List of Alberta municipal districts
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Counties and municipal districts of Alberta are administrative subdivisions of the province's census divisions.
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[edit] Government
Municipal districts (in some cases called counties) are governing organizations for rural areas including farmlands and unincorporated places such as hamlets. As of 2006, there were 64 municipal districts in Alberta[1], administered by Alberta Municipal Affairs, a department of the Government of Alberta. Municipal districts are managed by elected councils. Special areas are managed by boards appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor of the province. Other forms of government within the municipal district frame include specialized municipalities, regional municipalities and improvement districts. Metis settlements and Indian reserves are administered by local governments and coordinated on a federal level.
The improvement districts are governed directly by Alberta Municipal Affairs. If the need arises, Improvement districts are incorporated as either municipal districts (with an elected council) or special areas (with an appointed council). Once they are firmly established, municipal districts are declared either counties or special municipalities, or, in the case of large scarcely populated areas, they become regional municipalities.
[edit] List of municipal districts
The following is an alphabetical list of these subdivisions.
| Alberta Municipal Districts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subdivision | Census Division | Seat | ||
| Name | No. | Type | No. | Town |
| Acadia | 34 | Municipal District | 4 | Acadia Valley |
| Athabasca | 12 | County | 13 | Athabasca |
| Barrhead | 11 | County | 13 | Barrhead |
| Beaver | 9 | County | 10 | Ryley |
| Bighorn | 8 | Municipal District | 15 | Exshaw |
| Big Lakes | 125 | Municipal District | 17 | High Prairie |
| Birch Hills | 19 | County | 19 | Wanham |
| Bonnyville | 87 | Municipal District | 12 | Bonnyville |
| Brazeau | 77 | County | 11 | Drayton Valley |
| Camrose | 22 | County | 10 | Camrose |
| Cardston | 6 | County | 3 | Cardston |
| Clear Hills | 21 | Municipal District | 17 | Worsley |
| Clearwater | 99 | County | 9 | Rocky Mountain House |
| Cypress | 1 | County | 1 | Dunmore |
| Fairview | 136 | Municipal District | 19 | Fairview |
| Flagstaff | 29 | County | 7 | Sedgewick |
| Foothills | 31 | Municipal District | 6 | High River |
| Forty Mile | 8 | County | 2 | Foremost |
| Grande Prairie | 1 | County | 19 | Clairmont |
| Greenview | 16 | Municipal District | 18 | Valleyview |
| Kneehill | 48 | County | 5 | Three Hills |
| Lac Ste. Anne | 28 | County | 13 | Sangudo |
| Lacombe | 14 | County | 8 | Lacombe |
| Lakeland | — | County | 12 | Lac La Biche |
| Lamont | 30 | County | 10 | Lamont |
| Leduc | 25 | County | 11 | Nisku |
| Lesser Slave River | 124 | Municipal District | 17 | Slave Lake |
| Lethbridge | 26 | County | 2 | Lethbridge |
| Mackenzie | 23 | Municipal District-Specialized Municipality | 17 | Fort Vermilion |
| Minburn | 27 | County | 10 | Vegreville |
| Mountain View | 17 | County | 6 | Didsbury |
| Newell | 4 | County | 2 | Brooks |
| Northern Lights | 22 | Municipal District | 17 | Manning |
| Northern Sunrise | 131 | County | 17 | Peace River |
| Opportunity | 17 | Municipal District | 17 | Wabasca |
| Paintearth | 18 | County | 7 | Castor |
| Parkland | 31 | County | 11 | Parkland County |
| Peace | 135 | Municipal District | 19 | Berwyn |
| Pincher Creek | 9 | Municipal District | 3 | Pincher Creek |
| Ponoka | 3 | County | 8 | Ponoka |
| Provost | 52 | Municipal District | 7 | Provost |
| Ranchland | 66 | Municipal District | 15 | Nanton |
| Red Deer | 23 | County | 8 | Red Deer |
| Rocky View | 44 | Municipal District | 6 | Calgary |
| Saddle Hills | 20 | County | 19 | Spirit River |
| Smoky Lake | 13 | County | 12 | Smoky Lake |
| Smoky River | 130 | Municipal District | 19 | Falher |
| Special Areas | 2,3,4 | Board/Special Area | 4 | Hanna |
| Spirit River | 133 | Municipal District | 19 | Spirit River |
| Starland | 47 | County | 5 | Morrin |
| Stettler | 6 | County | 7 | Stettler |
| St. Paul | 19 | County | 12 | St. Paul |
| Strathcona | 20 | County/Specialized Municipality | 11 | Sherwood Park |
| Sturgeon | 90 | County | 11 | Morinville |
| Taber | 14 | Municipal District | 2 | Taber |
| Thorhild | 7 | County | 13 | Thorhild |
| Two Hills | 21 | County | 10 | Two Hills |
| Vermilion River | 24 | County | 10 | Kitscoty |
| Vulcan | 2 | County | 5 | Vulcan |
| Wainwright | 61 | Municipal District | 7 | Wainwright |
| Warner | 5 | County | 2 | Warner |
| Westlock | 92 | County | 13 | Westlock |
| Wetaskiwin | 10 | County | 11 | Wetaskiwin |
| Wheatland | 16 | County | 5 | Strathmore |
| Willow Creek | 26 | Municipal District | 3 | Claresholm |
| Wood Buffalo | 143 | Regional MD/Specialized Municipality | 16 | Fort McMurray |
| Woodlands | 15 | County | 13 | Whitecourt |
| Yellowhead | 94 | County | 14 | Edson |
[edit] Other types of municipalities
Other than municipal districts, Alberta's area contains two census metropolitan areas (Calgary and Edmonton) and seven improvement districts (the five national parks, which are administered by Parks Canada and two provincial parks). Several administrative units are designated as specialized municipalities.
[edit] Improvement districts
The improvement districts are governed by Alberta's Minister of Municipal Affairs, directly or through elected or appointed advisory councils.
| Alberta Improvement Districts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subdivision | Census Division | ||||
| Name | No. | Type | No. | ||
| Banff | 9 | Improvement District (National park) | 15 | ||
| Elk Island | 13 | Improvement District (National park) | 13 | ||
| Jasper | 12 | Improvement District (National park) | 15 | ||
| Kananaskis | 5 | Improvement District (Provincial Park) | 15 | ||
| Waterton Lakes | 4 | Improvement District (National Park) | 3 | ||
| Willmore Wilderness | 9 | Improvement District (Provincial Park) | 15 | ||
| Wood Buffalo | 24 | Improvement District (National park) | 16 | ||
[edit] Specialized municipalities
Specialized municipalities are areas with special needs and circumstances that require specific administration methods.
| Alberta Specialized Municipalities | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subdivision | Census Division | Special | ||
| Name | No. | Type | No. | Reason |
| Jasper | — | Specialized municipality | 15 | Development Area inside the Jasper National Park |
| Crowsnest Pass | — | Specialized Municipality | 3 | Amalgamation of several dissolved towns |
| Mackenzie | 23 | Municipal District/Specialized Municipality | 17 | Large scarcely populated area |
| Strathcona | 20 | County/Specialized Municipality | 11 | Populous sub-urban area |
| Wood Buffalo | 143 | Regional MD/Specialized Municipality | 16 | Large area with a strong unincorporated economic centre (Fort McMurray) |
[edit] Census metropolitan areas
Census metropolitan areas are urban agglomerations, with population in excess of 100,000, centered on large cities and include the adjacent areas.
| Alberta Census Metropolitan Areas | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subdivision | Census Division | ||||
| Name | No. | Type | No. | ||
| Calgary | Census Metropolitan Area | 6 | |||
| Edmonton | Census Metropolitan Area | 11 | |||
Other cities in Alberta have an informal "greater area", but are not administered as such (Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer and to a lesser degree Brooks, Camrose, Cold Lake, Lloydminster, Wetaskiwin).
[edit] Demographics
As of 2005, the cumulative population of all rural municipalities was 452,039.[2]
| Alberta Population | |
|---|---|
| Municipality Type | Cumulative population |
| Rural | |
| Municipal Districts and Counties | 427,406 |
| Specialized Municipalities | 167,606 |
| Improvement Districts | 2,559 |
| Special Areas | 5,314 |
| Urban | |
| Cities | 2,123,221 |
| Towns | 406,108 |
| Villages | 38,906 |
| Summer Villages | 4,105 |
| First Nations | |
| First Nations | 59,932 |
| Metis | 6,953 |
| Total | |
| Alberta total | 3,242,110 |
[edit] See also
- List of Alberta census divisions
- List of communities in Alberta
- List of Alberta Indian Reserves
- Subdivisions of Canada
[edit] References
- ^ Government of Alberta - Types of Municipalities
- ^ Alberta Municial Affairs - 2005 Municipal Census
-
- Alberta Municipal Affairs - Interactive municipalities map
- Alberta First - Municipalities listing (with links to statistics)
[edit] External links
- Alberta Association of Municipal Districts & Counties
- AAMDC - Municipal Districts and Counties listing
- Alberta Municipal Affairs
| Census divisions | 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 |
|---|---|
| Cities | Airdrie - Brooks - Calgary - Camrose - Cold Lake - Edmonton - Fort Saskatchewan - Grande Prairie - Leduc - Lethbridge - Lloydminster - Medicine Hat - Red Deer - Spruce Grove - St. Albert - Wetaskiwin |
| Communities | Counties and Municipal Districts of Alberta - Towns of Alberta - Villages of Alberta - Hamlets of Alberta - Indian Reserves in Alberta - Métis in Alberta |
