| Bowden | |
| Official Name: | Town of Bowden |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Image Caption: | 20 Avenue, 2005 |
| Pushpin Map: | Canada Alberta |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Bowden in Alberta |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Alberta |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Central Alberta |
| Subdivision Type3: | Census division |
| Subdivision Name3: | 8 |
| Subdivision Type4: | Municipal district |
| Subdivision Name4: | Red Deer County |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Robb Stuart |
| Leader Title1: | Governing body |
| Leader Name1: | Bowden Town Council |
| Leader Title2: | CAO |
| Leader Name2: | Rudy Friesen |
| Leader Title3: | MP |
| Leader Name3: | Earl Dreeshen |
| Leader Title4: | MLA |
| Leader Name4: | Devin Dreeshen |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Title1: | Incorporated[1] |
| Established Date1: | |
| Established Title2: | • Village |
| Established Date2: | June 17, 1904 |
| Established Title3: | • Town |
| Established Date3: | September 1, 1981 |
| Area Footnotes: | (2021) |
| Area Land Km2: | 3.46 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 1280 |
| Population Density Km2: | 370.2 |
| Timezone: | MST |
| Utc Offset: | −7 |
| Timezone Dst: | MDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | −6 |
| Coordinates: | 51.9306°N -114.0256°W |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [3] |
| Elevation M: | 991 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code span |
| Postal Code: | T4E |
| Area Code: | +1-403 |
Bowden is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Red Deer County on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, approximately 45km (28miles) south of Red Deer.
The community may take its name from Bowdon, Greater Manchester, in England. A provincial Alberta Land Surveyor reference relates this alternate name source, "The most widely accepted version says that a surveyor named Williamson suggested that this siding on the Edmonton-Calgary Trail take the maiden name of his wife."[4] [5]
During the World War II an area of land 4 kilometres north of the town was appropriated by the Royal Canadian Air Force for construction of an Air Training Base. RCAF Station Bowden was home to No. 32 Elementary Flying Train School (EFTS).[6] [7]
After the war the site was converted to the Bowden Institution, originally as a provincial facility. In 1974 it was converted to a Corrections Canada medium security penitentiary.[8]
The town describes itself as a bedroom community,[9] meaning a large proportion of the working population commutes to other employment centres, including Red Deer and Calgary.
Nearby communities include Innisfail to the north, Caroline to the west, Huxley to the east and Olds to the south.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Bowden had a population of 1,280 living in 584 of its 622 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 1,240. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.[10]
In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Bowden recorded a population of 1,240 living in 524 of its 581 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 1,241. With a land area of 2.8km2, it had a population density of in 2016.[11]
Bowden has a nine-hole golf course with a licensed clubhouse.[12] The Paterson Community Centre and the Friendship Centre provide venues for family and community functions. The Pioneer Museum offers an insight into past community life and the past history of the Town.[13] The pioneer museum features photographs by the local photographer Bob Hoare, who documented local residents around the turn of the twentieth century.[14]
List of communities in Alberta
List of towns in Alberta