Wawota

Town in Saskatchewan, Canada

49°54′24″N 102°01′34″W / 49.90667°N 102.02611°W / 49.90667; -102.02611CountryCanadaProvinceSaskatchewanCensus division1Rural Municipality WawkenPost office founded1884-09-01Government

• MayorKevin Kay • Governing bodyWawota Town Council • MPRobert Kitchen Souris-Moose Mountain • MLADaryl Harrison CanningtonArea

• Total1.24 km² (0.48 sq mi)Population

(2011)^[1]

• Total543 • Density437.9/km² (1,134/sq mi)Time zoneCSTPostal code

S0G 5A0

Area code306HighwaysHighway 48 Highway 603Websitewawota.com^[2]^[3]

Wawota is a town of 543 people, located along Highway 48 in southeast Saskatchewan, Canada. Established in 1905, its name is from Dakota "wa ota", which means "much snow". Wa means 'snow', oda or ota means 'much'. It is sometimes mistakenly said to mean 'deep snow'.

History

The town's motto, "Progress Through Perseverance", is fitting, as Wawota has made a concerted effort in the last few decades to remain a vibrant community for people of all ages, despite the ongoing challenges faced by nearly all rural towns in the province. The loss of the local railway, the so-called Peanut Line, in August, 1961 is often cited as a galvanizing moment for the community, and the dawn of the town's progressive spirit.

Regionally, Wawota is perhaps best known for its long history of successful sports teams, most notably in hockey and baseball, as well as its unusual collection of fire hydrants, painted to resemble various people and cartoon characters. Wawota is also noteworthy as the 'twin capital', due to the large number of twin births recorded in the community, particularly throughout the 1970s and early 1980s.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Wawota had a population of 555 living in 245 of its 287 total private dwellings, a change of 2.2% from its 2016 population of 543. With a land area of 1.28 km² (0.49 sq mi), it had a population density of 433.6/km² (1,123.0/sq mi) in 2021.^[4]

Parks and recreation

Sports facilities include Lyle’s Ball Park for babeball, Wawota Forum for hockey, Wawota Curling Rink, and a soccer pitch. The Wawota Flyers senior men's hockey team of the Big 6 Hockey League plays at the Forum and the Wawota Pats senior men's baseball team of the Saskota Baseball League plays at Lyle's Ball Park.^[5]

Notable people

Former NHL player Brooks Laich

References

^ "2011 Community Profiles". Statistics Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
^ National Archives, Archivia Net. "Post Offices and Postmasters". Retrieved 2014-08-21.
^ Government of Saskatchewan, MRD Home. "Municipal Directory System". Retrieved 2014-08-21.
^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Saskatchewan". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
^ "Sports & Recreation – Wawota".