Devon is a town in the

Edmonton Metropolitan Region The Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR), also commonly referred to as Greater Edmonton or Metro Edmonton, is a conglomeration of municipalities centred on Alberta's provincial capital of Edmonton. The EMR's commonly known boundaries are coincide ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada. It is approximately southwest of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, the provincial capital, along the southern bank of the

North Saskatchewan River The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows eventual ...

History

Devon owes its existence to one of the largest

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

discoveries in the world. On February 13, 1947, the Imperial

Leduc No. 1 Leduc No. 1 was a major crude oil discovery made near Leduc, Alberta, Canada on February 13, 1947. It provided the geological key to Alberta's most prolific conventional oil reserves and resulted in a boom in petroleum exploration and developmen ...

well A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

struck oil, and the new town of Devon was constructed shortly thereafter by

Imperial Oil Imperial Oil Limited (French: ''Compagnie Pétrolière Impériale Ltée'') is a Canadian petroleum company. It is Canada's second-biggest integrated oil company. It is majority owned by American oil company ExxonMobil with around 69.6 percent ...

to accommodate its workers. The company was determined that the town would be well-planned, and Devon holds the distinction of being the first Canadian community to be approved by a regional planning commission. The oil industry remains a major player in the town's business sector, though the economy has diversified to include

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a r ...

, and research. Devon is named after the

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...

formation (the strata tapped in the Leduc No. 1 oil well), which in turn is named for the county of

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

in England.

Climate

Devon boasts a warm-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Dfb''), slightly cooler than

. On average at 3.6 days a year the temperature is above days above do not always occur, but on average four years in a decade. Days with temperatures below occur every year on average 8.8 nights. In about 58.4% of the days of a year the temperature can reach a value less than or equal to the freezing temperature. Frost free will go from the beginning of June until the first week of September, usually. It corresponds in average to 96 days.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, the Town of Devon had a population of 6,545 living in 2,496 of its 2,588 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 6,578. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Devon recorded a population of 6,578 living in 2,415 of its 2,493 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 6,515. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. The population of the Town of Devon according to its 2014 municipal census is 6,650, a change from its 2009 municipal census population of 6,534.

Economy

The Town of Devon was a member of the

Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Association The Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Association (EDA) was an economic development partnership founded in 1984 that marketed Alberta's International Region. It dissolved at the end of 2019. The partnership included the founding members of Leduc ...

, an economic development partnership that markets Alberta's International Region in proximity to the

Edmonton International Airport Edmonton International Airport, as of August 29, 2022, officially branded YEG Edmonton International Airport is the primary air passenger and air cargo facility in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region of the Canadian province of Alberta. Designat ...

Amenities

Devon is amply served by schools, community services such as the

Devon General Hospital The Devon General Hospital is a 21-bed acute care and continuing care facility in Devon, Alberta. There are 9 acute, 10 continuing, and 2 respite beds. The hospital provides 24-hour emergency services, as well as laboratory and radiology services ...

, and recreational facilities. It is from the

, and is close to major rail routes and highways. It is located close to a motor sports park, a bird sanctuary, the

University of Alberta Botanic Garden The University of Alberta Botanic Garden (formerly the Devonian Botanic Garden) is Alberta's largest botanical garden. It was established in 1959 by the University of Alberta. It is located approximately west of the city of Edmonton, Alberta a ...

, and a number of other attractions to residents and visitors. Devon and area is popular with cyclists, as it has a good network of paved country roads, as well as unpaved mountain bike trails, and has hosted high level cycling events such as Canada's 2010 National Road Championships.

Schools

*Devon Christian School
Holy Spirit Catholic School
* John Maland High School *Riverview Middle School *Robina Baker Elementary

Miscellaneous

Devon is the sister city to

Grimma Grimma ( hsb, Grima) is a town in Saxony, Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany, on the left bank of the Mulde, southeast of Leipzig. Founded in 1170, it is part of the Leipzig (district), Leipzig district. Location The town is in ...

, Germany. in 2008, a group of students and dignitaries from Devon travelled to Grimma to perform in an international music festival. In 2010, members of the Grimma Jugendblasorchester (Youth Orchestra) travelled to Devon to perform and to tour Alberta.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1949 establishments in Alberta Edmonton Metropolitan Region Leduc County Populated places on the North Saskatchewan River Towns in Alberta