Cranbrook, British Columbia

History

Originally inhabited by Ktunaxa peoples, the land that Cranbrook now occupies was bought by European settlers, notably Colonel James Baker who named his newly acquired land Cranbrook after his home in Cranbrook, Kent, England.

In 1898 Baker had successfully convinced Canadian Pacific Railway to establish their Crowsnest Pass line through Cranbrook rather than nearby Gold Rush Boom Town Fort Steele. With that accomplishment Cranbrook became the major centre of the region, while Fort Steele declined; however, the latter is today a preserved heritage town.

On November 1, 1905, Cranbrook was incorporated as a city.

Some of the major industries include mining and forestry services, trades, and health care.

Geography

While much of the city is relatively flat, Cranbrook is surrounded by many rising hills where many residential homes are located. Cranbrook faces the Purcell Mountains to the west and the Rocky Mountains to the north and east. There are many lakes in close proximity to Cranbrook. Some of these lakes include Jim Smith Lake, Wasa Lake, Lazy Lake, Moyie Lake, Monroe Lake, Norbury Lake and Elizabeth Lake. Many of these lakes contain opportunities for boating, fishing and camping. There are public recreational beaches and provincial campgrounds.

Climate

Environment Canada reports Cranbrook as having the most sunshine hours of any BC city at approximately 2190.5 hours annually. It is a fairly dry city throughout the year, and when precipitation does fall a good percentage of it will be in the form of snow. Environment Canada also states that the city experiences some of the lightest wind speeds year-round, has few foggy days, and has among the highest average barometric pressure of any Canadian city. Frost-free days average 110 days, typically occurring between May 26 to September 14. Mean daily temperatures range from −8.3 °C (17.1 °F) to 18.2 °C (64.8 °F). However, temperatures can range from −20 °C (−4.0 °F) in the winter to 35 °C (95.0 °F) in the summer months. Overall, its climate is extremely similar to that of Kelowna, in the nearby Okanagan Valley to the west - especially in regard to precipitation patterns and total monthly accumulation. However, Kelowna is significantly warmer throughout all seasons.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Cranbrook was 38.9 °C (102 °F) on July 16 & 17, 1941. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −41.1 °C (−42 °F) on January 19, 1958.

Schools

Public schools are run by School District 5 Southeast Kootenay, consisting of seven elementary schools and two middle schools that feed into the city's only high school: Mount Baker Secondary School, home to approximately 1,000 students and 90 staff members. Mount Baker is the largest high school in school district five. Prior to 2004, the middle schools were referred to as junior high schools housing grades 8-10 rather than the current 7-9. However, due to declining enrollment the school district adopted the new system. There is also a local home-school network.

The following 13 schools are located within Cranbrook.

Post-secondary education

Cranbrook is home to the main campus of the College of the Rockies, which has over 2,500 full and part-time students from over 21 countries.

Transportation

Cranbrook is at the junction of major highways 3 and 93/95, and due to its close proximity to the borders of Alberta and the United States it is an important transportation hub. Cranbrook has a major Canadian Pacific Railway yard, which serves as a key gateway for trains arriving from and departing to the United States.

The McFee Bridge also known as the St. Mary's Bridge rises high above the St. Marys River and is near the Canadian Rockies International Airport and the Shadow Mountain Golf Community and supports thousands of people to travel to Kimberley from Cranbrook and Kimberley to Cranbrook, the bridge is on highway 93/95. Approximately 9 km (6 mi) north is the Canadian Rockies International Airport, which has recently completed its 12.5 million dollar expansion including the lengthening of its runway from 6000 to 8000 feet in order to accommodate a limited number of international flights and an expansion to the Terminal for more passengers. The airport is served by Air Canada Jazz to Vancouver and Calgary, Pacific Coastal Airlines to Vancouver and Kelowna, and Integra Air to Edmonton.

Cranbrook also has a public transit system, operated by BC Transit, which operates buses on eight different lines. On February 11, 1978, Pacific Western Airlines Flight 314, a Boeing 737-200, crashed in Cranbrook, killing 42 of the 49 people on board.

Recreation

Western Financial Place, (formerly called the RecPlex,) is a newly renovated pool and hockey arena in Cranbrook. A paved, two-lane 28 km (17 mi) trail exists between Cranbrook and Kimberley, BC. This trail constitutes a section of the Trans-Canada Trail and is known as the Rails to Trails. Canadian Pacific Railway donated the rail right-of-way and the tear down of the railway began by CP Rail in 2009. In addition to this trail, there are 2000 acres of wilderness to explore in the community forest.

Media

Notable residents

The following notable people come from or were born in Cranbrook:

Sister cities

Cranbrook is twinned with