This article will address Hillcrest, Alberta from a broad and deep perspective, with the aim of providing the reader with a complete and detailed vision of this topic. The importance of Hillcrest, Alberta in today's society is undeniable, so it is essential to delve into its meaning, origin, development and repercussions. Through an exhaustive and rigorous analysis, the aim is to shed light on the different aspects that revolve around Hillcrest, Alberta, providing relevant and updated information that allows us to understand its relevance today. Likewise, different points of view and opinions of experts on the subject will be explored, in order to enrich the debate and offer a plural and enriching vision about Hillcrest, Alberta.
Hillcrest | |
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Coordinates: 49°34′08″N 114°22′37″W / 49.569°N 114.377°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Alberta |
Specialized municipality | Crowsnest Pass |
Government | |
• Type | Unincorporated |
• Governing body | Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Council |
Area (2021)[1] | |
• Land | 0.51 km2 (0.20 sq mi) |
Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 640 |
• Density | 1,251.7/km2 (3,242/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC−7 (MST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
Hillcrest, also known as Hillcrest Mines, is an urban community in the Rocky Mountains within the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in southwest Alberta, Canada. It was once a hamlet[2][3] under the jurisdiction of Improvement District (ID) No. 5 prior to 1979 when the former ID No. 5 amalgamated with four other municipalities to form Crowsnest Pass.
Hillcrest was named after Charles Plummer Hill, an early coal prospector and entrepreneur who also founded Porthill, Idaho. Hill grew up and was educated in Seaford, Delaware before moving northwest. The Hillcrest Coal and Coke Company, incorporated on January 31, 1905, began constructing the community the same year, and the Canadian Pacific Railway soon built a spur, for transporting coal from the Hillcrest Mine, and a train station. Hillcrest soon grew to a population of about 1,000. The post office opened in 1907 with Mr. Hill as the postmaster.[11]
Although the mine was successful, and considered one of the safest in the region, an underground explosion in 1914 (Canada's worst mine disaster) killed 189 people — almost twenty percent of the community's population and half the mine's workforce. A further explosion in 1926 killed two others. After the mine closed in 1939, Hillcrest experienced a period of economic decline.
In 1979, the former I.D. No. 5, which included the former hamlet of Hillcrest, amalgamated with Bellevue, Blairmore, Coleman and Frank to form the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Hillcrest had a population of 640 living in 324 of its 373 total private dwellings, a change of 7.2% from its 2016 population of 597. With a land area of 0.51 km2 (0.20 sq mi), it had a population density of 1,254.9/km2 (3,250.2/sq mi) in 2021.[1]