in 1968 by the RM of Assiniboia merging with St. James to form the City of St. James-Assiniboia. The first council for the new City of St. James-Assiniboia met on 7 January 1969, with Alfred William Hanks as mayor. In 1972, the City of St. James-Assiniboia was dissolved and formally amalgamated with the City of Winnipeg and 11 other municipalities to create a unicity. As the community was developed, by the early 1970s, as far as the Perimeter Highway (Winnipeg's unofficial urban limit), St. James has seen very little development since that time. From 1971 to 2001, the population declined from 66,150 to 58,590 (as per Statistics Canada). The population further declined to 57,855 as of the 2006 census. However, by the 2011 census, it had increased to 61,764. The City of Winnipeg Archives holds the St. James-Assiniboia Fonds, which includes by-laws and minutes. Former reeves and mayors Prior to the amalgamation of Winnipeg in 1971/1972, the St. James-Assiniboia area was its own municipality (City of St. James-Assiniboia), preceded by other smaller municipalities, all of which had their own reeves (for rural municipalities) or mayors (for cities). Demographics St. James-Assiniboia is primarily residential and is mainly a middle-class area but there are poorer pockets in the eastern part of St. James, and wealthier areas near the St. Charles Country Club, and along the Assiniboine River. Historically, the area was a farming community along the north bank of the Assiniboine River populated by an Anglo-Métis, or mixed Scottish/English and aboriginal population, compared to the French-speaking Métis people who settled further upriver at St. François Xavier, Manitoba, and along the east banks of the Assiniboine River. Notable people Bob Brown, Wrestler Brent Fitz, Musician Bif Naked, Singer Maurice Smith, sports editor of the Winnipeg Free Press Harry Taylor, Professional hockey player Sports, recreation, and leisure There is some industrial development in the Murray Industrial Park in the north central part of the neighbourhood and near the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, which is located in St. James. There is substantial commercial development along Portage Avenue, the area's main thoroughfare, and near the western edge of the community near the Perimeter Highway, where the Unicity Shopping Mall once stood. Junior hockey teams * refers to championships won while playing in St. James St. James Civic Centre The St. James Civic Centre is a public recreation complex that serves the western part of