The Town of Beaumont, ideally situated about 3 km south of the Edmonton city limits and 9 km east of the Edmonton International Airport and it offers a small town atmosphere with character, culture and charm. Culturally, the French history has been maintained and the town is bilingual. Beaumont also boasts Beaumont Composite High School, one of the first schools to offer a sci-tech program and a winner of the North American Architecture award; French immersion offered in all five Beaumont schools, and a high quality publicly-funded Child Care Centre. It also has the added bonus of a low crime rate, and is one of the highest per capita income communities in Alberta. The area was first settled in 1895, but the town was built around 1919, following the construction of an area church. The St. Vital Roman Catholic Church was built on top of the "beautiful hill," giving Beaumont its name. Many early settlers to the Leduc are were French-speaking from Ontario and Quebec, attracted to the good farmland and proximity to a good priest, since the parish of Beaumont had neither a railroad or coal mine.The town's downtown is developed with a French village theme, with red brick sidewalks, steep roofs, interesting building materials, and French-style details like dormers, window bars, canopies and shutters. The town's recreation is centered around the 51 acre Four Seasons Park/Parc Quatre Saisons complete with a recreational/trout pond, day use areas, playing fields, picnic sites and pathways. This town hosts the annual Town & Country Daze (mid-June) with a parade, a soapbox derby, a slow-pitch tournament, a dance and cultural events. Today, Beaumont has a population just over 7,000 people and it's land mass covers about 11 square kilometers. |