Barnwell, Alberta


Barnwell is a village in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located west of Taber and east of Lethbridge on Highway 3, in the Municipal District of Taber.

History

In the late 19th century, a boxcar was located on a rail siding in what is now Barnwell. It was used as a telegraph office for local settlers and the railroad, and the area was named Woodpecker. In 1908, the area was renamed Bountiful to correspond to the local school district. A short while later, it was renamed to Barnwell because another community already had the name of Bountiful. The name Barnwell came from William Barnwell, a longtime employee of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
In the early 1900s the Mormon pioneers, migrating members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, colonized Barnwell as well as other Southern Alberta areas. "By 1911 Latter-day Saints had established eighteen new communities in southern Alberta, and 10,000 Saints, mostly farmers and their families, lived in the area of southwest Alberta alone."

Demographics

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Village of Barnwell recorded a population of 947 living in 260 of its 266 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 771. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2016.
The population of the Village of Barnwell according to its 2015 municipal census is 960, a change from its 2011 municipal census population of 812.
In the 2011 Census, the Village of Barnwell had a population of 771 living in 213 of its 217 total dwellings, a 24.8% change from its 2006 adjusted population of 618. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2011.

Amenities

Barnwell is a small community, but it has several attractions. There is a seniors centre, a K-9 school, a public library, a fitness gym, four parks and two churches, along with five thriving businesses.

Notable residents