Bentley, Alberta
Encyclopedia
Bentley is a town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
located 28 km (17 mi) north-west of Red Deer
Red Deer, Alberta
Red Deer is a city in Central Alberta, Canada. It is located near the midpoint of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor and is surrounded by Red Deer County. It is Alberta's third-most-populous city – after Calgary and Edmonton. The city is located in aspen parkland, a region of rolling hills...
, in the province of Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
It was named in honour of George Bentley, an early homesteader.
History
The first settlers came from the U.S. and either walked or drove oxen from LacombeLacombe, Alberta
Lacombe is a city in Alberta, Canada. It is located north of Red Deer, the nearest major city, and south of Edmonton, the nearest metropolitan area...
, which was the closest railroad station between 1888-1890. The first church was built in 1890 by the Methodists, and a schoolhouse was built in 1903. Bentley was incorporated as a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in 1906.
1916 saw a disastrous fire that destroyed all buildings on the south side of the community. The centre roadway was made 36 metres (118.1 ft) wide and new buildings could not be constructed inside that area. In 1930, a centre boulevard was constructed for fire protection and street lights installed.
Bentley was incorporated as a town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in 2003.
Demographics
The population of the Town of Bentley according to its 2009 municipal census is 1,132.In 2006, Bentley had a population of 1,083 living in 445 dwellings
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
, a 4.1% increase from 2001. The town has a land area of 2.3 km² (0.888034964762831 sq mi) and a population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 470.7 /km2.