Lesson 5 — Activity 2: Why There Are Differences in Communities

In the last activity, you learned about the differences between urban, suburban, and rural communities. You will also find there are  differences between  urban communities across Canada and differences between rural communities across Canada.

Answering the questions below can help determine why communities are different.

• Who settled in the community, and what was the cultural background of these people?

• What kind of job/resources is the community built around?

Let's take a look at the difference between two rural communities in Alberta: Vegreville and High Level.

Vegreville

Vegreville was named after Father Valentin Vegreville, a Roman Catholic Oblate missionary in Western Canada. The name Vegreville was chosen by its founders, Joseph Benoit Tetreau and Joseph Poulin. The first settlers to the area were French-Canadian families who arrived beginning in 1894. English people from the United States and Eastern Canada soon joined them, followed by many people from Eastern and Central Europe.

By the 1950s there were more than 30 different ethnic groups living in the Vegreville area. The four largest were English, French, German, and Ukrainian peoples.

Vegreville's economy is based mainly on agriculture and related services; it is very much a farming community.

Courtesy of Marshall Williams,  Pexels

High Level

The name High Level described the height of the land that separates the Peace River and the Hay River. For many years, High Level was known as Tloc Moi (Hay Meadow). In the early years when many Aboriginal people from the Beaver Nation roamed the area, it was a stopping place for trappers on their way from Hay Lakes to Fort Vermilion. In 1786, fur traders arrived in the area, but it wasn't until 1947 that the first settlers from Europe arrived. Oilfields were discovered in the area in the 1960s, and this led to further settlement.

High Level's economy is based mainly on oil and gas and forestry.

C

Courtesy of  Markus Distelrath, Pixabay

You can see that there are differences in these two rural communities depending upon who settled there and what kinds of industries and resources the towns were built around.

Self-check!

You have seen how communities may have different things to offer depending on their history, resources, location, and size. Think about what would make your perfect community. Think about all the things that are important to you. Then think about what facilities and services your perfect community would have. Would you have any celebrations or sport teams? What businesses would exist in your community? What architecture would exist in your community?

In the assignment for this activity, you will design your perfect community.