Hinton, Alberta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hinton
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Town
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| Town of Hinton | ||
Government Centre
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| Motto(s):
Gateway to the Rockies
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Location in Yellowhead County
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 Hinton
Location in Alberta
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| Country | Canada | |
| Province | Alberta | |
| Planning region | Upper Athabasca | |
| Municipal district | Yellowhead County | |
| Founded | 1928 | |
| Incorporated | ||
| • New town | November 1, 1956 | |
| • Town | December 29, 1958 | |
| Amalgamated | April 1, 1957 | |
| Area
(2021)
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| • Land | 33.32 km2 (12.86 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 990 m (3,250 ft) | |
| Population
(2021)
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| • Total | 9,817 | |
| • Density | 294.6/km2 (763/sq mi) | |
| • Estimate (2022) | 10,087 | |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) | |
| Forward sortation area |
T7V
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| Area code(s) | 780 / 587 | |
| Highways |  Hwy 16 (TCH)Yellowhead Highway Hwy 40 |
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Hinton is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Yellowhead County. The town is about 81 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Jasper. It is also about 284 kilometers (176 miles) west of Edmonton, Alberta's capital city. Hinton sits where the Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16) and Bighorn Highway meet. It is nestled in the beautiful Athabasca River valley.
Geography and Climate in Hinton
Hinton is part of the Alberta Plateau Benchlands. This area is a flat, raised landform within the Interior Plains. The soil around Hinton is special because it has a lot of carbonate. This comes from wind-blown sand and silt.
Hinton's Weather Patterns
The closest weather station to Hinton is in Entrance. This station is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of town. It helps us understand Hinton's climate.
| Climate data for Entrance Climate ID: 3062440; coordinates 53°22′N 117°42′W / 53.367°N 117.700°W; elevation: 990.6 m (3,250 ft); 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1917-2006 |
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 22.2 (72.0) |
19.0 (66.2) |
22.0 (71.6) |
27.8 (82.0) |
33.9 (93.0) |
34.4 (93.9) |
37.8 (100.0) |
34.4 (93.9) |
34.0 (93.2) |
29.4 (84.9) |
21.1 (70.0) |
17.8 (64.0) |
37.8 (100.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −3.3 (26.1) |
1.1 (34.0) |
5.1 (41.2) |
11.5 (52.7) |
16.3 (61.3) |
20.0 (68.0) |
22.2 (72.0) |
21.7 (71.1) |
17.1 (62.8) |
10.4 (50.7) |
1.8 (35.2) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
10.2 (50.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −9.2 (15.4) |
−5.9 (21.4) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
3.9 (39.0) |
8.4 (47.1) |
12.3 (54.1) |
14.4 (57.9) |
13.6 (56.5) |
9.2 (48.6) |
3.9 (39.0) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
3.1 (37.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −15.0 (5.0) |
−12.8 (9.0) |
−9.5 (14.9) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
0.6 (33.1) |
4.6 (40.3) |
6.6 (43.9) |
5.5 (41.9) |
1.3 (34.3) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
−9.3 (15.3) |
−12.6 (9.3) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −51.2 (−60.2) |
−47.0 (−52.6) |
−42.8 (−45.0) |
−35.6 (−32.1) |
−13.5 (7.7) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−19.4 (−2.9) |
−27.0 (−16.6) |
−39.0 (−38.2) |
−47.2 (−53.0) |
−51.2 (−60.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 24.3 (0.96) |
12.9 (0.51) |
22.1 (0.87) |
25.9 (1.02) |
62.5 (2.46) |
76.3 (3.00) |
94.0 (3.70) |
73.9 (2.91) |
46.3 (1.82) |
33.1 (1.30) |
22.1 (0.87) |
14.4 (0.57) |
507.9 (20.00) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.8 (0.03) |
0.4 (0.02) |
1.6 (0.06) |
17.3 (0.68) |
56.5 (2.22) |
76.3 (3.00) |
94.0 (3.70) |
73.9 (2.91) |
44.6 (1.76) |
19.0 (0.75) |
2.4 (0.09) |
0.3 (0.01) |
387.0 (15.24) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 23.5 (9.3) |
12.5 (4.9) |
20.5 (8.1) |
8.6 (3.4) |
6.0 (2.4) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.0) |
1.6 (0.6) |
14.2 (5.6) |
19.7 (7.8) |
14.2 (5.6) |
120.9 (47.6) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 5.8 | 4.2 | 6.5 | 6.6 | 11.3 | 13.0 | 12.6 | 12.8 | 11.1 | 6.4 | 5.9 | 4.7 | 100.9 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 4.2 | 10.8 | 13.0 | 12.6 | 12.8 | 10.9 | 4.6 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 70.9 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 5.5 | 4.1 | 6.1 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.7 | 5.3 | 4.6 | 33.0 |
| Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada | |||||||||||||
The History of Hinton
The town of Hinton got its name from William P. Hinton in 1911. He was a Vice President and General Manager of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. For 45 years, Hinton was a small hamlet.
Long ago, a First Nations group used an area near Hardisty Creek. They left members who were sick with smallpox there. The rest of the group went to Lac Ste. Anne to find help. This happened during a smallpox epidemic in 1870. Because of this, the area was called Cache Picote, meaning "Smallpox Camp."
In 1888, Jack Gregg set up a trading post at Prairie Creek. This post helped travelers on the Jasper trail. Today, this creek is called Muskuta Creek. This name came from a misunderstanding of the Cree name.
Railways and Growth
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway started building a construction camp in 1908. This camp was at the mouth of Prairie Creek, by the Athabasca River. They built a bridge over the creek. The Canadian National Railway (CNR) still uses this bridge today.
In 1911, the Grand Trunk Pacific built a train station. They named it Hinton, and the community began to grow. Later, the Canadian Northern Railway also built a station called Bliss in 1914.
The Canadian National Railway eventually owned both railway lines. They decided to use the line through Hinton more often.
Hinton's population grew a lot in the 1930s. This happened when Frank Seabolt and his partners opened the Hinton coal mine in 1931. A short time later, a recession caused the population to shrink. But the town started to grow again in 1955. This was because a pulp mill was built. The mill brought fast growth to Hinton. A new village called Drinnan was built in 1956. These two communities joined together on April 1, 1957. This formed the Town of Hinton we know today.
Hinton Train Collision
On February 8, 1986, a serious train accident happened near Hinton. A freight train collided with a passenger train called the Super Continental. Many people died in this accident. It was one of the deadliest train accidents in Canada's history. Investigations after the accident showed problems with how the railway company trained its employees.
Population and Community
Hinton is home to many people. In 2021, the town had a population of 9,817. This number changes slightly over time. The town covers an area of about 33.32 square kilometers (12.87 square miles). This means about 294 people live in each square kilometer.
Hinton is also the location of the Foothills Ojibway Society. This is a group of First Nations people.
Things to See and Do in Hinton
Hinton is a great place for nature lovers. It is one of the starting points for trips into the Willmore Wilderness Park. The other starting point is Grande Cache.
One popular spot is the Beaver Boardwalk. It is a 3-kilometer (1.9-mile) walk. Here, you can watch beavers and other wildlife in their natural home.
Getting Around Hinton
Transportation in Hinton
Hinton has its own public bus service called Hinton Transit. It runs from Monday to Friday and on Saturdays. There is also a special service called The Freedom Express Service. This service helps residents with physical or cognitive disabilities get around.
If you want to travel by train, Via Rail's The Canadian stops at the Hinton station. The train comes three times a week in each direction.
Learning and Education
Hinton has several schools for different age groups:
- Grande Yellowhead Public School Division No. 77
- Crescent Valley Elementary School (Kindergarten to Grade 7)
- Mountain View Elementary School (Kindergarten to Grade 7, with English and French programs)
- Harry Collinge High School (Grades 8 to 12, with English and French programs)
- Evergreen Catholic Separate School Division
- St. Gregory Catholic Elementary School (Kindergarten to Grade 4)
- Father Gerard Redmond Community Catholic School (Grades 5 to 12)
For older students, Hinton also has:
- Northwestern Polytechnic
- Hinton Employment and Learning Place
- Hinton Training Centre
- Northern Lakes College
News and Radio in Hinton
Local Newspapers
Hinton has one weekly newspaper called the Hinton Voice. It started in June 2009 and shares local news.
Radio Stations
You can listen to several radio stations in Hinton:
- CBXI-FM 88.1 CBC Radio One
- CFXH-FM 97.5 Newcap Broadcasting (Stingray Radio)
- CFHI-FM 104.9 Newcap Broadcasting
- CHFA-FM-4 100.7 Ici Radio-Canada Première
- CKUA-FM-7 102.5 CKUA Radio Network
Famous People from Hinton
Some well-known people have connections to Hinton:
- Bob Nystrom (born 1952), a professional ice hockey player.
- Dave Scatchard (born 1976), another professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League.
- Glenn Taylor (born 1961/62), a former mayor of Hinton and a past leader of the Alberta Party.
