Bowden, Alberta


Bowden is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Red Deer County on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, approximately south of Red Deer.
The community may take its name from Bowdon, Greater Manchester, in England. A provincial Alberta Land Surveyor reference relates this alternate name source, "The most widely accepted version says that a surveyor named Williamson suggested that this siding on the Edmonton-Calgary Trail take the maiden name of his wife.".

History

During the World War II an area of land 4 kilometres north of the town was appropriated by the Royal Canadian Air Force for construction of an Air Training Base. RCAF Station Bowden was home to No. 32 Elementary Flying Train School.
After the war the site was converted to the Bowden Institution, originally as a provincial facility. In 1974 it was converted to a Corrections Canada medium security penitentiary.
The town describes itself as a bedroom community, meaning a large proportion of the working population commutes to other employment centres, including Red Deer and Calgary.

Geography

Nearby communities include Innisfail to the north, Caroline to the west, Huxley to the east and Olds to the south.

Climate


Demography

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Bowden recorded a population of 1,240 living in 524 of its 581 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 1,241. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2016.
In the 2011 Census, the Town of Bowden had a population of 1,241 living in 518 of its 545 total dwellings, a 2.6% change from its 2006 adjusted population of 1,210. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2011.
The population of the Town of Bowden according to its 2009 municipal census was 1,236.

Attractions

Bowden has a nine-hole golf course with a licensed clubhouse. The Community Centre and the long established Friendship Centre provide convenient venues for family and community functions. The Pioneer Museum offers an interesting insight into past community life and the past history of the Town. The pioneer museum features photographs by the local photographer Bob Hoare, who documented local residents around the turn of the twentieth century.

Notable people

Ryan Howlett--- one hell of a guy