Didsbury

Didsbury, Alta, incorporated as a town in 1906, population 4957 (2011c), 4305 (2006c). The Town of Didsbury is located about 75 km north of Calgary and is named after the town of Didsbury near Manchester in England.

In 1893 land was set aside in the Didsbury area for the block settlement of a group of MENNONITE settlers from Ontario. The completion of the Calgary-Edmonton rail line in 1893 and the building of a Canadian Pacific Railway station at Didsbury in 1904 led to the development of a small community. By 1901 there were 3 stores and other businesses operating in the community to serve the surrounding population. It was incorporated as a village in 1905 and soon after as a town. Much of the town's commercial heart was destroyed in 3 major fires that occurred in 1914. The town centre was rebuilt, and Didsbury has become a commercial and service centre for the surrounding district.