Longview also refers to various other small towns, villages, and
cities. It seems to be a rather popular name.
In particular, Longview is the name of a village in southern
Alberta, Canada. It is about 60km south of Calgary, Alberta. Longview
was founded during the Turner Valley oil boom in the early
1900's. This was the time when Alberta's economy first came to be
based on energy. Longview was such a boom town that it was
nicknamed "Little New York". The nickname and the times in which
Longview was founded are celebrated today during Little New York
Daze in late July. This is the kind of fair where everyone in town participates, gets drunk, and plays
firemen's tug of war.
Longview originally had a twin city, Royalties, but that city
withered and died since the boom times. When only a few houses
remained, a local oil company bought them out and took them down so
that the residents wouldn't have to complain about the smells coming
from a gas plant to the west of them. Royalties was nicknamed Little
Chicago, and though it is gone, it's memory lives on in the names of
some Longview business, such as Twin Cities Meats.
Since the Turner Valley oil field slowed down, Longview has become
an agricultural and tourist town, although oil is still produced
there. Longview is also an exporter of Longview Beef Jerky, which is
sent as far away as Japan. The tourist trade is bolstered by nearby
Kananaskis Country, a large recreation area in the Rocky Mountains,
and by the Bar U Ranch, a national historic site south of town.
Some of Longview's memorable landmarks are letters spelling out
"Longview" in white rocks on the hill overlooking the village. This is
the hill which Longview takes it's name from because of the
spectacular view to the west. Memories Inn has become something of a
landmark in recent times, a restaurant of popular destination for
movies stars like Clint Eastwood, folks from Calgary and
further. Twin Cities Meats is also a bit of a landmark, a old time
meat shop where you can stop in and pick up some beef jerky on your
way through town. Another claim to fame is an AGT
(Alberta Government Telephones, now Telus) commercial which featured
the line "Where's Longview?", which is why anyone from Longview
chuckles when asked that.
Part of Superman II (I think, may have been a different one,
correct me if I'm wrong) was shot in Longview. In particular, the
scene where the truck falls off the bridge into the river below was
shot on the bridge over the Highwood river just south of town. Other
films have been shot near Longview, including Unforgiven and Golden Harvest.