Caroline, Alberta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Caroline
Hamlet
Hamlet of Caroline
Longbranch Saloon
Motto(s):  Prospering at Nature's Doorstep
Caroline Location in Alberta
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Central Alberta
Census division	9
Municipal district	Clearwater County
Incorporated (village)	December 31, 1951
Amalgamated (hamlet)	January 1, 2025
Area  (2021)
• Land	2.04 km2 (0.79 sq mi)
Elevation	1,065 m (3,494 ft)
Population  (2021)
• Total	470
• Density	229.9/km2 (595/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−7 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Postal code span	T0M-0M0
Highways	Highway 22 Highway 54

Caroline is a small community called a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada. It's located southwest of Red Deer. Before January 1, 2025, Caroline was a village, but now it's part of Clearwater County.

About Caroline

Caroline is a hamlet in Clearwater County. As of 2024, about 514 people live there. It's an important center for farming and business in the area. Caroline also welcomes tourists traveling on Highway 54 towards the nearby Rocky Mountains.

Services and Facilities

The hamlet has many services for its residents and visitors. These include a motel, gas station, and several restaurants. You can also find a saloon, food stores, and souvenir shops. There's a large store for camping and hunting supplies too.

Caroline offers important community services. It has a regional fire service and a fire hall. There's a school for students from kindergarten to grade 12. The community also has a medical clinic that opens two days a week. Other services include ambulance service, before- and after-school care, and a playschool. For seniors, there are independent living units and a senior center. The Kurt Browning Arena & Community Hall has recently been updated.

Fun Things to Do

Caroline has several attractions that are fun to visit. You can explore the Caroline Wheels of Time Museum. There's also the Caroline Farmers' Market, where you can find local goods. The Caroline Community Garden and the Caroline Community HUB are great places to connect. Don't miss the colorful mural project on the general store.

The local Bighorn Stampede is a big event. In May 2025, it celebrated its 89th anniversary. The Stampede is a weekend-long event. It features rodeo competitions and a pancake breakfast on Main Street. There's also a Christian Cowboy Church service on Sunday morning. Beer gardens are open every night, and an exciting parade takes place on Saturday morning.

History of Caroline

The community of Caroline is named after Caroline Langley. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Langley, opened the first post office here in 1908.

Caroline officially became a village on December 31, 1951. On January 1, 2025, the Village of Caroline joined with Clearwater County. This change made Caroline a hamlet within the new county municipality.

Early Schools in the Area

The first schools around Caroline were simple buildings. They were often made from rough logs. Teachers sometimes had just finished eighth grade themselves. These early schools had basic features like "green wood" chalkboards and wood stoves. They used chemical toilets and sometimes had well water. Before wells, students would get water from nearby rivers like the Raven River.

In many schools, students helped with janitor work. Teachers taught all grades, from 12 to 40 students in one room. School fairs and Christmas programs were very popular events. Dances and other fun activities also took place in these school buildings.

Many school districts in the Caroline area joined together between 1958 and 1961. Some joined with Caroline, while others became part of the Rocky Mountain School Division. Before these changes, it was rare for students to attend high school. If students wanted to go to grades 10-12, they often had to pay tuition and live at boarding schools.

Population Information

In the 2021 Census, Caroline had a population of 470 people. These residents lived in 219 homes. This was a small decrease from its 2016 population of 512. Caroline covers a land area of 2.04 square kilometers.

Famous People from Caroline

Caroline is home to several well-known athletes:

• Kurt Browning, a world champion figure skater.
• Kris Russell, a professional ice hockey player.
• Ryan Russell, also a professional ice hockey player.
• Jim Vandermeer, a professional ice hockey player.
• Pete Vandermeer, a former professional ice hockey player.

Caroline's Economy

In the mid-1980s, a very large natural gas field was found near Caroline. This field was worth about $10 billion. It was named Caroline after the community. Shell developed this gas field.

The gas from this field is "sour gas," meaning it contains about 35% hydrogen sulfide. This is a type of sulfur. The sulfur is removed from the gas. It is then sent as a liquid through pipes to a plant about 40 kilometers southeast. At this plant, the sulfur is turned into solid pellets. These pellets are then shipped out by train using a special railway line. In 2019, Shell sold this gas field and processing plant to another company called Pieridae Energy.

See also

• List of communities in Alberta
• List of hamlets in Alberta