Nipawin (original) (raw)

Town in Saskatchewan, Canada

Town in Saskatchewan, Canada

Town of Nipawin
Town
NASA satellite image of Tobin LakeNASA satellite image of Tobin Lake
Official logo of Town of Nipawin
Town of Nipawin is located in SaskatchewanTown of NipawinTown of NipawinLocation of NipawinShow map of SaskatchewanTown of Nipawin is located in CanadaTown of NipawinTown of NipawinTown of Nipawin (Canada)Show map of Canada
Coordinates: 53°21′26″N 104°01′01″W / 53.35722°N 104.01694°W / 53.35722; -104.01694
Country Canada
Province Saskatchewan
Census division No. 14
Rural Municipality Nipawin
Settled 1910
Incorporated (town) 1937
Government
• Mayor Marlon Zacharias[1]
Area
• Total 8.71 km2 (3.36 sq mi)
Population (2016)
• Total 4,401
• Density 505.0/km2 (1,308/sq mi)
Time zone UTC−06:00 (CST)
Postal code S0E 1E0
Area code 306
Waterways Saskatchewan River
Website www.nipawin.com Edit this at Wikidata
[2][3]

Nipawin () is a town in Saskatchewan, Canada, on the Saskatchewan River portion of Tobin Lake. The town lies between Codette Lake, created by the Francois-Finlay Dam (built in 1986) and Tobin Lake, created by the E.B. Campbell Dam built in 1963, renamed from Squaw Rapids. The construction of Francois-Finlay Dam earned Nipawin the nickname the "Town of Two Lakes".

Nipawin is bordered by the Rural Municipality of Nipawin No. 487 and the Rural Municipality of Torch River No. 488 (the latter across the Saskatchewan River).

Highway 35 and Highway 55 intersect in Nipawin. The Nipawin Airport and the Nipawin Water Aerodrome also serve the community.

Nipawin is a Cree word meaning "a bed, or resting place" which referred to a low-lying area along the river now flooded by Codette Lake where First Nations women and children would camp and wait for the men to arrive.[4]

The first permanent settlement of Nipawin occurred in 1910 with the establishment of a trading post. In 1924 the Canadian Pacific Railway passed nearby over the Crooked Bridge, and the settlement was moved, building by building, to its current location to be closer to the railway.[5][6]

There were a number of fur trading posts in the area, but they are poorly documented.[7] In 1763 Joseph Smith reached the area from York Factory. In 1768 James Finlay from Montreal built a post. François le Blanc, apparently the man known as "Saswe", had a post by that year or the next. In 1790 William Thorburn built there then moved to Hungry Hall the following year. In 1795 there were two posts, one run by A. N McLeod for the North West Company and another run by James Porter working for David Grant.

On April 18, 2008, a downtown meat shop exploded, destroying three buildings as well as damaging several more. The explosion killed two and injured five. The explosion is suspected to have been caused by a backhoe that snagged and sheared a natural gas riser from the main line. The explosion prompted the implementation of a state of emergency by the mayor. The explosion received extensive national news coverage.[8]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Nipawin had a population of 4,570 living in 1,921 of its 2,091 total private dwellings, a change of 3.8% from its 2016 population of 4,401. With a land area of 8.93 km2 (3.45 sq mi), it had a population density of 511.8/km2 (1,325.4/sq mi) in 2021.[9]

Canada census – Nipawin community profile

2021 2016 2011
Population 4,570 (+3.8% from 2016) 4,401 (+3.2% from 2011) 4,265 (+4.6% from 2006)
Land area 8.93 km2 (3.45 sq mi) 8.71 km2 (3.36 sq mi) 8.71 km2 (3.36 sq mi)
Population density 512/km2 (1,330/sq mi) 505.0/km2 (1,308/sq mi) 489.4/km2 (1,268/sq mi)
Median age 41.2 (M: 39.2, F: 43.2) 43.1 (M: 40.0, F: 45.5)
Private dwellings 1,920 (total) 2,042 (total) 1,977 (total)
Median household income

References: 2021[10] 2016[11] 2011[12] earlier[13][14]

Nipawin Experiences a Humid continental climate (Koppen: Dfb) bordering on a subarctic climate (Dfc), with long, extremely cold winters and short, warm summers. The highest temperature ever recorded in Nipawin was 42.2 °C (108 °F) on July 19, 1941.[15] The coldest temperature ever recorded was −48.3 °C (−55 °F) on January 8, 1930.[16]

Climate data for Nipawin Airport, 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1927–present[a]
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 11.1(52.0) 11.1(52.0) 16.8(62.2) 31.1(88.0) 36.7(98.1) 38.2(100.8) 42.2(108.0) 37.2(99.0) 37.2(99.0) 31.1(88.0) 17.0(62.6) 8.0(46.4) 42.2(108.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −13.3(8.1) −9.1(15.6) −2.2(28.0) 8.5(47.3) 17.2(63.0) 21.6(70.9) 23.9(75.0) 23.7(74.7) 17.0(62.6) 8.3(46.9) −3.3(26.1) −10.9(12.4) 6.8(44.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) −18.7(−1.7) −14.7(5.5) −7.9(17.8) 2.6(36.7) 10.1(50.2) 15.2(59.4) 17.6(63.7) 16.8(62.2) 10.6(51.1) 2.7(36.9) −7.8(18.0) −16(3) 0.9(33.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −24.2(−11.6) −20.3(−4.5) −13.5(7.7) −3.4(25.9) 2.9(37.2) 8.7(47.7) 11.2(52.2) 9.7(49.5) 4.2(39.6) −2.9(26.8) −12.2(10.0) −21(−6) −5.1(22.8)
Record low °C (°F) −48.3(−54.9) −45(−49) −40.2(−40.4) −33.6(−28.5) −11.9(10.6) −7.8(18.0) −1.1(30.0) −1.7(28.9) −10(14) −24.4(−11.9) −37.4(−35.3) −47.2(−53.0) −48.3(−54.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 15.2(0.60) 11.6(0.46) 14.8(0.58) 25.2(0.99) 43.3(1.70) 74.4(2.93) 82.7(3.26) 57.2(2.25) 40.8(1.61) 27.7(1.09) 16.1(0.63) 18.2(0.72) 427.3(16.82)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 0.4(0.02) 0.6(0.02) 1.6(0.06) 12.7(0.50) 40.6(1.60) 74.3(2.93) 82.7(3.26) 57.2(2.25) 39.4(1.55) 14.8(0.58) 2.0(0.08) 0.5(0.02) 326.8(12.87)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 22.3(8.8) 16.8(6.6) 17.1(6.7) 14.9(5.9) 2.9(1.1) 0.1(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 0.0(0.0) 1.4(0.6) 14.9(5.9) 19.3(7.6) 24.7(9.7) 134.4(52.9)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 101.1 128.8 177.8 233.4 267.2 282.2 311.8 281.3 178.0 136.5 88.3 80.0 2,266.3
Percent possible sunshine 40.1 46.5 48.5 55.7 54.4 55.7 61.2 61.4 46.6 41.5 33.9 33.9 48.3
Source: Environment Canada[17][18]

Nipawin is near the Fort à la Corne Provincial Forest, location of the world's largest diamond bearing kimberlites and intensive diamond exploration activity. Other industries in the area include: agriculture, tourism, canola oil processing, honey production, forestry, and commercialization of second-generation biofuels.

This resort community has become a destination for fishing, camping, boating, golfing, hunting, and outdoor recreation.

Nipawin has three public schools: Central Park Elementary School, Wagner Elementary School, and L.P. Miller Comprehensive School.

The town is home to the Nipawin Campus of Cumberland College with 360 students and Nipawin Bible College with 48 students.

  1. ^ Zacharias elected as Nipawin mayor

  2. ^ National Archives, Archivia Net. "Post Offices and Postmasters". Retrieved September 27, 2013.

  3. ^ Government of Saskatchewan, MRD Home. "Municipal Directory System". Retrieved September 27, 2013.

  4. ^ "Nipawin & District".

  5. ^ "Nipawin". Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. 2006. Retrieved September 27, 2013.

  6. ^ Nipawin Historical Society (1988), Bridging the years : Nipawin, Saskatchewan, Altona, Manitoba: Friesen Printers, ISBN 0-88925-800-7, 066533950X

  7. ^ Arthur Morton,"A History of Western Canada",circa 1936

  8. ^ "Home Explosion in Sask. town kills one, injures five". CTV.ca. April 8, 2008. Archived from the original on February 27, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2014.

  9. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Saskatchewan". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.

  10. ^ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.

  11. ^ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2017.

  12. ^ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2012.

  13. ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.

  14. ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.

  15. ^ "July 1941". Climate Data Almanac. Environment Canada. June 26, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.

  16. ^ "January 1930". Climate Data Almanac. Environment Canada. June 26, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.

  17. ^ "Nipawin Airport". Canadian Climate Normals 1981−2010. Environment Canada. February 27, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.

  18. ^ "Nipawin 2". Environment Canada. Retrieved June 26, 2016.

  19. ^ "Nipawin & District Regional Park". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved July 23, 2023.

  20. ^ "Evergreen Golf Course Nipawin". Evergreen Golf Course. Retrieved July 23, 2023.

  21. ^ "Evergreen Golf Course". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved July 23, 2023.

  22. ^ Climate data was recorded at Nipawin from April 1927 to March 1975 and at Nipawin Airport from August 1973 to present.

53°21′26″N 104°01′09″W / 53.35722°N 104.01917°W / 53.35722; -104.01917