Aberdeen, a quaint town nestled in the heart of Saskatchewan, Canada, is a place where history and modernity coexist. Situated just 18 minutes north-east of Saskatoon, this town is home to a population of 622 people.
Aberdeen's history dates back to the 1890s and 1900s when it was first settled by immigrants of Russian, English, Scottish, and Ukrainian descent. These initial settlers included people born in Eastern or Atlantic Canada, largely of English or Scottish ancestry, along with Ukrainian immigrants (1898–1899) and Mennonites from Manitoba (1901).
Originally named Dueck, it was organized as the hamlet of Aberdeen in 1904. The town was named in honour of Ishbel Maria Marjoribanks Gordon, Lady Aberdeen, the founder of the National Council of Women of Canada. In 1904, the Canadian Northern Railway reached the town, and by 1908, the railway had become critical for the sale of wheat, with 120 rail cars of hard wheat shipped out that year. Business on Main Street peaked in the early 1930s, until it was largely destroyed by fire in 1937.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Aberdeen had a population of 716 living in 255 of its 264 total private dwellings, a change of 8.2% from its 2016 population of 662. With a land area of 1.96 km2 (0.76 sq mi), it had a population density of 365.3/km2 (946.1/sq mi) in 2021.
The Aberdeen Recreation Complex (ARC) is a testament to the town's commitment to community and fitness. Completed in the fall of 2005, the ARC is run by a board of directors and funded by the Aberdeen and District Charities Inc. The ARC is home to the AMHA Aberdeen Flames, and the Knights Senior Hockey Club. The Complex also has a café & lounge, fitness center, and meeting rooms.
Farm in the Dell is a community-based organization supporting people with disabilities in a rural farm-like setting through residential and vocational opportunities. It currently operates one group home providing 10 residential spaces and a day program for 10 people. On June 1, 2018, the Farm in the Dell celebrated the development of a five-space group home, a two-space supervised independent living program and an expansion to the day program space. The Government of Saskatchewan provided more than $525,000 in annual funding to this initiative, bringing annual funding for Farm in the Dell to more than $1.4 million.
SaskWater purchases water from the city of Saskatoon and then sells the water to the town of Aberdeen, which in turn sells it to local residents. This is facilitated through the use of a $4M pipeline that was completed in 2010.
