Meota, Saskatchewan


Meota is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Meota No. 468 and Census Division No. 17. The village name is derived from the Cree phrase Meotate or Mo-Was-In-Ota, meaning "good place to camp" or "it is good here."

Demographics

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Village of Meota recorded a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2016.
In the 2011 Census of Population, the Village of Meota recorded a population of, a change from its 2006 population of. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2011.

History

A post office named Meota was established in 1894, but it was located where the present-day community of Metinota is, leading to some confusion over the origins of the current village of Meota. The first post office in present-day Meota was established in 1910, although it was initially called Beachview.
Joseph A. Dart, an early merchant, had established a store in a tent near current-day Meota, and in 1910, he moved to the Meota townsite where his store operated in a building on Main Street. The Canadian Northern Railway opened its line through Meota in 1910-1911. Meota incorporated as a village on July 6, 1911. In 1912 the first grain elevator was constructed, and then a dance pavilion opened in 1921. Other industries included brick manufacturing, a flour mill, and commercial fishing. Unfortunately a series of fires have decimated the village's business district, and the advent of the automobile caused many local residents to drive to North Battleford for shopping.
Meota has enjoyed a measure of prosperity due to summer vacationers at Jackfish Lake.