Innisfail, AB

Innisfail is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located in the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor, south of Red Deer at the junction of Highway 2 and Highway 54.

History

The town's name comes from an Irish-language epithet for Ireland, Inis Fáil, "Isle of Destiny". Before this name was adopted, the town was often referred to as "Poplar Grove". Sandy Fraser, Napoleon Remillard, Arthur Content and Bill Kemp settled in the area from 1884-1887. These were Innisfail’s first settlers. Dr. Henry George was an important physician and coroner for Calgary and Central Alberta. He settled in Innisfail and built a house he called “Lindum Lodge” (this is where the Dr. George/Kemp house is today). Later the house was occupied by Bill Kemp and Kate Jane Kemp, who ran it as a boarding house until the 1960s. More people continued to move to the Innisfail area. The construction of the railroad attracted more settlers and business. One of the first businessmen in the area was G. W. West. He is very important to Innisfail’s past as he ran a general store, meat market, and grocery store. He was Innisfail’s first proprietor when he moved here in 1891. By the 1900s, Innisfail was a village. Some of the early businesses included the Union Bank, the Murray Hotel, Hotel Alberta, the New York Café, the Modern Café, the Paris Café, the Opera House and the West Store.

Demographics

The Town of Innisfail's 2012 municipal census counted a population of 7,922, a 0.5% increase over its 2009 municipal census population of 7,883.

In the 2011 Census, the Town of Innisfail had a population of 7,876 living in 3,118 of its 3,323 total dwellings, a 7.4% change from its 2006 adjusted population of 7,331. With a land area of 19.53 km2 (7.54 sq mi), it had a population density of in 2011.