| Town of Raymond | |
| Nickname: Home of the First Stampede | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Alberta |
| Region | Southern Alberta |
| Census division | 2 |
| County | Warner |
| Government | |
| - Governing body | Raymond Town Council |
| - Mayor | L. George Bohne |
| - Councillors | Jim Steed, Marlin Hogg, Dana Higa, Doug Holt, Cathy Needham, Jim Depew |
| Area | |
| - Total | 4.75 km² (1.8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 960 m (3,150 ft) |
| Population (2006)[1] | |
| - Total | 3,205 |
| - Density | 674.1/km² (1,745.9/sq mi) |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
| Postal code span | T0K 2S0 |
| Area code(s) | +1-403 |
| Highways | Highway 52 Highway 845 |
| Waterways | Milk River Ridge Reservoir |
| Website: Official Town of Raymond | |
Raymond is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located south of Lethbridge on Highway 52. Raymond is best known for its annual rodeo and its large Latter-day Saint population. It is also well known for its high school sports achievements by the Raymond Comets in basketball and football. High school girls sports teams of note are basketball and rugby.
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History
Raymond was founded in 1901 by mining magnate and industrialist Jesse Knight. Knight named the town after his son Raymond. On 1 July 1903, Raymond was incorporated as a Town in the Northwest Territories of Canada. On 1 September 1905, Raymond became part of the newly-created Province of Alberta.
Attractions
In 1902, one year after it was founded, Raymond held an outdoor rodeo and called it a stampede; this was Canada's first organized rodeo event.[2] Since the inaugural event, the Raymond Stampede has been held on 1 July or June 30 every summer. The Rotary Club of Raymond was officially begun in January, 1938, and it has been a notable and viable service club ever since. Rotary sponsors the July First Parade and the Christmas Carol Festival in December. Two significant Rotary fund-raiser events are the annual Rotary Dinner Dance held in February and the annual Golf Tournament held in August. Raymond is also home to the Raymond Judo Club, the first Judo club in Alberta. The club was formed by Yoshio Katsuta in 1943. It was closed for a brief period until being reopened in 1985 by Glenn Iwaasa.
Demographics
The 2001 population for Raymond was 3,200 with a median age of 30.9. The bulk of the population is Caucasian, but of those classified as visible minorities, 47% are Japanese, 26% are Korean and 16% are Black. In addition, 5% of the entire population is Aboriginal. A majority of Raymondites are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church). In the town, there are three LDS Church chapels and eight separate congregations of approximately 250 members each. (The closest LDS Church temple, the Cardston Alberta Temple, is located 60 kilometres (37 mi) southwest in Cardston.) Raymond also has Baptist, Buddhist, Mennonite, and United Church of Canada congregations. In 2006, Raymond had a population of 3,205 living in 1,085 dwellings, a 0.2% increase from 2001. The town has a land area of 4.75 km² (1.8 sq mi) and a population density of 674.1/km² (1,745.9/sq mi).[1]
Notable people
- Ted E. Brewerton, general authority in the LDS Church[3]
- Raymond Knight, father of Canadian rodeo, world's first rodeo producer and stock contractor, rodeo champion[4]
- Wendy Watson Nelson, professor of marriage and family therapy at Brigham Young University and wife of Russell M. Nelson, apostle of the LDS Church[5]
- Brett Ralph, wide receiver in the Canadian Football League
- Cleon Skousen, conservative American author and political commentator[6]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b Statistics Canada (Census 2006). Raymond - Community Profile. Retrieved on 2007-06-12.
- ^ The Raymond Stampede of 1902
- ^ “Teddy E. Brewerton of the First Quorum of the Seventy,” Ensign, Nov. 1978, 98
- ^ History of Raymond
- ^ Press release, LDS Church, Elder Russell M. Nelson Marries Wendy L. Watson, 2006-04-06
- ^ W. Cleon Skousen: Biography
References
- Lawrence Turner (ed.) (1993) Raymond Remembered : Settlers, Sugar and Stampedes : A History of the Town and People of Raymond (Raymond, AB: Town of Raymond) ISBN 0969765509
- Terrence C. Smith & Reed Turner (eds.) (2001). A Planting of the Lord : A Century of the Latter-day Saints in Raymond, 1901–2001 (Raymond, AB: Raymond Alberta Stake) ISBN 0968969100
External links
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Lethbridge Fort Macleod |
Coaldale | Taber | |
| Magrath |  |
Stirling | ||
 Raymond  |
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| Cardston | United States | Warner Milk River |
