Melita, Manitoba

Melita
Melita
Town
	Front Street
	Town boundaries
	Melita
	Coordinates: 49°16′05″N 100°59′45″W / 49.26806°N 100.99583°W
Country	Canada
Province	Manitoba
Rural Municipality	Two Borders
Area
• Total	3.19 km2 (1.23 sq mi)
Population (2021)
• Total	1,041
• Density	330/km2 (850/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−5 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (CDT)

Melita (/məˈlɪtə/) is a town located in the south-western corner of the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is surrounded by the Municipality of Two Borders and occupies a bend of the Souris River. Graham Creek runs along the west side of town and into the Souris River. The population at the 2016 census was 1,042.^[2] It sits at the junction of Highways 3 and 83, approximately 320 km southwest of Winnipeg. Melita is known as the "Grasslands Bird Capital of Manitoba"^[3] and is located in Manitoba's banana belt.

History

Evidence of First Nations habitation in the area includes the Linear Mounds Archaeological Site and the Brockinton Archaeological Site, which have provided artifacts dating back to 800 AD.^[4] The site has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.^[5]

Charles West was the first recorded European settler, in 1879.^[6] The early inhabitants chose the name "Melita" for the town after hearing a Bible reading (Acts 28:1) about St. Paul's shipwreck on the island of Malta (Melita is an older name for the island).^[7]

Main Street (2014)
Water tower

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Melita had a population of 1,041 living in 465 of its 548 total private dwellings, a change of -0.1% from its 2016 population of 1,042. With a land area of 3.19 km² (1.23 sq mi), it had a population density of 326.3/km² (845.2/sq mi) in 2021.^[1]

Notable people

James Breakey, politician
John Cobb (Manitoba politician), politician
Jim Downey (politician), politician
Betty Fox, cancer research activist and mother of Terry Fox, was raised in Melita.^[8]
Wayne Hall, professional hockey player
Kory Karlander, professional hockey player
J. Arthur Ross, politician

References

^ ^a ^b "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Manitoba". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
^ "Melita, Town". Census Profile. Statistics Canada.
^ "Bird Watching". Town of Melita. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
^ "Historical Interest". Town of Melita. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
^ Linear Mounds. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
^ "Our First Century", Melita-Arthur History Committee, 1983
^ Ham, Penny (1980). Place Names of Manitoba. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Western Producer Prairie Books. pp. 83. ISBN 9780888330673.
^ Martin, Sandra (18 June 2011). "Betty Fox, cancer-advocacy champion and mother of Terry Fox, dies". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 27 June 2011.

External links

Official website

[2021census-1] "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Manitoba". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.

[2] "Melita, Town". Census Profile. Statistics Canada.

[3] "Bird Watching". Town of Melita. Retrieved 15 January 2013.

[4] "Historical Interest". Town of Melita. Retrieved 15 January 2013.

[5] Linear Mounds. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 23 May 2012.

[6] "Our First Century", Melita-Arthur History Committee, 1983

[7] Ham, Penny (1980). Place Names of Manitoba. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Western Producer Prairie Books. pp. 83. ISBN 9780888330673.

[globe-8] Martin, Sandra (18 June 2011). "Betty Fox, cancer-advocacy champion and mother of Terry Fox, dies". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 27 June 2011.

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