The area now known as Brooks, Alberta, was once a bison-hunting ground for the Blackfoot and Crow tribes. Following the signing of Treaty 7 in 1877, homesteaders moved into the area under the Dominion Lands Act to begin farming. The area remained nameless until 1904 when a contest sponsored by the Postmaster General named it after Noel Edgell Brooks, a Canadian Pacific Railway Divisional Engineer from Calgary.
Brooks was incorporated as a village on July 14, 1910, and then as a town on September 8, 1911. By the 1996 Census, the population of Brooks had reached 10,093, making it eligible for city status. Brooks officially became a city on September 1, 2005, and celebrated its centennial in 2010.
As of the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Brooks had a population of 14,924. The city is known for its multicultural community and has been referred to as "The City of 100 Hellos" due to its significant immigrant, refugee, and temporary foreign worker populations. This multicultural character was the subject of a 2010 documentary by Brandy Yanchyk titled "Brooks – The City of 100 Hellos" and a 2007 National Film Board of Canada documentary, "24 Days in Brooks," directed by Dana Inkster. Brooks has the highest proportion of Black Canadians of any census subdivision in Canada.
Brooks is located in the Grassland Natural Region of Alberta, surrounded by dry mixed grass/shortgrass prairie. The city is situated on Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) and the Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway, approximately 186 km southeast of Calgary, and 110 km northwest of Medicine Hat. The city sits at an elevation of 760 m.
Brooks is located in the steppe region known as the Palliser's Triangle and has a semi-arid climate. Winters are quite dry and cold, with less snowfall compared to the rest of Canada. Chinook winds, though less common than in areas west and southwest of Brooks, are not uncommon and can temporarily ameliorate the cold winter temperatures. Most of the annual precipitation occurs in late spring and summer, often in the form of thunderstorms.
Brooks offers a variety of attractions for residents and visitors alike. The JBS Leisure Centre, the area's main recreation centre, includes an arena, a curling rink, an aquatic centre, a gymnasium, a fitness centre, and multipurpose rooms. The Brooks Public Library is also located within the JBS Leisure Centre.
Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy the Duke of Sutherland Park, which features baseball diamonds, a soccer field, a playground, and a waterpark. The Centennial Regional Arena, completed in 2010, is a multi-purpose facility that hosts various events and is home to the Brooks Bandits.
For those interested in natural beauty, there are three provincial parks in the area: Dinosaur Provincial Park, a World Heritage Site, Tillebrook Provincial Park, and Kinbrook Island Provincial Park. Other recreational sites include the Rolling Hills Reservoir, Crawling Valley Reservoir, and Emerson Bridge. The Brooks Aqueduct, built to transport irrigation water across the Eastern Irrigation District, is another must-see attraction.
