List of communities in Alberta facts for kids

Rural and specialized municipalities, cities, towns, and select hamlets in Alberta

Distribution of Alberta's 6 specialized municipalities (red) and 74 rural municipalities (orange, dark green, light green) in 2020

In Alberta, Canada, there are many different ways that local areas are governed. Think of it like different types of neighborhoods or communities, each with its own rules and leaders. These local governments help manage things like roads, parks, and services for the people living there.

There are ten main types of local governments in Alberta. These include urban areas like cities, towns, villages, and summer villages. There are also specialized municipalities and rural municipalities. Rural municipalities include municipal districts (often called counties), improvement districts, and special areas.

Other types of local governments are Métis settlements and Indian reserves. Most of these local governments are run by the people who live there. However, improvement districts are managed by the provincial or federal government. Indian reserves are governed by their own local band governments.

Alberta also has many communities that are not independent governments. These are called unincorporated communities. They include urban service areas, hamlets, and a townsite. These places are part of larger specialized or rural municipalities.

The rules for most of Alberta's local governments come from special laws. These laws are the Municipal Government Act, the Special Areas Act, and the Metis Settlements Act. In 2019, about 4.2 million people lived in all of Alberta's municipalities combined.

Types of Local Governments

Urban Communities

Urban communities are places where many people live close together. They are usually towns or cities.

Cities

Cities are the largest urban communities in Alberta. To become a city, an area needs to have at least 10,000 people. Most of its buildings must also be on smaller pieces of land. This means it's a busy, developed area.

Alberta has 19 cities. In 2019, over 2.9 million people lived in these cities. A city in Alberta, Canada, is the highest type of local government for a town or community. To become a city, a community needs to have at least 10,000 people living there. Most of its buildings also need to be on smaller pieces of land. When a community meets these rules, it can ask the Alberta government to become a city.

Alberta has 19 cities. In 2021, over 3 million people lived in these cities combined. The biggest city in Alberta is Calgary, with more than 1.3 million people. The smallest city is Wetaskiwin, with about 12,500 people. Beaumont became Alberta's newest city on January 1, 2019.

Cities in Alberta are run by elected officials. There are 19 mayors and 138 councillors who help manage the cities. Many cities are close together in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region and the Calgary Metropolitan Region. For example, Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc, Spruce Grove, and St. Albert are all cities near Edmonton. Airdrie, Calgary, and Chestermere are cities near Calgary.

Distribution of Alberta's 19 cities, 2 urban service areas and 10 towns that are eligible for city status.

How Cities Are Run

Every city in Alberta has an elected council that helps run things. A city council always has an odd number of members. This is so they can avoid tie votes when making decisions. One of these members is the city's main elected leader, called the mayor.

Most city councils have seven members, including the mayor. But a city can choose to have more or fewer members, as long as it's an odd number and not less than three. The mayor is chosen by all the voters in the city.

For the other council members, cities can use a "ward system." This means the city is divided into areas called wards. Each ward elects its own councillor. Wards are usually set up to have about the same number of people. If there's no ward system, all councillors are elected by everyone in the city, just like the mayor.

Everyone who can vote in a city election gets to choose their mayor and councillors. To run for mayor or councillor, a person must have lived in that city for at least six months. The last city elections in Alberta were held on October 18, 2021. The only exception is Lloydminster, which follows Saskatchewan's election schedule.

The Alberta government has a department called Alberta Municipal Affairs. This department helps coordinate all local governments, including cities.

Cities have many important jobs to do. They are in charge of things like public safety (police and fire), local buses and trains, roads, water services, and garbage collection. They also work with the province and other local areas on bigger projects like building major roads, schools, and health services.

Images

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  Calgary (2015)

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  Edmonton (2019)

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  Lethbridge (2009)

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  Red Deer (2008)

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  St. Albert (2009)

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  Grande Prairie (2014)

Cities in Alberta

Here is a list of the cities in Alberta:

Past Cities

Alberta has had three other cities in its history that are no longer cities today.

• The Town of Strathcona became a city in 1907. But it later joined with Edmonton in 1912.
• Fort McMurray became a city in 1980. However, it changed back to an "urban service area" in 1995 when it joined with a larger district.
• The Town of Drumheller became a city in 1930. This was before the rule that a city needed 10,000 people. Drumheller changed back to a town in 1998 when it joined with the nearby Municipal District of Badlands No. 7.

Communities That Could Become Cities

Some towns in Alberta are big enough to become cities, but they haven't yet. These towns have populations over 10,000 people. They include Blackfalds, Canmore, Cochrane, High River, Morinville, Okotoks, Stony Plain, Strathmore, and Sylvan Lake. The Town of Hinton is also interested in becoming a city once its population reaches 10,000. In 2021, Hinton had 9,817 people.

Alberta also has two "urban service areas" that could become cities: Fort McMurray and Sherwood Park. As mentioned before, Fort McMurray used to be a city. Sherwood Park has always been a hamlet (a small community). In 1987, most people in Strathcona County voted to keep Sherwood Park and the rural parts of the county under one government.

See also

• List of census divisions of Alberta
• List of communities in Alberta
• List of hamlets in Alberta
• List of municipal districts in Alberta
• List of municipalities in Alberta
• List of population centres in Alberta
• List of summer villages in Alberta
• List of towns in Alberta
• List of villages in Alberta

Towns

Towns are smaller than cities but still have a lot of people. To become a town, an area needs at least 1,000 people. Like cities, most buildings must be on smaller land plots.

If a town grows to more than 10,000 people, it can choose to become a city. But it doesn't have to! Some towns keep their town status even if their population drops below 1,000. This is because they were towns before the current rules were made.

Alberta has 107 towns. In 2019, about 466,470 people lived in these towns.

Villages

Villages are smaller urban communities. To become a village, an area needs at least 300 people. Most of its buildings should be on smaller pieces of land.

If a village grows to more than 1,000 people, it can apply to become a town. But this is not required. Like towns, some villages keep their status even if their population falls below 300. This is often because they were villages before the current rules.

Alberta has 81 villages. In 2021, about 34,600 people lived in these villages. List of villages in Alberta

Summer Villages

Summer villages were special places often used for vacations. They had at least 60 homes, but fewer than 300 permanent residents. Most people living there were not year-round residents.

New summer villages can no longer be created in Alberta. This is because the law that allowed them was changed. If a summer village grows to more than 300 people, it can become a regular village.

Alberta has 51 summer villages. In 2019, about 5,200 people lived in them.

Specialized Communities

Locations of Alberta's specialized and rural municipalities

Specialized municipalities are unique. They are created when the usual types of local government (like city or town) don't quite fit. The government of Alberta decides if an area should become a specialized municipality. This helps make sure these unique places are governed well.

Alberta has six specialized municipalities. In 2019, about 242,395 people lived in them. List of specialized municipalities in Alberta

Rural Communities

Rural communities are large areas with fewer people living close together. People in these areas often live on farms or in small, spread-out communities.

Municipal Districts

Municipal districts are large rural areas. Most homes in these areas are on bigger pieces of land. To become a municipal district, an area needs at least 1,000 people.

In Alberta, a "municipal district" is the same as a "county." Many municipal districts choose to call themselves "counties" because the name is more familiar. Over the years, many have changed their names to include "County." This makes them sound more traditional and can help with economic growth.

Alberta has 63 municipal districts. In 2019, about 471,852 people lived in them.

A municipal district (often called an MD) is a type of local government area in Alberta, Canada. It's the most common way that rural areas in Alberta are organized. Most municipal districts are mostly countryside, with farms, forests, or open land. They can also include small communities called hamletsor other unincorporated communities. To become a municipal district, an area usually needs at least 1,000 people. Most homes in these areas are on larger pieces of land. The local government applies to Alberta Municipal Affairs, which is a part of the provincial government. If approved, the Lieutenant Governor in Council (a representative of the King) officially creates the municipal district. In 2011, Alberta had 64 municipal districts. Together, they had about 451,979 people. The average population for a municipal district was around 7,062 people. The largest in population was Rocky View County, and the smallest was the MD of Ranchland No. 66. About 437 elected officials help run these municipal districts. These include mayors, reeves, and councillors. They make decisions for their local communities.

What's in a Name?

When a municipal district is officially created, it gets a name. Out of Alberta's 63 municipal districts, 16 still have "municipal district" in their official names. However, 47 of them use the word "county" in their names, like Yellowhead County. Some also have a number, such as "No. 8".

Many people think that "county" is a separate type of municipality in Alberta. But it's not! It's just a name that many municipal districts use. This is because "county" used to be a different type of local government in Alberta. When the old "County Act" was changed, these areas became municipal districts but were allowed to keep "county" in their names.

Where are the Offices?

It might seem strange, but many municipal districts have their main offices outside their own area. More than half of the 63 municipal districts have their offices in a nearby city, town, or village. These cities, towns, or villages are separate from the municipal district's control.

However, some municipal districts do have their offices within their own boundaries. For example:

• Nine municipal districts have their offices in a hamlet that is part of their district. These include Acadia in Acadia Valley and Birch Hills in Wanham.
• One municipal district, Ranchland, has its office in a provincial park called Chain Lakes Provincial Park.
• Thirteen municipal districts have their offices in their own area, but not inside a city, town, or village. Examples include Brazeau near Drayton Valley and Red Deer County near Red Deer.

How Municipal Districts Change

Over time, some municipal districts in Alberta have changed their status or even dissolved. This means they either became a different type of municipality or their land was absorbed into other areas.

For example, Lac La Biche County, Mackenzie County, and Strathcona County used to be municipal districts. They later became "specialized municipalities," which is another type of local government in Alberta.

Many other municipal districts have dissolved over the years. Their land was then added to existing municipal districts or new ones that were created. This shows how the map of local governments in Alberta has changed over time.

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  Territorial evolution of Alberta's municipalities from 1955 to 2024

Improvement Districts

Improvement districts are special areas, often found within national or provincial parks. The government of Alberta creates and manages these districts. Their boundaries usually match the park boundaries.

Alberta has seven improvement districts. Their combined population is about 2,146 people. Five are in national parks, and two are in provincial parks.

Special Areas

Special areas are rural municipalities created in 1938. They are different from specialized municipalities. These areas were set up under a special law called the Special Areas Act.

Alberta has three special areas. In 2016, about 4,184 people lived in them.

Unincorporated Communities

Unincorporated communities are places that are not independent municipalities. They are part of a larger municipal district or specialized municipality.

Urban Service Areas

Urban service areas are like very large hamlets. They are not officially cities, but they are treated like cities for some government programs and funding. This means they get similar services and support.

There are two urban service areas in Alberta:

• Fort McMurray
• Sherwood Park

Fort McMurray used to be a city. Sherwood Park has always been an unincorporated community.

Hamlets

Hamlets are unincorporated communities. They have at least five homes, and most buildings are on smaller pieces of land. They also have a known name and boundaries. Hamlets often have some non-residential buildings, like shops.

Local governments can decide to name communities within their area as hamlets. If a hamlet grows to 300 people, it can become a village. However, this doesn't happen very often anymore. It's more common for villages to become hamlets if their population shrinks.

Alberta has 403 hamlets, including the two urban service areas.

Townsites

A townsite is an unincorporated community found within an Indian reserve. It's like a small town, with similar population, size, and services. But because it's on an Indian reserve, it's under federal (national) government rules, not provincial ones.

Redwood Meadows is Alberta's only townsite. It is located within the Tsuutʼina Nation.

Métis Settlements

Métis settlements are rural areas where the indigenous Métis people live. They were created in 1936 to provide a land base for the Métis. This helps them access education, health services, and economic opportunities. These settlements are governed by the Métis Settlements General Council.

Alberta has eight Métis settlements, all in the northern part of the province.

In 2018, about 5,632 people lived in Alberta's Métis settlements.

Indian Reserves

Indian reserves are lands set aside for First Nations people in Canada. In Alberta, these reserves cover a large area. The Canadian government is in charge of laws for Indian reserves. However, the local band governments, elected by the people living on the reserve, manage the day-to-day activities.

More About Alberta's Communities

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AB

SK

MB

ON

QC

NB

PE

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NL

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Communities in Canada's provinces and territories

• List of census divisions of Alberta
• List of designated places in Alberta
• List of municipalities in Alberta