Two theories are behind the naming of the community. "Onoway" in Chipewyan translates to "fair field" while the variant "onaway" is used in The Song of Hiawatha, a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.[5] Onoway's post office was established in 1904.[6] Onoway incorporated as a village on June 25, 1923.[1] It incorporated as a town on September 1, 2005.[1]
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Onoway had a population of 966 living in 360 of its 388 total private dwellings, a change of -6.1% from its 2016 population of 1,029. With a land area of 3.31 km2 (1.28 sq mi), it had a population density of 291.8/km2 (755.9/sq mi) in 2021.[3]
In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Onoway recorded a population of 1,029 living in 355 of its 374 total private dwellings, a -1% change from its 2011 population of 1,039. With a land area of 3.32 km2 (1.28 sq mi), it had a population density of 309.9/km2 (802.7/sq mi) in 2016.[7]
Attractions
Onoway hosts a weekend fair every June called "Heritage Days".[citation needed][8]
Onoway has an elementary school, serving 400 students in the local area[9] as well as a junior and senior high school which has been open since the 1940s.[10]
^Larry Donovan & Tom Monto (2006). Alberta Place Names: The Fascinating People & Stories Behind the Naming of Alberta. Dragon Hill Publishing Ltd. pp. 174–175.
^Hamilton, William (1978). The Macmillan Book of Canadian Place Names. Toronto: Macmillan. p. 29. ISBN0-7715-9754-1.
