Claresholm

• Name — Claresholm • Official Name — Town of Claresholm • Type — Town • Motto — Now you're living... Now you're home • Pushpin Map — Canada Alberta#Canada • Pushpin Caption — Location of Claresholm in Alberta • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — Canada • Subdivision Type1 — Province • Subdivision Name1 — Alberta • Subdivision Type2 — Region • Subdivision Name2 — Southern Alberta • Subdivision Type3 — Census division • Subdivision Name3 — 3 • Subdivision Type4 — Municipal district • Subdivision Name4 — Municipal District of Willow Creek No. 26 • Leader Title — Mayor • Leader Name — Brad Schlossberger • Leader Title1 — Governing body • Leader Name1 — Claresholm Town Council • Leader Title3 — MLA • Established Title — Founded • Established Title1 — Incorporated • Established Title2 — • Village • Established Date2 — May 30, 1903 • Established Title3 — • Town • Established Date3 — August 31, 1905 • Area Footnotes — (2021) • Area Land Km2 — 10.51 • Population As Of — 2021 • Population Total — 3804 • Population Density Km2 — 362.1 • Time Zone — Alberta Time • Utc Offset — −06:00 • Elevation M — 1030 • Postal Code Type — Postal code span • Postal Code — T0L 0T0 • Area Codes — +1-403, +1-587 • Custom Label Sec1 — Highways • Custom Data Sec1 — Highways 2 Highway 520 • Custom Label1 Sec1 — Waterways • Custom Data1 Sec1 — Willow Creek Claresholm is a town located within southern Alberta, Canada. It is located on Highway 2, approximately 91 km northwest of the City of Lethbridge and 125 km south of the City of Calgary.

The location was originally a watering stop for steam engines on the Canadian Pacific Railway line along the Macleod Trail when the trains first arrived in the area in 1891. The first settlers arrived in 1902, and the village was established in 1903. Claresholm was incorporated as a town in 1905, the year Alberta became a province. The community was named after Clare Niblock (1856-1942), a pioneer citizen. In 1913, Alberta established a demonstration farm and School of Agriculture at Claresholm. The first hospital in Claresholm opened in 1921 and was replaced by the current hospital in 1939. Royal Canadian Air Force Station Claresholm was established near the town in 1941 to train pilots for service in World War II. It first opened on June 9, 1941 as a British Commonwealth Air Training Plan base. No. 15 Service Flying Training School operated at the base from its opening until March 1945. In 1951, the base was used to train pilots for the Korean War and operated as No. 3 Flying Training School. It also trained NATO pilots. The base closed in 1958 and the hangars were converted to industrial use. A portion of the former base operates as Claresholm Industrial Airport. Among the artifacts in the Claresholm Museum from the air base is a Link Trainer. One of the Famous Five involved in the Persons Case, Louise McKinney, lived in Claresholm and was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for the area in the 1917 provincial election. The Claresholm highway massacre took place just north of Claresholm on Alberta Highway 2 on December 15, 2011. The suspect killed three people then turned the gun on himself in a murder–suicide.

Claresholm experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb). During winter, Chinook winds have been known to move temperatures from well below freezing to well above in a matter of hours.

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Claresholm had a population of 3,804 living in 1,709 of its 1,826 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 3,790. With a land area of, it had a population density of sqmi in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Claresholm recorded a population of 3,780 living in 1,644 of its 1,742 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 3,758. With a land area of 8.11 km2, it had a population density of sqmi in 2016.