Furdale is an unincorporated community adjacent to the southern city limits of

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

, west of Highway 219 and on the east bank of the

South Saskatchewan River The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The river begins at the confluence of the Bow River, Bow and Oldman Rivers in southern Alberta and ends at the Saskatchewan River Forks in ce ...

. The hamlet's name comes from the many fur farms located in the area beginning around the 1930s. Furdale primarily consists of acreages and luxury homes, and is considered a major

bedroom community 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 ...

of Saskatoon. A similar unincorporated bedroom community, Grasswood Park, lies immediately to the east. Furdale is also the location of many of the Saskatoon area's major horse stable and breeding facilities. The province is planning to build a Perimeter Highway through Furdale in the coming years, which has sparked controversy among residents. Upgrades to Hwy. 219 (also known as Lorne Avenue) were completed during the summer of 2007 in order to handle the large amounts of traffic back and forth to the new Dakota Dunes Casino. An extension to the

Circle Drive Circle Drive is a major road constructed as a Beltway, ring road in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Its route constitutes both part of Saskatchewan Highway 16, Highway 16 and Saskatchewan Highway 11, Highway 11, signed as both along the entir ...

freeway, scheduled to open in 2013, will also benefit residents. Furdale contains virtually no commercial or industrial development, with nearby Saskatoon offering these services. Furdale also relies on Saskatoon for its media, emergency services, etc. Primary access to Furdale is via Lorne Avenue/Highway 219 from Saskatoon, and Grasswood Road from the east which provides a link to Highway 11.

History

When the half section of land was first surveyed, it was granted to the Hudson Bay Company. It was farmed for a time before being sold, at which point it was subdivided and registered with the Land Titles Office as "Plan FN". Between 1910 and 1912 the land was developed as "Glencairn" and streets were laid. In September 1958 the Furdale School opened on Haliburton Ave. There were 27 students in attendance during the first year. It operated under the Grasswood School Board and was a typical one-room school house with a single teacher instructing all grades. The school closed in 1966 with the remaining students attending school in either Clavet or Saskatoon to complete their studies. Furdale School House - undated photo

Etymology

Around 1950, the community members of Glencairn came together to create a curling rink in a former dairy barn and called it the Furdale Curling Club, referencing the multiple fur farms located in the area beginning around the 1930s, including the Saskatoon Silver Fox Farm operated by Dr. R.H. MacDonald which was one of the largest in the area, consisting of more than 700 animals. During the 1950s Archie Campbell's Fur Farm was considered a prominent mink farm operation located in the Furdale area.

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

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 ...

, Furdale had a population of 181 living in 70 of its 72 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 188. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

References

{{authority control Corman Park No. 344, Saskatchewan Designated places in Saskatchewan Organized hamlets in Saskatchewan