Neepawa, a charming town in Manitoba, Canada, is nestled on the Yellowhead Highway at the intersection with Highway 5. As of 2021, it boasts a population of 5,685. Incorporated as a town in 1883, Neepawa is situated in western Manitoba, bordered by the Municipality of North Cypress – Langford and Rural Municipality of Rosedale. It proudly proclaims itself as the Lily capital of the world, thanks to its annual Lily Festival.
The name "Neepawa" originates from the Cree word for "Land of Plenty". This name was first used around 1873, reflecting the town's abundant natural resources.
Before European settlement, the lands around Neepawa were primarily used by the Cree and the Assiniboine. The area was part of their regular cycle, following the Plains Bison for shelter in the winter and heading south across the plains in the summer. The first settlers arrived in 1877 from Listowel, Ontario, choosing to settle where the Stony and Boggy creeks meet. Over the next 30 years, settlers from the British Isles and Eastern Europe, particularly Poland and Hungary, made Neepawa their home.
The town's first businessmen, John A. Davidson and Jonathon J. Hamilton, arrived in 1880. They bought land, surveyed them into lots, and built a store and a grist mill near the junction of Boggy and Stoney Creeks. The arrival of the railway in the 1880s spurred the town's growth, and Neepawa was officially incorporated as a town on September 23, 1883.
Neepawa lies on the Manitoba Escarpment, surrounded by rolling hills typical of the escarpment. The region around Neepawa is defined as Aspen parkland, part of the Canadian Prairies. To the north lies the heavily forested parkland, including Riding Mountain National Park and Duck Mountain Provincial Park. The town is also near the source of the Whitemud River and about 60 km west of Lake Manitoba, one of the largest lakes in the province.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Neepawa had a population of 5,685 living in 1,866 of its 1,946 total private dwellings. This represented a change of 23.3% from its 2016 population of 4,609. With a land area of 17.09 km2 (6.60 sq mi), it had a population density of 332.7/km2 (861.6/sq mi) in 2021.
Neepawa is home to the Margaret Laurence Home, a designated Provincial Heritage Site and a Level 2 Museum. The Riverside Cemetery, the resting place of Margaret Laurence, also houses the Davidson Memorial, the signature of Laurence's book The Stone Angel. The cemetery is also the final resting place of four young men who perished on the Titanic in 1912.
The Beautiful Plains Museum, housed in a heritage railway station built in 1901, and the Roxy Theatre, a community-run theatre built in 1906, are other notable attractions. The town's Lily Festival, which began in 1996, attracts around 12,000 visitors each July.
Neepawa is conveniently located along Highway 16 (the Yellowhead Highway) and Highway 5 (the Parks Route). The Neepawa Airport, with a 3,500 feet (1,100 m) runway, is capable of servicing air ambulance and small jets.
