Brooks
—  City  —
City of Brooks
Brooks from the sky
Logo
Nickname(s): Alberta's Centennial City
Motto: Beautiful and Bountiful
Brooks Location of Brooks in Alberta
Coordinates: 50°33′51″N 111°53′56″W / 50.56417°N 111.89889°W / 50.56417; -111.89889Coordinates: 50°33′51″N 111°53′56″W / 50.56417°N 111.89889°W / 50.56417; -111.89889
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Southern Alberta
Census division	2
Incorporated   - Village	July 14, 1910
- Town	September 8, 1911
- City	September 1, 2005
Government
- Mayor	Martin Shields
- Governing body	Brooks City Council Norman Gerestein Barry Morishita Noel Moriyama Bill Prentice Kimberly Sharkey Ronald Yewchuk
- CAO	Alan Martens (acting)
- MP	LaVar Payne (Cons - Medicine Hat)
- MLA	Arno Doerksen (PC - Strathmore-Brooks)
Area (2006)
- City	17.70 km2 (6.8 sq mi)
Elevation	760 m (2,493 ft)
Population (2006)
- City	12,498
- Density	706.0/km2 (1,828.5/sq mi)
- Metro	22,452
Time zone	MST (UTC-7)
Postal code span	T1R
Area code(s)	+1-403
Highways	Trans-Canada Highway Highway 36
Website	City of Brooks

Brooks is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada 186 kilometres (116 mi) southeast of Calgary, and 110 kilometres (68 mi) northwest of Medicine Hat. The city is located in the County of Newell, along the Trans Canada Highway and the Canadian Pacific Railway.

History

The area that is now Brooks was originally used as a bison hunting ground for the Blackfoot and Crow. After Treaty 7 was signed in 1877, homesteaders moved into the area to begin farming. Before 1904, the area still did not have a name. Through a Canada Post sponsored contest, the area was named after Noel Edgell Brooks, a Canadian Pacific Railway Divisional Engineer from Calgary.

On July 14, 1910, the Village of Brooks was created, which became a town a year later. In the late 20th century, Brooks experienced growth thanks to the oil and gas industry. In the early 1980s, its population grew from 5000 to 8000. In 1996, the population exceeded 10,000 due to expansion at Lakeside IBP meat packing plant. In 2005, Brooks became a city, with a population of about 13,000.

In 2010, Brooks celebrated its 100th year as a municipality since originally incorporating as a village on July 14, 1910.

Community

The City of Brooks is one of fastest growing communities in Alberta with a multi-cultural flavour unique to other similar sized municipalities in Alberta. Brooks is steadily growing with residential and commercial development. It has educational facilities including a satellite campus of the Medicine Hat College, two high schools, two junior high schools, three elementary schools, and two primary schools. Brooks has won the Communities in Bloom competition four times in a row. Brooks has won Tidiness and Community Involvement Awards at a national level.

Demographics

The population of the City of Brooks according to its 2007 municipal census is 13,581.

In 2006, Brooks had a population of 12,498 living in 5,051 dwellings, a 7.7% increase from 2001. The city has a land area of 17.70 km² (6.83 sq mi) and a population density of 706.0 /km² (1,829 /sq mi).

Brooks is a very multicultural community for a city of its size. There are over 76 different languages spoken and many residents are refugees or temporary foreign workers. The community has been called "The City of 100 Hellos" due to its multiculturalism and welcoming/inclusive nature.

City council

The Brooks City Council for the 2010-13 term consists of one mayor with six councillors. The last election was held in October 2010.

• Mayor Martin Shields
• Councillor Norman Gerestein
• Councillor Barry Morishita
• Councillor Noel Moriyama
• Councillor Bill Prentice
• Councillor Kimberly Sharkey
• Councillor Ronald Yewchuk

Recreation and attractions

The Lakeside Leisure Centre is the area's main recreation centre. It includes two arenas, a curling rink, an aquatic centre with a waterslide and wave pool, a gymnasium, a fitness centre, and multipurpose rooms. The complex was renovated in 2005.

In 2010, the Duke of Sutherland Park was redeveloped. It features baseball diamonds, a soccer field, a playground and a 3,200 ft (980 m)² waterpark with spray features for toddlers and a play structure for older children.

Also in 2010, the Centennial Regional Arena was completed after nearly a decade of planning and 18 months of construction. The multi-purpose facility seats 1,704 people. It includes corporate boxes, a running track, concessions, and a 200' x 85' surface. The arena is home to several user groups, including the Brooks Bandits.

There are three provincial parks in the area: Dinosaur Provincial Park, a World Heritage Site, to the northeast, Tillebrook Provincial Park to the east and Kinbrook Island Provincial Park to the south. In addition, there are several other recreational sites in the area including the Rolling Hills Reservoir, Crawling Valley Reservoir, and Emerson Bridge.

The Brooks Aqueduct south-east of Brooks was built to transport irrigation water across the Eastern Irrigation District. It spans across a 3.2 km valley, about 20m above the ground.

During the winter months, the Brooks Bandits play in the Alberta Junior Hockey League They joined the league in 2000 and have become more and more popular over the years. During the spring of 2005, The AJHL's Brooks Bandits advanced to the playoffs for the first time, but lost to the Camrose Kodiaks.

There are two football teams in Brooks: the Roadrunners and the Buffalos, which are made up of players from the local junior and senior high schools respectively. Brooks has had a lot of success in the past in football. The Buffalos have had four teams go to provincials, in 1989, 1995, 1997, and 2009 winning in 1995, 1997, and 2009. The Roadrunners have gone to provincials three times, in 1995, 2004 and most recently, 2007.

The Brooks Public Library, with a collection of over 50,000 items, serves both the City of Brooks and the County of Newell.

Geography and climate

Prairie 10km southwest of Brooks, early August 2010

Brooks is located in the Grassland Natural Region of Alberta, at approximately 50°34′N 111°54′W / 50.567°N 111.9°W / 50.567; -111.9. The area surrounding Brooks is dry mixedgrass/shortgrass prairie. The city has an elevation of 760 m.

Located in the steppe region known as the Palliser's Triangle, Brooks has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk). Winters are long, dry and cold, with little snowfall compared to the rest of Canada. Chinook winds, though less common than in areas west and especially southwest of Brooks, are not uncommon, and ameliorate the cold winter temperatures temporarily when they pass over. Summers are short, with average daytime highs that are warm to hot, though nighttime lows are cool. Spring and autumn are quite short, essentially transition periods between winter and summer. Wide diurnal temperature ranges are regular, due to the aridity and moderately high elevation. Low humidity is prevalent throughout the year. Most of the relatively scant annual precipitation occurs in late spring and summer, often in the form of thunderstorms. On average, the coldest month is January, with a mean temperature of −11 °C (12 °F), while the warmest is July, with a mean temperature of 18 °C (64 °F). The driest month is February, with an average monthly precipitation of 12 millimetres (0.47 in), while the wettest month is June, with an average of 59 millimetres (2.3 in). Annual precipitation is low, with an average of 348 millimetres (13.7 in).

Local media

Brooks is served by two radio stations, CIBQ-FM (Q105.7FM), and CIXF-FM (The One at 101.1). Both stations are owned by Newcap Broadcasting.

Brooks has two distinct newspapers. The Brooks Bulletin is published every Tuesday, and has served Brooks and the County of Newell since 1910. It has a weekly circulation of 4,332 and is a paid subscription product. The Brooks and County Chronicle is published Sundays. It is a free, total market coverage product established in 1995 with a weekly circulation of 11,628.

The Weekend Regional is a second paper the Bulletin established in 2004 and it is published on Fridays. As of January 2010, it became a total market coverage product with a weekly circulation of 11,235.

Notable residents

• Ryan Peake, lead guitarist of Nickelback
• Sherraine Schalm, Olympic fencer
• Sheri Forde, TSN Toronto reporter
• Lyle Seitz, former NHL linesman, now assistant coach for the Okotoks Oilers of the Alberta Junior Hockey League

See also

• List of communities in Alberta
• List of cities in Alberta
• Canada's Stonehenge

	Calgary	Duchess	Dinosaur Provincial Park
	Bassano		Tilley
		Brooks
	Lomond	Vauxhall	Medicine Hat

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