Carbon is a village in central 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 is located in Kneehill County

Kneehill County, Alberta

Kneehill County is a municipal district situated in Division No. 5, Alberta, central Alberta.The presence of oil and natural gas in the region has attracted some industry.-Demographics:...

, 41 kilometres (25.5 mi) west of Drumheller

Drumheller, Alberta

Drumheller is a town within the Red Deer River valley in the badlands of east-central Alberta, Canada. It is located northeast of Calgary...

 and 120 kilometres (74.6 mi) northeast of Calgary

Calgary

Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

, along Highway 836, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) each of Highway 21 on Highway 575. Built at the beginning of the 20th century in the Kneehill Creek Valley, Carbon is a picturesque village with paved, quiet streets lined with trees.

History

The Carbon district has a very colorful and interesting history. Ranching, farming and coal mining

Coal mining

The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...

 were the major activities of the early settlers. The name Carbon was suggested by L.D. Elliot, an area rancher, and was adopted for the new post office opened on October 1, 1904. The village was incorporated in 1912.

Demographics

In 2006, Carbon had a population of 570 living in 228 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 7.5% increase from 2001. The village had an area of 2 km² (0.77220431718507 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 284.7 inhabitants per square kilometre.

Facilities and amenities

The village also features a K-12 school, swimming pool, museum and art gallery, curling rink, and two campgrounds. Maintained walking paths are also available year-round, following the creek through the valley.

See also

• List of communities in Alberta
• List of villages in Alberta
• Archie Gouldie

External links

• Village of Carbon - official website