Lethbridge | |||
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City | |||
City of Lethbridge | |||
Downtown Lethbridge as seen on 4 Avenue south facing west
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Motto: Ad occasionis januam "Gateway to Opportunity" |
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Location of Lethbridge in Alberta | |||
Coordinates: 49°41′39″N 112°49′58″W / 49.69417°N 112.83278°WCoordinates: 49°41′39″N 112°49′58″W / 49.69417°N 112.83278°W | |||
Country | Canada | ||
Province | Alberta | ||
Region | Southern Alberta | ||
Census division | 2 | ||
Incorporated | |||
• Town | November 29, 1890 | ||
• City | May 9, 1906 | ||
Government | |||
• Mayor |
Chris Spearman (Past mayors) |
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• Governing body | Lethbridge City Council | ||
• MP | Rachael Harder (CPC) | ||
• MLAs |
Shannon Phillips (NDP), Maria Fitzpatrick (NDP) |
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• City Manager | Garth Sherwin | ||
Area (2016) | |||
• Land | 122.09 km2 (47.14 sq mi) | ||
• Urban | 144.8 km2 (55.90 sq mi) | ||
• Metro | 2,975.08 km2 (1,148.68 sq mi) | ||
Elevation | 910 m (2,990 ft) | ||
Population (2016) | |||
• City | 92,729 | ||
• Density | 759.5/km2 (1,967/sq mi) | ||
• Urban | 87,572 | ||
• Metro | 117,394 (34th) | ||
• Municipal census (2016) | 96,828 | ||
Time zone | MST (UTC−7) | ||
• Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC−6) | ||
Postal code span | T1H to T1K | ||
Area code(s) | 403 587 | ||
Highways |
Hwy 3 Hwy 4 Hwy 5 Hwy 25 |
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Waterways | Oldman River | ||
Website | Official website |
Motto: Ad occasionis januam
Lethbridge /ˈlɛθbrɪdʒ/ is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, and the third-largest by area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's warm summers, mild winters, and windy climate. Lethbridge lies southeast of Calgary on the Oldman River.
Lethbridge is the commercial, financial, transportation and industrial centre of southern Alberta. The city's economy developed from drift mining for coal in the late 19th century and agriculture in the early 20th century. Half of the workforce is employed in the health, education, retail and hospitality sectors, and the top five employers are government-based. The only university in Alberta south of Calgary is in Lethbridge, and two of the three colleges in southern Alberta have campuses in the city. Cultural venues in the city include performing art theatres, museums and sports centres.
Before the 19th century, the Lethbridge area was populated by several First Nations at various times. The Blackfoot referred to the area as Aksaysim ("steep banks"), Mek-kio-towaghs ("painted rock"), Assini-etomochi ("where we slaughtered the Cree") and Sik-ooh-kotok ("coal"). The Sarcee referred to it as Chadish-kashi ("black/rocks"), the Cree as Kuskusukisay-guni ("black/rocks"), and the Nakoda (Stoney) as Ipubin-saba-akabin ("digging coal"). The Kutenai people referred to it as ʔa•kwum.