The Town of Niverville is located 55 kilometres south of Winnipeg, Manitoba's Capital. Situated in the province's Eastman Region, the community of 1600 people is also 40 kilometres west of Steinbach, the regions largest centre. The Village of Niverville was first founded in 1877, and its classification was changed to "town" in 1993.
History
Niverville was named after Chevalier Joseph Claude Boucher de Niverville, an officer of the company of Legardeur de St.Pierre, who succeeded LaVerendry in charge of the Western Posts. Niverville was the first Mennonite settlement in Manitoba. From the new community, the original Mennonite settlers branched out and spread to the many communities they settled throughout the province.
Niverville was also the home of the first fully operational grain elevator in Western Canada. Constructed in 1878, the new facility began a boom of construction that saw thousands of elevators constructed across the prairies. For decades, these elevators were the hubs of economic activity for many prairie communities. A German diplomat, the Honourable William Hespler, provided financing for this first elevator. The Niverville elevator was also the supplier of the first western Canadian Barley ever shipped to overseas markets.
The Town of Niverville lies on the edge of the Red River Valley. The land is remarkably flat, and the rich black soils here are known as being some of the finest crops in the land. To the east of the town, the land becomes gently rolling as one gets out of the valley. Many trees and wooded areas dot the countryside, breaking up the view over the vast flat plain.
Economic Base
The local business climate in Niverville is very prosperous. The town's original elevator was replaced many years ago with a more modern, higher capacity facility. The new elevator provides seeds and chemicals, as well as, many agricultural services to many farm families in the Niverville area. Other agricultural businesses serving the area are a fully modern feed mill and a large hatchery. Part of a prairie network of companies, the high-tech feed mill supplies animal rations to corporate and family owned livestock operations across a large portion of southeast Manitoba.
Businesses in the small industrial sector in Niverville include small manufacturing and fabrication firms, as well as, automotive and machine shops, and a popular auto-body repair shop. Many other small businesses are based in Niverville, including restaurants, salons, a grocery store, furniture stores, and many trades-persons.
Niverville's growing professional sector also includes two doctors, a dentist, an optometrist, chiropractor, and several lawyers and accountants. Many rural residents in the surrounding municipalities use Niverville as a shopping and service centre, catering to many daily needs.
Major Attractions
Niverville's minor sports program provides team opportunities to many children and young adults in the community and surrounding area. During the summer months, baseball and soccer are the main attractions. In winter, the focus shifts to hockey and the Niverville Clippers. From the smallest "Squirts" all the way up to the "Senior Clippers", games at the local arena are always a big attraction.
Most of the town's sport activities are currently based out of the Niverville Recreational Park, however, a new 95 acre facility is under construction that will house four baseball diamonds, two soccer pitches, walking trails, a play structure and much more.
