Steinbach is a city of approx. 13,000 people (2009 est.) in the province of Manitoba, Canada, a short distance from the capital Winnipeg. As the regional economic hub of southeastern Manitoba, Steinbach has a trading area population of about 50,000 people. It is the fastest-growing city in Manitoba, with a population growth of 19.9% between the 2001 and the 2006 census periods, which places it as the fifth largest community in Manitoba. Sandilands Provincial Forest is a short distance east of the city.
Steinbach (meaning "Stony Brook" in German) was founded in 1874 by German-speaking Mennonite settlers from Russia. The Mennonite Heritage Village museum, located in the city, provides a glimpse at the life of these settlers through a reconstructed village and interpretive displays. Its Dutch windmill, which was rebuilt (with help from Dutch millwrights) after the 1972 replica was destroyed by arson in 2001, is a recognized symbol of the city. Steinbach is known as "The Automobile City"; in 1914 the first Ford automobile dealer in Western Canada was established here.
In 2003 Steinbach residents narrowly voted in a local referendum to end liquor prohibition. Steinbach made the news again in 2004 when Miriam Toews published her best-selling novel A Complicated Kindness, which satirized the city under an alternate name. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
