Starbuck, Manitoba is a quaint community nestled on the La Salle River within the Rural Municipality of Macdonald. Just a 25-minute drive from Winnipeg along Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 2, Starbuck is a charming destination with a rich history and a vibrant community spirit.
Starbuck is easily accessible via Provincial Road 332, which runs north and south of the town. The Canadian Pacific Railway's Souris line still runs through Starbuck, providing a historical touch to the community. Although passenger train service was halted decades ago, bus service to and from Winnipeg is provided three times per week, making Starbuck a convenient destination for both residents and visitors.
Starbuck boasts a vibrant community life with two churches (Catholic and Lutheran), a community hall, skating and curling rinks, and an early/middle years school. The town also offers a variety of local businesses including a butcher shop, a co-op gas bar/hardware store, a hotel, an insurance office, a credit union, a trucking company, a landscaper, a large grain terminal, and an 18-hole golf course. Several other businesses in and around Starbuck contribute to the town's bustling local economy.
The history of Starbuck dates back to the First Nations and Métis people who lived in the area long before European families began settling around Starbuck by 1870. The arrival of the railway in 1881 marked a significant milestone in the community's development. In 1885, the community was named Starbuck by the contractor who graded the railway roadbed. The Post Office was opened in 1887, further establishing the community's presence.
There is a long-held fable of Starbuck being named after two oxen, Star and Buck, who drowned in the La Salle River. However, this story is very similar to how Starbuck, Minnesota got its name. By the early 1900s, Starbuck was booming with families from a mix of European heritages settling in the area.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Starbuck had a population of 363 living in 144 of its 145 total private dwellings, a change of 6.1% from its 2016 population of 342. With a land area of 1.26 km2 (0.49 sq mi), it had a population density of 288.1/km2 (746.2/sq mi) in 2021.
Starbuck experiences a humid continental climate with severe seasonal differences, resulting in warm to hot summers and very cold winters.
Around 2002, Rogers Communications set up the "Rogers Communications Tower," as a transmitter for its CITI-FM and CKY-FM. Corus Entertainment owned CFPG-FM had originally wanted to install its transmitter on the CBC tower, but it was moved to the Rogers Tower, and decreased its ERP from 100,000 to 63,700 watts.
