Sexsmith, Alberta

Sexsmith is a town in northern Alberta, Canada it is on Highway 2, 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Grande Prairie.

Sexsmith
Town
Town of Sexsmith
Train station and two of seven elevators that stood in Sexsmith
Nickname:  Grain capital of the British Empire
Location in the County of Grande Prairie No. 1
Sexsmith Location of Sexsmith in Alberta
Coordinates: 55°21′3″N 118°46′57″W
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Northern Alberta
Planning region	Upper Peace
Municipal district	County of Grande Prairie No. 1
Incorporated[1]
• Village	April 12, 1929
• Town	October 15, 1979
Government
• Mayor	Kate Potter
• Governing body	Sexsmith Town Council
Area  (2021)[2]
• Land	13.01 km2 (5.02 sq mi)
Elevation [3]	724 m (2,375 ft)
Population  (2021)[2][4]
• Total	2,427
• Density	186.5/km2 (483/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−7 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Postal code span	T0H 3C0
Area code	780
Highways	Highway 2 Highway 59
Website	www.sexsmith.ca

Sexsmith is located in the Peace River Country region of Alberta, one of the most fertile growing areas in the province. The town was once known as the "grain capital of the British Empire": In a 10-year period from 1939 to 1949, it shipped more grain than any other port in the empire.

History

The townsite of Sexsmith was established on the homestead of Benny Foster, a 1911 settler, and was originally named "Bennville"^[5] or "Benville",^[6][7] but it was discovered that the name had already used by another town, so it was renamed Sexsmith after a local trapper who came to the area in 1898.^[5] The railway arrived in 1916, and grain companies began building grain elevators in 1917. Because of the fertile soil, the area is one of the largest grain producing areas in the world, and by 1949 became the Grain Capital of the British Empire, shipping more grain than any other region.^[5]

Demographics

Federal census
population history

Year	Pop.	±%
1931	304	—
1936	298	−2.0%
1941	325	+9.1%
1946	302	−7.1%
1951	331	+9.6%
1956	345	+4.2%
1961	531	+53.9%
1966	491	−7.5%
1971	593	+20.8%
1976	770	+29.8%
1981	1,180	+53.2%
1986	1,256	+6.4%
1991	1,260	+0.3%
1996	1,481	+17.5%
2001	1,653	+11.6%
2006	1,959	+18.5%
2011	2,418	+23.4%
2016	2,620	+8.4%
Source: Statistics Canada [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Sexsmith had a population of 2,427 living in 853 of its 929 total private dwellings, a change of -7.4% from its 2016 population of 2,620. With a land area of 13.01 km² (5.02 sq mi), it had a population density of 186.5/km² (483.2/sq mi) in 2021.^[2]

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Sexsmith recorded a population of 2,620 living in 873 of its 937 total private dwellings, a change of 8.4% from its 2011 population of 2,418. With a land area of 13.24 km² (5.11 sq mi), it had a population density of 197.9/km² (512.5/sq mi) in 2016.^[16]

Economy

Ovintiv owns an oil and natural gas liquid processing plant with a total capacity of 115,000 barrels per day, from wells drilled into the Montney Formation.^[17]

Sports

Club	League	Sport	Venue	Established	Championships
Sexsmith Vipers	NWJHL	Ice Hockey	Sexsmith Arena	N/A	0
Sexsmith Skating Club		Figure skating		N/A	0
Sexsmith Shamrocks	Mighty Peace Bantam Football League	Canadian Football	Shamrock Football Field	N/A	0

Education

Sexsmith has three schools:

• Robert W. Zahara Public School
• Sexsmith Secondary School
• St. Mary's Catholic School

Sexsmith is also the home of two post-secondary institutions:

• Peace River Bible Institute
• Stan Wallman College

Notable people

• Colin Carter
• Jason Duda
• Garry Edmundson
• Walter Paszkowski
• Carter Rowney

See also

• List of communities in Alberta
• List of towns in Alberta