Oakbank is an unincorporated community in

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

located about 15 km east of the provincial capital

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, in the

Rural Municipality of Springfield Springfield is a rural municipality (RM) in Manitoba, Canada. It stretches from urban industrial development on the eastern boundary of the City of Winnipeg, through urban, rural residential, agricultural and natural landscapes, to the Agassiz Pro ...

. It has a population of about 5,000, making it the largest unincorporated community in the province of Manitoba. Starting off as a small, largely

rural community In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

, Oakbank is now a

dormitory town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

, or bedroom community, for Winnipeg, as a majority of the residents work in that city. Its rapid population growth is representative of small towns in the

Winnipeg Capital Region The Winnipeg Metropolitan Region (formerly called the Winnipeg Capital Region and the Manitoba Capital Region) is a metropolitan area in the Canadian province of Manitoba located in the Red River Valley in the southeast portion of the province of ...

, with two new housing developments being expanded in the town.

History

In 1899, a post office was established in the present location of Oakbank and the village grew around it. In 1901, a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

church was moved to the community and a Baptist church built in 1908. In 1906, the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

built a track that passed through the village; by 1927 the line was double-tracked. A train station existed until 1968. Electricity was supplied by the

Winnipeg Electric Company Winnipeg Transit is the public transit agency, and the bus-service provider, of the City of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Established years ago, it is owned by the city government and currently employs nearly 1,600 people—including approximately 1,1 ...

starting in 1930.

Rural electrification Rural electrification is the process of bringing electrical power to rural and remote areas. Rural communities are suffering from colossal market failures as the national grids fall short of their demand for electricity. As of 2017, over 1 billion ...

did not reach the surrounding area until 1949. In 1887, a telephone was installed in the home of the municipal secretary treasurer. Various private telephone companies, often with only a dozen subscribers, operated until they were all absorbed by Manitoba Telephone System in 1950. In 1964, local school divisions were consolidated and Oakbank became the local center for elementary, junior high and high school students, against many people's wishes. A local manual telephone exchange was in operation until 1966 when an automatic exchange was installed. A credit union was founded in the village in 1945. Oakbank continues rapid growth as a bedroom community with many residents commuting to Winnipeg for work.

Demographics

Notable people

* Drew Bagnall, former

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

player * Matt Bailey, professional ice hockey player *

Dean Haglund Dean Haglund (born July 29, 1965) is a Canadian actor, known for the role of Richard "Ringo" Langly, one of The Lone Gunmen on ''The X-Files''. Haglund is also a stand-up comedian, specializing in improvisational comedy, including work with the ...

, actor *

Brett Howden Brett Howden (born March 29, 1998) is a Canadian ice hockey centre for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Howden was drafted 27th overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Playing career Junior ...

player (

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

) *

Quinton Howden Quinton Howden (born January 21, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He last played for Kölner Haie of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He was drafted by the Florida Panthers in t ...

, professional ice hockey player, formerly in the

References

External links

Oakbank community profile

Springfield Collegiate Institute

RCMP Detachment
{{MBDivision12 Unincorporated communities in Eastman Region, Manitoba