Oyen

Oyen is a small town of 1,000 people (2016) in the Southern Alberta region of Alberta, Canada.

Understand
Oyen is likely to be encountered by travellers as a stopping point on a car journey between Calgary and Saskatoon. It is a supply centre for the extensive grain farms in the area and for oil and gas workers.

Oyen is the service centre for a large but sparsely populated dryland farming area. In the surrounding area wheat, barley, and canola are important crops, and beef cattle are raised.

Climate
Oyen experiences a semi-arid climate. Winters are long, cold and dry, while summers are short and warm. Precipitation is low, with an annual average of 322 mm, and is heavily concentrated in the warmer months. Oyen's precipitation is narrowly below being a humid continental climate, a type it closely resembles in terms of yearly temperatures.

Get in
Oyen is close to the Saskatchewan boundary, north of Medicine Hat. The town is on Highway 41, south of its junction with Highway 9. It is the first major centre within Alberta for travellers entering from Saskatchewan.

Oyen is 397 km southeast of Edmonton, 327 km east of Calgary and 298 km west of Saskatoon. Oyen is about 187 km north of Medicine Hat and approximately 315 km north of the US border.

There is a major highway rest stop north of the town at the junction of Highway 41 and Highway 9. It has a service station, A&W restaurant, a motel and a visitor information centre operated by Travel Alberta.

There is Oyen Municipal Airport 1 km south of the town. It has no scheduled flights.

Get around
Ask for directions to the nearest Light Rapid Transit station. That's sure to get a laugh.

See
In the area around, look for pronghorn antelope.



Do
Oyen has a golf course, an arena, curling rink, and outdoor pool.