Communities Around Providence

Communities Around Providence

Providence University College and Seminary is located approximately 50 km, or 30 minutes, south of Winnipeg in the community of Otterburne, Manitoba. We are located in the Red River Valley in the fertile agricultural belt of southeast Manitoba. The surrounding vicinity is quiet and pastoral offering an environment conducive to study and reflection.

Otterburne and St. Pierre-Jolys

Otterburne and St. Pierre-Jolys are sister communities 8 km apart. The combined population of these two towns and the farms between them is approximately 1200 people. Both Otterburne, where Providence is located, and St. Pierre-Jolys are traditionally French Canadian.

Agriculture is the dominant industry within this area and consists of grain farming, dairy farming and livestock. There are local businesses to serve all your needs including banking, car repair, gas stations, restaurants, a grocery store, 2 schools (French speaking only), a hospital, a library, and a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detachment to serve both communities including Providence University College and Seminary. The Bigway Grocery store offers a grocery delivery service to the Providence campus.

There are Catholic Churches in St. Pierre-Jolys and Otterburne conducting masses in French. The St. Pierre Bible Fellowship has a thriving bilingual membership and offers English worship services. The St. Pierre Bible Fellowship also offers a shuttle service for Providence students to their worship services each Sunday. There are attractions that bring visitors to Otterburne and St. Pierre-Jolys besides Providence University College and Seminary. These include the Maple Syrup Festival held in April, and the St-Pierre-Jolys Frog Follies (a village fair held in August).

Niverville

Niverville is a town of 2500 people located 11 km north of Providence University College and Seminary and is one of the fastest growing communities in Manitoba. This farming community has seen much growth with people moving from Winnipeg wanting to raise a family outside of the 'big city' influence.

The history of Niverville is closely tied with grain farming and although first settled by the British, an influx of Mennonite farmers from Russia in 1874 changed the demographics of this area even to this present day. Every year Niverville hosts the Niverville Olde Tyme Country Fair, which is held the second weekend of June.

Niverville offers a full range of business services as well as an elementary and high school that offer instruction in English. There are seven churches to choose from in Niverville including United and various Mennonite denominations. There is a Sunday morning bus service which brings Providence students to a church of their choice in Niverville and returning after the service.

Grunthal

Grunthal is located 23 km southeast of Providence and has a population of just less than 1000 people. Grunthal is known for its Centennial Raceway, a motocross track known to be one of the best in Manitoba with major races being held from July to September. The annual Grunthal Fairdays are held on the second weekend in August and includes a parade, rodeo and racing amongst other activities.

Grunthal is a full service community that has two schools providing instruction from Grades kindergarten to 12, as well there are 10 churches to choose from.

Steinbach

Steinbach is located 30 km east of Providence University College and Seminary and, with a population of 11,000, is the largest community and economic centre for southeast Manitoba. Mennonite settlers from Russia founded the city in 1874. A Mennonite Heritage Village museum, located in the city, provides a look at the life of these settlers through a reconstructed village and interpretive displays. Steinbach offers all the services that many larger cities offer from mall shopping, banking, vehicle service centres, restaurants, golfing, a library, and an aquatic centre. Steinbach is also known as the Automobile Capital of Canada and is a good place to shop for new and used vehicles. There are many churches to choose from in Steinbach and many Providence students carpool to Steinbach to go to worship services held either on Saturday night or Sunday morning.

Winnipeg

Winnipeg is the capital city of Manitoba and has a population of 675,000 people. It is located close to the geographical centre of North America and is 50km from the Providence campus. There are two major rivers, the Red and the Assiniboine Rivers, which join in Winnipeg at a place known as The Forks, a mixed-use public space and one of the city's most popular attractions. Although Winnipeg can be very warm in the summer and very cold in the winter, it is rated as second in Canada for having the clearest skies year round. Winnipeg is an important centre of commerce, industry, culture, finance, and government. The city is also home to several large festivals. The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival is North America's second largest Fringe Festival, held every July. The Winnipeg International Writers Festival (THIN AIR) rivals similar festivals in Calgary and Vancouver. Other festivals include Folklorama, the Jazz Winnipeg Festival, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Winnipeg Music Festival, the Red River Exhibition, and Le Festival du Voyageur. Winnipeg has many churches, some of which are very large. Ethnic based churches can also be found in Winnipeg that serve specific communities from across Africa and Asia. For example many Korean students attending Providence attend Korean worship services in Winnipeg.