Towns of Alberta
Distribution of town and cities in Alberta
Towns in Alberta are created when communities with populations of at least 1,000 people file for, and are granted, incorporation as a town with the provincial government.
As of November 2005, the Canadian province Alberta has 111 towns, with a cumulative population of 406,108.[1] The average Albertan town has between 3,000 and 4,000 inhabitants. 740 elected town officials ensure town governance throughout the province. When a town's population exceeds 10,000 people, the council may request a change to city status, but the change in incorporation level is not mandatory.[2] Communities with shrinking populations are allowed to retain town status even if the number of residents falls below the 1,000 limit.
A higher density of towns is found in the 400 km long Calgary-Edmonton Corridor, along the Queen Elizabeth II Highway. 72% of Alberta's population is concentrated in this region.[3]
Administration
As legislated by the Municipal Government Act,[4] a town is governed by a mayor and town council consisting of five to seven councillors. All town officials are elected by popular vote under the provisions of the Local Authorities Election Act.[5] Candidates are required to be residents of their municipality.[2] Alberta Municipal Affairs, a branch of the Cabinet of Alberta, is charged with coordination of all levels of local government. Administrative duties of towns include public safety, local transit, road, drainage, and waterway maintenance and garbage collection as well as coordination of infrastucture with provincial and regional authorities (including road construction, education, and health).
Administration is coordinated with the municipal district or county authorities, except for strong economic centers, which maintain administrative autonomy.
List of towns
Athabasca
Bowden
Carstairs
Chestermere
Cochrane
Crossfield
Didsbury
Innisfail
Lacombe
Fort Macleod
Olds
Peace River
Slave Lake
Stettler
Taber
Vauxhall
Vulcan
Whitecourt
| Contents |
|---|
| Town Name | County/Municipal District | Area (km²) | Population (2005) | Population (2006) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athabasca | Athabasca County | 16.98 | 2,415 | 2,575 | County seat |
| Banff | Banff Improvement Area | 4.87 | 8,352 | 6,700 | |
| Barrhead | Barrhead County | 7.77 | 4,215 | 4,209 | County seat |
| Bashaw | Camrose County | 3.08 | 825 | 796 | |
| Bassano | Newell County | 5.12 | 1,320 | 1,345 | |
| Beaumont | Leduc County | 10.35 | 8,361 | 8,961 | |
| Beaverlodge | Grande Prairie County | 5.25 | 2,176 | 2,264 | |
| Bentley | Lacombe County | 2.48 | 1,094 | 1,083 | |
| Black Diamond | Foothills MD | 1.93 | 1,866 | 1,900 | |
| Blackfalds | Lacombe County | 3.60 | 4,373 | 4,571 | |
| Bon Accord | Sturgeon County | 2.05 | 1,532 | 1,534 | |
| Bonnyville | Bonnyville MD | 16.75 | 5,896 | 5,832 | Municipal seat |
| Bow Island | Forty Mile County | 5.74 | 1,704 | 1,790 | |
| Bowden | Red Deer County | 1.90 | 1,174 | 1,205 | |
| Bruderheim | Lamont County | 4.55 | 1,202 | 1,215 | |
| Calmar | Leduc County | 1.92 | 1,992 | 1,959 | |
| Canmore | Bighorn MD | 67.36 | 11,442 | 12,039 | Stand-alone municipality |
| Cardston | Cardston County | 6.12 | 3,475 | 3,452 | County seat |
| Carstairs | Mountain View County | 4.20 | 2,501 | 2,656 | |
| Castor | Paintearth County | 2.73 | 935 | 931 | County seat |
| Chestermere | Rocky View MD | 8.23 | 7,904 | 9,564 | |
| Claresholm | Willow Creek MD | 6.78 | 3,622 | 3,700 | |
| Clive | Lacombe County | 2.12 | 500 | 562 | |
| Coaldale | Lethbridge County | 8.03 | 6,104 | 6,177 | |
| Coalhurst | Lethbridge County | 1.18 | 1,493 | 1,523 | |
| Cochrane | Rocky View MD | 31.00 | 12,688 | 13,760 | Stand-alone municipality |
| Coronation | Paintearth County | 3.69 | 1,074 | 1,015 | |
| Crossfield | Rocky View MD | 3.81 | 2,603 | 2,648 | |
| Crowsnest Pass | Crowsnest Pass MD | 373.04 | 6,262 | 5,749 | Specialized Municipality |
| Daysland | Flagstaff County | 1.66 | 779 | 818 | |
| Devon | Leduc County | 8.58 | 6,095 | 6,256 | Stand-alone municipality |
| Didsbury | Mountain View County | 5.22 | 3,932 | 4,275 | County seat |
| Drayton Valley | Brazeau County | 8.10 | 6,210 | 6,893 | County seat |
| Drumheller | Starland County | 112.53 | 7,785 | 7,932 | Stand-alone municipality, renounced city status in 1997 |
| Eckville | Lacombe County | 1.61 | 1,019 | 951 | |
| Edson | Yellowhead County | 26.33 | 8,365 | 8,098 | County seat |
| Elk Point | St. Paul County | 1.94 | 1,440 | 1,487 | |
| Fairview | Fairview MD | 9.26 | 3,150 | 3,297 | Municipal seat |
| Falher | Smoky River MD | 2.66 | 1,109 | 941 | Municipal seat |
| Fort Macleod | Willow Creek MD | 23.31 | 2,990 | 3,072 | |
| Fox Creek | Greenview MD | 8.56 | 2,337 | 2,278 | |
| Gibbons | Sturgeon County | 6.80 | 2,730 | 2,642 | |
| Grande Cache | Greenview MD | 35.43 | 3,828 | 3,783 | |
| Granum | Willow Creek MD | 1.79 | 420 | 415 | |
| Grimshaw | Peace MD | 3.90 | 2,435 | 2,537 | |
| Hanna | Special Area 2 | 8.19 | 2,986 | 2,847 | Area Board seat |
| Hardisty | Flagstaff County | 4.16 | 761 | 760 | |
| High Level | Mackenzie MD | 20.72 | 3,849 | 3,887 | |
| High Prairie | Big Lakes MD | 5.38 | 2,820 | 2,750 | Municipal seat |
| High River | Foothills MD | 12.84 | 9,522 | 10,716 | Municipal seat |
| Hinton | Yellowhead County | 23.90 | 9,405 | 9,738 | |
| Innisfail | Red Deer County | 8.48 | 7,208 | 7,316 | |
| Irricana | Rocky View MD | 2.73 | 1,104 | 1,243 | Became a town in 2005 |
| Jasper | Jasper Improvement Area | 925.52 | 4,180 | 4,256 | Specialized Municipality |
| Killam | Flagstaff County | 3.15 | 1,004 | 1,019 | |
| Lac La Biche | Lakeland County (Formerly Lac La Biche County) | 3.96 | 2,776 | 2,758 | County seat, dissolved as town in 2007 |
| Lacombe | Lacombe County | 19.26 | 10,850 | 10,742 | County seat |
| Lamont | Lamont County | 3.38 | 1,692 | 1,664 | County seat |
| Legal | Sturgeon County | 2.47 | 1,058 | 1,192 | |
| Magrath | Cardston County | 5.68 | 1,993 | 2,081 | |
| Manning | Northern Lights MD | 2.58 | 1,293 | 1,493 | Municipal seat |
| Mayerthorpe | Lac Ste. Anne County | 3.80 | 1,570 | 1,474 | |
| McLennan | Smoky River MD | 3.30 | 804 | 824 | |
| Milk River | Warner County | 2.33 | 879 | 816 | |
| Millet | Wetaskiwin County | 3.57 | 2,125 | 2,068 | |
| Morinville | Sturgeon County | 11.67 | 6,540 | 6,775 | County seat |
| Mundare | Lamont County | 1.50 | 715 | 712 | |
| Nanton | Willow Creek MD | 3.17 | 1,841 | 2,055 | |
| Okotoks | Foothills MD | 18.95 | 11,664 | 17,145 | |
| Olds | Mountain View County | 11.14 | 6,703 | 7,248 | |
| Onoway | Lac Ste. Anne County | 3.11 | 1,036 | 875 | Became a town in 2005 |
| Oyen | Special Area 3 | 4.62 | 1,101 | 1,015 | |
| Peace River | Northern Sunrise County | 26.49 | 6,240 | 6,315 | Stand-alone municipality, Municipal seat |
| Penhold | Red Deer County | 2.59 | 1,750 | 1,961 | |
| Picture Butte | Lethbridge County | 2.84 | 1,701 | 1,592 | |
| Pincher Creek | Pincher Creek MD | 6.42 | 3,666 | 3,625 | Municipal seat |
| Ponoka | Ponoka County | 13.35 | 6,330 | 6,576 | County seat |
| Provost | Provost MD | 4.48 | 2,078 | 2,072 | Municipal seat |
| Rainbow Lake | Mackenzie MD | 11.00 | 1,186 | 965 | |
| Raymond | Warner County | 4.70 | 3,200 | 3,205 | |
| Redcliff | Cypress County | 9.92 | 4,372 | 5,096 | |
| Redwater | Sturgeon County | 8.11 | 2,172 | 2,192 | |
| Rimbey | Ponoka County | 10.97 | 2,160 | 2,252 | |
| Rocky Mountain House | Clearwater County | 12.46 | 6,584 | 6,874 | County seat |
| Sedgewick | Flagstaff County | 2.78 | 865 | 891 | County seat |
| Sexsmith | Grande Prairie County | 3.47 | 1,934 | 1,959 | |
| Slave Lake | Lesser Slave River MD | 16.15 | 6,600 | 6,703 | Municipal seat |
| Smoky Lake | Smoky Lake County | 3.89 | 1,011 | 1,010 | County seat |
| Spirit River | Spirit River MD | 2.28 | 1,100 | 1,148 | Municipal seat |
| St. Paul | St. Paul County | 5.03 | 5,144 | 5,106 | County seat |
| Stavely | Willow Creek MD | 1.34 | 455 | 435 | |
| Stettler | Stettler County | 9.07 | 5,226 | 5,418 | County seat |
| Stony Plain | Parkland County | 27.20 | 10,544 | 12,363 | |
| Strathmore | Wheatland Count | 15.57 | 9,653 | 10,225 | County seat |
| Sundre | Mountain View County | 7.79 | 2,267 | 2,518 | |
| Swan Hills | Big Lakes MD | 25.66 | 1,807 | 1,645 | |
| Sylvan Lake | Red Deer County | 11.20 | 8,504 | 10,208 | |
| Taber | Taber MD | 15.66 | 7,671 | 7,591 | Municipal seat |
| Three Hills | Kneehill County | 5.62 | 3,554 | 3,089 | County seat |
| Tofield | Beaver County | 6.58 | 1,818 | 1,876 | |
| Trochu | Kneehill County | 2.02 | 1,033 | 1,005 | |
| Turner Valley | Foothills MD | 5.58 | 1,786 | 1,908 | |
| Two Hills | Two Hills County | 3.49 | 1,109 | 1,047 | County seat |
| Valleyview | Greenview MD | 3.97 | 1,856 | 1,725 | Municipal seat |
| Vauxhall | Taber MD | 2.59 | 1,112 | 1,069 | |
| Vegreville | Minburn County | 13.48 | 5,376 | 5,519 | County seat |
| Vermilion | Vermilion River County | 13.56 | 4,435 | 4,036 | |
| Viking | Beaver County | 1.99 | 1,052 | 1,085 | |
| Vulcan | Vulcan County | 6.13 | 1,762 | 1,940 | |
| Wainwright | Wainwright MD | 8.53 | 5,365 | 5,426 | Municipal seat |
| Wembley | Grande Prairie County | 3.52 | 1,542 | 1,443 | |
| Westlock | Westlock County | 9.74 | 4,820 | 5,008 | |
| Whitecourt | Woodlands County | 28.50 | 8,747 | 8,971 | County seat |
- Towns are listed alphabetically; click the sort buttons in the column headers to switch listing order
- Sources: Area from Alberta Municipal Affairs[6]; Population from 2005 municipal census [1] and Canada 2006 Census[7]
See also
- List of communities in Alberta
- List of Alberta Municipal Districts
- Villages of Alberta
- Hamlets of Alberta
- List of Alberta Indian reserves
- Census divisions of Alberta
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "2005 Municipal Census" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs and Housing (2005-11-28). Retrieved on 2006-12-18.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Types of Municipalities in Alberta". Alberta Municipal Affairs and Housing (2006-05-16). Retrieved on 2006-12-18.
- ↑ "Calgary-Edmonton corridor". Statistics Canada (2003-01-20). Retrieved on 2006-12-18.
- ↑ Alberta Queen's Printer (1994-2000). "Municipal Government Act". Retrieved on December 18, 2006.
- ↑ Alberta Queen's Printer (1983-2000). "Local Authorities Election Act". Retrieved on December 18, 2006.
- ↑ Alberta Municipal Affairs and Housing (2006-12-11). "Detailed town profiles". Retrieved on December 18, 2006.
- ↑ "2006 Community Profiles - Alberta". Statistics Canada (2006). Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
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