West 49

West 49 Inc., is a Canadian specialty retailer of fashion and apparel, footwear, accessories, and equipment related to the action sports lifestyle. The retailer operates more than 100 stores across the country and is Canada's largest skateboard and snowboard chain. In 2005, it was ranked the 82nd fastest growing company in Canada. West 49 Inc. operates stores under several names: West 49, Billabong, Element Canada, and Amnesia/Arsenic. On November 4, 2013, YM Inc. was confirmed as the new parent company of the retail chain.

History

West 49 was established in 1995 by CEO Sam Baio, who opened three stores in Ontario, Canada. As of 2005, the company operated 65 locations in seven provinces, employed nearly 1,000 employees, and reported US$86 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending January 29, 2005.

Starting in 2001, West 49 sponsored and hosted an annual international skate event, the West 49 Canadian Open. In 2005, Microsoft joined as a co-sponsor. The West 49 Canadian Open is not on the World Cup Skateboarding event schedule for 2007 and, as of 2013, is no longer active as an annual skateboarding contest event.

West

West is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of east and is perpendicular to north and south.

Etymology

The word "West" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance languages (ouest in French, oest in Catalan, ovest in Italian, oeste in Spanish and Portuguese). As is apparent in the Gothic term vasi (Visigoths), it stems from the same Indo-European root that gave the Sanskrit vas-ati (night) and vesper (evening) in Latin.

Navigation

To go west using a compass for navigation, one needs to set a bearing or azimuth of 270°.

West is the direction opposite that of the Earth's rotation on its axis, and is therefore the general direction towards which the Sun appears to constantly progress and eventually set.

Moving continuously west is following a circle of latitude.

Cultural

The phrase "the West" is often spoken in reference to the Western world, which includes Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, and the United States of America.

West (TV series)

West is a Canadian documentary television series which aired on CBC Television from 1973 to 1974.

Premise

This series of National Film Board of Canada productions featured life on the Canadian prairie provinces (Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan).

Scheduling

This half-hour series was broadcast Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. from 19 December 1973 to 17 April 1974. There were rebroadcasts from 23 June 1974, Sundays at 1:00 p.m..

Episodes

West, Texas

West is a city in McLennan County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,807. It is named after T.M. West, the first postmaster of the city.

The city is located in the north-central part of Texas, approximately 70 miles south of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, 20 miles north of Waco and 120 miles north of Austin, Texas, the state's capital.

History

The first settlers of northern McLennan County arrived in the 1840s. They were farm and ranch families drawn from the east by the rich lands made available by the government sale of land to build schools in Texas. The area farmers cultivated the land and grew cotton, wheat, and grain sorghum, and raised cattle. The farming community centered around a freshwater spring that became known as Bold Springs. In 1860, Bold Springs had a population of about 300 and provided services such as a blacksmith, churches, and a post office.

The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad was laid between Hillsboro and Waco in the fall of 1881. The path of the railroad passed through land owned by Thomas West, who had moved to the area in 1859. He farmed land that he had purchased and served as postmaster of Bold Springs. A train depot was built on the land he sold to the railroad company and the land running beside the tracks was divided into small sections and sold to people wanting to start businesses. The new depot included a post office, and from that time forward it was known as the West Post Office. Mr. West served as postmaster and opened the first general store. He became a successful businessman and later owned a hotel, a furniture store, and a bank.