Global InformationMedicine Hat information
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2012) |
Medicine Hat | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Downtown Medicine Hat overlooking the City Hall | |
 Flag  Coat of arms  Logo | |
| Nicknames: "The Hat", "The Gas City" "Saamis"[1] | |
| Motto(s): Animo et Fide (Latin) "By Courage and Faith" | |
 City boundaries | |
  Medicine Hat Location in Alberta  Medicine Hat Location in Canada  Medicine Hat Location in Cypress County | |
| Coordinates: 50°02′27″N 110°40′36″W / 50.04083°N 110.67667°W[2] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Planning region | South Saskatchewan |
| Municipal district | Cypress County |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Incorporated[3] | |
| • Village | May 31, 1894 |
| • Town | November 1, 1898 |
| • City | May 9, 1906 |
| Government [4] | |
| • Mayor | Linnsie Clark |
| • Governing body | Medicine Hat City Council
|
| • CAO | Ann Mitchell |
| • MP | Glen Motz –(Cons – Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner) |
| • MLAs | Justin Wright –(UCP – Cypress-Medicine Hat) Danielle Smith –(UCP – Brooks-Medicine Hat) |
| Area (2021)[5] | |
| • Land | 111.97 km2 (43.23 sq mi) |
| Elevation [6] | 690 m (2,260 ft) |
| Population (2021)[5] | |
| • Total | 63,271 |
| • Density | 565.1/km2 (1,464/sq mi) |
| • Municipal census (2015) | 63,018[7] |
| • Estimate (2020) | 65,527[8] |
| Demonym | Hatter[9] |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| Forward sortation areas | T1A - T1C |
| Area code(s) | 368, 403, 587, 825 |
| Highways | 1, 3, 41A |
| Waterways | South Saskatchewan River, Seven Persons Creek, Ross Creek |
| Railways | Canadian Pacific Kansas City |
| Website | medicinehat |
Medicine Hat is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately 169 km (105 mi) east of Lethbridge and 295 km (183 mi) southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff to the northwest are within Cypress County. Medicine Hat was the eighth-largest city in Alberta in 2021 with a population of 63,271. It is also the sunniest place in Canada according to Environment and Climate Change Canada,[10] averaging 2,544 hours of sunshine a year.
Started as a railway town, today Medicine Hat is served by the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) and the eastern terminus of the Crowsnest Highway (Highway 3). Nearby communities considered part of the Medicine Hat area include the Town of Redcliff (abutting the city's northwest boundary) and the hamlets of Desert Blume, Dunmore, Irvine, Seven Persons, and Veinerville. The Cypress Hills (including Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park) is a relatively short distance (by car) to the southeast of the city.
Historically, Medicine Hat has been known for its large natural gas fields, being immortalized by Rudyard Kipling as having "all hell for a basement".[11] Because of these reserves, the city is known as "The Gas City".[12]
In 2021, Medicine Hat became the first city in Canada to achieve "functional zero" chronic homelessness, defined as three consecutive months where three or fewer individuals experienced chronic homelessness. They were able to achieve this due to their adoption of a Housing First policy to combat homelessness beginning in 2009.[13]
- ^ Peggy Revell (February 8, 2012). "Deputy premier tours Hat's projects". Medicine Hat News. Alberta Newspaper Group Limited Partnership. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
- ^ "Medicine Hat". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- ^ "Location and History Profile: City of Medicine Hat" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. June 17, 2016. p. 92. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
- ^ "Municipal Officials Search". Alberta Municipal Affairs. May 9, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
2021censuswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Alberta Private Sewage Systems 2009 Standard of Practice Handbook: Appendix A.3 Alberta Design Data (A.3.A. Alberta Climate Design Data by Town)" (PDF) (PDF). Safety Codes Council. January 2012. pp. 212–215 (PDF pages 226–229). Retrieved October 8, 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
2015MAPLwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Census Subdivision (Municipal) Population Estimates, July 1, 2016 to 2020, Alberta". Alberta Municipal Affairs. March 23, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ^ About Medicine Hat: Quality of Life City of Medicine Hat. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ McMillan, Dexter (December 29, 2021). "Why the Prairies get more sun then the rest of Canada". CBC NEWS.
- ^ Brennan, Brian (2003), Boondoggles, Bonanzas, and Other Alberta Stories, Fifth House, p. 43, ISBN 1-894004-94-9,
This part of the country seems to have all hell for a basement, and the only trap door appears to be in Medicine Hat. And don't you ever think of changing the name of your town. It's all your own and the only hat of its kind on earth.
- ^ Smith, Craig S. (February 15, 2017). "A Canadian City Thrives on Gas, Like a 'Wealthy Little Country'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Gregersen, Leif. "How A Small Canadian City Took On Chronic Homelessness". Next City. Retrieved August 24, 2022.