Evansburg is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

in west-

central Alberta Central Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. Central Alberta is the most densely populated rural area in the province. Agriculture and energy are important to the area's economy. Geography Central Alberta is bordered ...

, Canada, within

Yellowhead County Yellowhead County is a municipal district in west central Alberta, Canada. It is the only municipal district within Alberta census division No. 14. History *1994: Established as a ''Municipal District of Yellowhead No. 94'' on January 1. ...

. It is located on Highway 16A, approximately west of

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

and east of Edson. The hamlet is adjacent to the Pembina River and the Pembina River Provincial Park. Evansburg was previously incorporated as a village until June 30, 1998, when it dissolved to become a hamlet within Yellowhead County.

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...

recognizes Evansburg as a

designated place A designated place (DPL) is a type of community or settlement identified by Statistics Canada that does not meet the criteria used to define municipalities or population centres. DPLs are delineated every 5 years for the Canadian census as the s ...

History

Evansburg is named after Harry Marshall Erskine Evans, former

mayor and advisor to the

Government of Alberta The Government of Alberta () is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. In modern Canadian use, the term ''Government of Alberta'' refers specifically to the executive� ...

. The post office dates back to 1914.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

, Evansburg had a population of 717 living in 334 of its 371 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 795. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Evansburg had a population of 795 living in 370 of its 419 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 880. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Arts and culture

The Tipple Park Museum preserves and showcases Evansburg's railway, agricultural and coal mining history. The museum's symbol is a

tipple A tipple is a structure used at a mine to load the extracted product (e.g., coal, ores) for transport, typically into railroad hopper cars. In the United States, tipples have been frequently associated with coal mines, but they have also been us ...

, or a structure at a mine used to load ore or coal.

Home of the Grouch

Evansburg has gained a degree of fame across Canada for being the "Home of the Grouch." Every August, as part of the community's Pembina Valley Daze festival, the community chooses the "Town Grouch". The tradition began in 1974, when local artist John Lauer was commissioned to create a new

welcome sign A welcome sign (or gateway sign) is a road sign at the border of a jurisdiction or region that introduces or welcomes visitors to the place. Examples of welcome signs can be found near political borders, such as when entering a Sovereign state, st ...

for the community. To add some humour to the sign, he listed Evansburg's population as "603 people, 29 dogs, 41 cats, and one grouch." Speculation began as to who the grouch was. In 1979, the Evansburg

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

decided to settle the question by holding an election, in which the community's grouch was elected by the people. The election has been held annually ever since. Lauer himself was elected the grouch in 1995. In the 1990s, Evansburg decided to capitalize on this tradition by adopting the slogan "Home of the Grouch" and using a scowling

coal miner Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extrac ...

(to also honour its coal mining heritage) as its logo. Far from being an honorary title, the Town Grouch has become a real position with real responsibilities. The chosen citizen becomes Evansburg's

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

, and represents the community at

trade shows A trade show, also known as trade fair, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and c ...

and conferences across Canada. Town Grouch is given a uniform consisting of

overalls Overalls or bib-and-brace overalls, also called dungarees in British English, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers ...

, a pick-axe, and a miner's helmet, all designed to mimic the community's logo. The Town Grouch's home also gets the honorary address of " 10 Frowning Street." In recent years, the election has been replaced with a competition to see who can raise the most money for Pembina Valley Daze.

Infrastructure

;Transportation As a flag stop

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...

's ''

The Canadian ''The Canadian'' () is a transcontinental passenger train operated by Via Rail with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario, and Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Canadian Pacific introduced this serv ...

'' calls at the Evansburg railway station three times per week in each direction.

References