Balgonie

Discover Balgonie, Saskatchewan: A Blend of History and Modernity

Balgonie, a charming town nestled in southeast Saskatchewan, is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. Located at the intersection of Highways 10, 46, and the Trans-Canada Highway, Balgonie is part of the White Butte region. It shares its borders with Pilot Butte, White City, and McLean, and is a mere 25 kilometres east of Regina, the province's capital city. As of the 2016 census, Balgonie boasted a population of 1,765, marking an 8.3% growth from 2011. Governed by the Balgonie Town Council, the town is enveloped by the Rural Municipality of Edenwold No. 158 and is situated in Treaty 4 territory.

Amenities in Balgonie, Saskatchewan

Balgonie is not just a town with a rich history, but also a modern community with a variety of amenities. It houses a Subway restaurant, two gas stations, an outdoor pool, and an ice arena. The town is also home to Greenall School, providing quality education to its young residents.

The History of Balgonie, Saskatchewan

The town of Balgonie was named after Balgonie Castle in Scotland. The first train ran through the area on the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1882, and a post office was established the following year. In 1884, Sir John Lister Kaye set up a model farm near the railway in Balgonie, marking the town as the easternmost point of the old 76 Ranch lands. A school was built in 1891, and Balgonie was incorporated as a village in 1903 and as a town in 1907.

One of Balgonie's most famous residents was William Wallace Gibson (1876–1965), who created the first Canadian-built airplane. Gibson successfully flew his airplane in Victoria in 1910. His story was the subject of the 1991 stop-motion animated short The Balgonie Birdman, directed by Brian Duchscherer and produced by the National Film Board of Canada.

The town's population saw a decline during the 1930s and 1940s, but the completion of the Trans-Canada Highway in the late 1950s brought new growth.

Demographics of Balgonie, Saskatchewan

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Balgonie had a population of 1,756 living in 621 of its 628 total private dwellings. This represented a slight decrease of -0.5% from its 2016 population of 1,765. With a land area of 4.76 km2 (1.84 sq mi), it had a population density of 368.9/km2 (955.5/sq mi) in 2021. Despite the slight dip in population, Balgonie continues to be a vibrant community with a rich history and a promising future.

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