Winkler, Man, Town, pop 7943 (2001c), 7241 (1996c), 6397 (1991c), 5926 (1986c), area 17.02 km2, inc as Village 1906 and Town 1954, is located in the Pembina Valley region, 115 km SW of Winnipeg and 22 km N of the US international boundary. Settlement in the Winkler area began in 1882 and the CPR established a siding there on land owned by Valentine Winkler, a businessman and politician, in 1892.
Nearby were agricultural villages in the NW part of the West Reserve, one of 2 areas in Manitoba set aside in the 1870s for Mennonite immigrants from southern Russia. Favourable soil and climate, combined with the farming expertise of these religious settlers, helped develop one of Manitoba's richest farming regions.
Winkler grew as a trade, service and processing centre for the agricultural sector and, after WWII, as a regional retail and industrial centre. Industrial production includes recreational vehicles, mobile homes, agricultural machinery, metal and plastic products, and manufactured homes. Among the town's facilities are a regional shopping centre (1985), a radio station, a municipal airport, a museum and a recreation complex.