engineer Regiment, a Canadian Forces Reserve unit based in Edmonton, the Regiment is the only Canadian Forces unit with Freedom of the Town and parades held on Remembrance Day in the town.
The Pysanka Festival, founded in 1973, occurs annually during the first weekend of July.
The 2015 festival featured grandstand shows, cultural variety shows, a pioneer village, Ukrainian music, a Zabava (evening Dance) featuring Kolomeyka music, folk arts creating Pysanka (Ukrainian Easter eggs), and a market place.[15]
The festival has hosted the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company, the Ukrainian Male Chorus of Edmonton, and the Kubasonics.
Vegreville's pysanka, the second largest Ukrainian Easter egg in the world,[8][16] was created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1974 and to celebrate Vegreville's ethnic heritage. On July 6, 2009, the pysanka was one of four attractions featured on the first set of the Canadian Roadside Attractions Series of stamps issued by Canada Post.[17]
Vegreville is serviced by the Vegreville News Advertiser weekly newspaper, an independently-owned newspaper established in 1950.[citation needed]
The town is bisected by Canadian National Railway's Vegreville Subdivision, a rail line connecting Vegreville to Edmonton in the west and to Lloydminster in the east.
Season 4, episode 14 of Fox Television's The X-Files series entitled "Memento Mori" references Vegreville. FBI Agent Fox Mulder realizes the town name is the password needed to hack into a computer after discovering a Vegreville pysanka souvenir snow globe on the desk next to the computer.[citation needed][19]
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