MEMBER PROFILE
Proud Heritage,
Strong Future
As the entrance gateway to Manitoba, Virden sees
plenty of opportunity for growth in the years ahead
By Paul Adair
Located approximately 80 kilo-metres
west of Brandon, along
the Trans-Canada Highway, and
only a 30-minute drive from the
Saskatchewan border, the Town of Virden
is the scenic “entrance gateway” into
Manitoba when travelling east, and the fond
“Manitoba farewell” when driving west.
The tiny farming community initially
known as Gopher Creek (for the nearby
small creek that flowed into the Assiniboine
River) became a railway tent town in 1882,
set up as one of the many stopping points
for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) as it
rolled west across the Prairies. Growing in
population because of the local brick and
flour industries, the town changed its name
to Virden in 1883, after the country estate
of the 7th Duke of Manchester, who served
on the CP board of directors.
With a population of just over 3,300,
Virden is an agricultural community with
room to grow and features many attrac-tions
(such as the wildly popular Virden
Indoor Rodeo & Wild West Daze), recre-ation
and sporting opportunities, service
organizations, a strong business commu-nity
and an excellent education system.
Virden is able to provide the comfort and
security of a rural community with all
of the amenities found in a larger urban
centre, which make it an attractive place
for families.
“We have the essential services you
need, so you don’t have to leave and
make the trip to larger centres outside
the community to get them,” said Liza
Park, economic development manager for
the Town of Virden. “We now have two
dentists in town, a chiropractor, massage
therapy, optometrist – all those specialty
services that a smaller rural town usually
doesn’t have can be found here, making it
a service attraction for other communities
to Virden.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF TOWN OF VIRDEN
BUILDING RURAL MANITOBA | 21