Sexsmith, Alberta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sexsmith
Town
Town of Sexsmith
Train station and two of seven elevators that stood in Sexsmith
Nickname(s):  Grain capital of the British Empire
Location in the County of Grande Prairie No. 1
Sexsmith Location in Alberta
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Northern Alberta
Planning region	Upper Peace
Municipal district	County of Grande Prairie No. 1
Incorporated
• Village	April 12, 1929
• Town	October 15, 1979
Area  (2021)
• Land	13.01 km2 (5.02 sq mi)
Elevation	724 m (2,375 ft)
Population  (2021)
• 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(s)	+1-780
Highways	Highway 2 Highway 59

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

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" or "Benville", 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. 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.

Demographics

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/sq mi) in 2021.

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 (513/sq mi) in 2016.

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.

Sports

Education

Sexsmith has three schools:

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

Sexsmith is also the home of a post-secondary institution:

• Peace River Bible Institute

Notable people