List of municipalities in Alberta

Alberta is the fourth-most populous province in Canada with 4,067,175 residents as of 2016 Census of Population and is the fourth-largest in land area at 640,330 km² (247,230 sq mi).[1] Alberta's 352 municipalities cover 98.1% of the province's land mass and are home to 98.6% of its population.[2][3][lower-alpha 1] These municipalities provide local government services, including roads, water, sewer and garbage collection among others, and a variety of programs to their residents.[4][5]

Location of Alberta in Canada

Distribution of Alberta's 6 specialized municipalities (red) and 74 rural municipalities, which include municipal districts (orange), improvement districts (dark green) and special areas (light green) (2020)

According to the Municipal Government Act (MGA), which was enacted in 2000, a municipality in Alberta is "a city, town, village, summer village, municipal district or specialized municipality, a town under the Parks Towns Act, or a municipality formed by special Act".[6] The MGA also recognizes improvement districts and special areas as municipal authorities while Metis settlements are recognized as municipalities by the Government of Alberta's Ministry of Municipal Affairs.[6][7] Cities, towns, villages, summer villages, municipal districts, specialized municipalities and improvement districts are formed under the provincial authority of the MGA.[6] Special areas and Metis settlements are formed under the provincial authority of the Special Areas Act (SAA) and the Metis Settlements Act (MSA) respectively, of which both were enacted in 2000.[8][9] As provincial law, the MGA, the SAA and the MSA were passed by the Legislative Assembly of Alberta with royal assent granted by the Lieutenant Governor.[10]

Of Alberta's 352 municipalities, 264 of them are urban municipalities (18 cities, 108 towns, 87 villages and 51 summer villages), 6 are specialized municipalities, 74 are rural municipalities (63 municipal districts, 8 improvement districts and 3 special areas) and 8 are Metis settlements.[2] The MGA, the SAA and the MSA stipulate governance of these municipalities.[6][8][9] Alberta's Ministry of Municipal Affairs is responsible for providing provincial services to municipalities.[11]

Over half of Alberta's population resides in its two largest cities. Calgary, the largest city, is home to 30.5% of the province's population (1,239,220 residents), while Edmonton, Alberta's capital city, is home to 22.9% (932,546 residents).[3] Improvement District No. 13 (Elk Island), Improvement District No. 25 (Willmore Wilderness) and Improvement District No. 349 are Alberta's smallest municipalities by population; all four are unpopulated according to the 2016 Census of Population.[3][lower-alpha 2] The largest municipality by land area is Mackenzie County at 80,458.19 km² (31,065.08 sq mi), while the smallest by land area is the Summer Village of Castle Island at 0.05 km² (0.019 sq mi).[3]

Urban municipalities

Distribution of Alberta's 266 urban municipalities including 18 cities (black), 107 towns (dark purple), 90 villages (light purple) and 51 summer villages (pink) (2011)

Alberta's Municipal Government Act (MGA), enacted in 2000, defines urban municipality as a "city, town, village or summer village."[6] For federal census purposes, Statistics Canada recognizes all four urban municipality types as census subdivisions.[12]

Combined, Alberta has 264 urban municipalities comprising 18 cities, 108 towns, 87 villages and 51 summer villages.[2] The 264 urban municipalities have a total population of 3,337,538, a total land area of 3,948.85 km² (1,524.66 sq mi). These totals represent 82% of Alberta's population yet only 0.6% of its land area.

Cities

Main article: List of cities in Alberta

The MGA stipulates that an area may incorporate as a city if it has a population of 10,000 people or more and the majority of its buildings are on parcels of land smaller than 1,850 m² (19,900 sq ft).[6] Alberta has 19 cities that had a cumulative population of 2,820,115 in the 2016 Census of Population.[2][3] These 18 cities include Lloydminster, of which a portion is located within the neighbouring province of Saskatchewan.[13] Alberta's largest city by population and land area is Calgary with 1,239,220 and 825.56 km² (318.75 sq mi), while Wetaskiwin is its smallest city by population with 12,655 and land area at 18.31 km² (7.07 sq mi).[3] Beaumont is Alberta's newest city, it became Alberta's 19th city on January 1, 2019.[14]

Of Alberta's 19 cities, Cold Lake has less than the current minimum density requirement of 400 residents per square kilometre. Cold Lake was incorporated as a town prior to the MGA being enacted in 2000.[6][15]

Towns

Main article: List of towns in Alberta

The MGA stipulates that an area may incorporate as a town if it has a population of 1,000 people or more and the majority of its buildings are on parcels of land smaller than 1,850 m² (19,900 sq ft).[6] Alberta has 108 towns that had a cumulative population of 475,148 in the 2016 Census of Population.[2][3][16] The province's largest and smallest towns by population are Okotoks and Granum with 28,881 and 406 respectively, while its largest and smallest by land area are Drumheller and Eckville with 108.03 km² (41.71 sq mi) and 1.60 km² (0.62 sq mi) respectively.[3] Thorsby is Alberta's newest town, which changed from a village to a town on January 1, 2017.[17]

Villages

Main article: List of villages in Alberta

The MGA stipulates that an area may incorporate as a village if it has a population of 300 people or more and the majority of its buildings are on parcels of land smaller than 1,850 m² (19,900 sq ft).[6] Alberta has 87 villages that had a cumulative population of 37,099 in the 2016 Census of Population.[2][3] The province's largest and smallest villages by population are Nobleford and Gadsby with 1,278 and 40 respectively, while its largest and smallest by land area are Chipman and Edberg with 9.61 km² (3.71 sq mi) and 0.35 km² (0.14 sq mi) respectively.[3] The last communities to incorporate as villages were Alberta Beach and Spring Lake, which both changed from summer villages to villages on January 1, 1999.[18]

Summer villages

Main article: List of summer villages in Alberta

Under previous legislation, a community could incorporate as a summer village if it had "a minimum of 50 separate buildings occupied as dwellings at any time during a six-month period".[19] A community can no longer incorporate as a summer village under the MGA.[6][20]

Alberta has 51 summer villages that had a cumulative population of 5,176 in the 2016 Census of Population.[2][3] The province's largest summer village by population is Sandy Beach with 278, while Betula Beach is Alberta's smallest summer village with a population of 0.[3][lower-alpha 2] The province's largest and smallest summer villages by land area are Silver Sands and Castle Island with 2.41 km² (0.93 sq mi) and 0.05 km² (0.019 sq mi) respectively.[3] Gull Lake and Kapasiwin were the last communities in Alberta to incorporate as summer villages. Both were incorporated on September 1, 1993.[22] Since then, two summer villages have incorporated as villages (Alberta Beach and Edmonton Beach, now named Spring Lake) and one has dissolved (White Gull).[18][23]

List of urban municipalities

• 
  Calgary, Alberta's largest city
• 
  Edmonton, Alberta's capital and second largest city
• 
  Red Deer, Alberta's third largest city, is located at the midpoint between Calgary and Edmonton.
• 
  Lethbridge is Alberta's fourth largest city.
• 
  St. Albert, Alberta's fifth largest city, is located adjacent to Edmonton.

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• H
• I
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List of urban municipalities in Alberta

Name	Status[2]	Incorporation date (current status) [15][17][18][22]	2016 Census of Population[3]
			Population (2016)	Population (2011)	Change (%)	Land area (km²)	Population density (per km²)
Acme	Village	July 7, 1910	653	653	0.0%	2.48	263.3/km^2
Airdrie	City	January 1, 1985	61,581	43,271	+42.3%	84.57	728.2/km^2
Alberta Beach	Village	January 1, 1999	1,018	865	+17.7%	2.01	506.5/km^2
Alix	Village	June 3, 1907	734	830	−11.6%	3.13	234.5/km^2
Alliance	Village	August 26, 1918	154	174	−11.5%	0.51	302.0/km^2
Amisk	Village	January 1, 1956	204	207	−1.4%	0.76	268.4/km^2
Andrew	Village	June 24, 1930	425	379	+12.1%	1.17	363.2/km^2
Argentia Beach	Summer village	January 1, 1967	27	15	+80.0%	0.73	37.0/km^2
Arrowwood	Village	May 13, 1926	207	188	+10.1%	0.75	276.0/km^2
Athabasca[lower-alpha 3]	Town	September 19, 1911	2,965	2,990	−0.8%	17.65	168.0/km^2
Banff	Town	January 1, 1990	7,851	7,584	+3.5%	4.77	1,645.9/km^2
Barnwell	Village	January 1, 1980	947	771	+22.8%	1.51	627.2/km^2
Barons	Village	May 6, 1910	341	315	+8.3%	0.81	421.0/km^2
Barrhead	Town	November 26, 1946	4,579	4,432	+3.3%	8.17	560.5/km^2
Bashaw	Town	May 1, 1964	830	873	−4.9%	2.99	277.6/km^2
Bassano	Town	January 16, 1911	1,206	1,282	−5.9%	5.22	231.0/km^2
Bawlf	Village	October 12, 1906	422	403	+4.7%	0.89	474.2/km^2
Beaumont	City	January 1, 1980	17,396	13,284	+31.0%	10.47	1,661.5/km^2
Beaverlodge	Town	January 24, 1956	2,465	2,365	+4.2%	5.73	430.2/km^2
Beiseker	Village	February 23, 1921	819	785	+4.3%	2.85	287.4/km^2
Bentley	Town	January 1, 2001	1,078	1,073	+0.5%	2.24	481.3/km^2
Berwyn	Village	November 28, 1936	538	526	+2.3%	1.58	340.5/km^2
Betula Beach	Summer village	January 1, 1960	16	10	+60.0%	0.25	64.0/km^2
Big Valley	Village	March 9, 1942	346	364	−4.9%	1.86	186.0/km^2
Birch Cove	Summer village	December 31, 1988	45	45	0.0%	0.3	150.0/km^2
Birchcliff	Summer village	January 1, 1972	117	112	+4.5%	1.03	113.6/km^2
Bittern Lake[lower-alpha 4]	Village	November 2, 1904	220	224	−1.8%	6.57	33.5/km^2
Black Diamond	Town	January 1, 1956	2,700	2,373	+13.8%	3.84	703.1/km^2
Blackfalds	Town	April 1, 1980	9,328	6,300	+48.1%	16.44	567.4/km^2
Bon Accord	Town	November 20, 1979	1,529	1,488	+2.8%	2.13	717.8/km^2
Bondiss	Summer village	January 1, 1983	110	106	+3.8%	1.23	89.4/km^2
Bonnyville	Town	February 3, 1948	5,975[25]	6,216	−3.9%	14.18	421.4/km^2
Bonnyville Beach	Summer village	January 1, 1958	84	95	−11.6%	0.17	494.1/km^2
Bow Island	Town	February 1, 1912	1,983	2,025	−2.1%	5.81	341.3/km^2
Bowden	Town	September 1, 1981	1,240	1,241	−0.1%	2.8	442.9/km^2
Boyle	Village	December 31, 1953	845	916	−7.8%	7.13	118.5/km^2
Breton	Village	January 1, 1957	574	496	+15.7%	1.72	333.7/km^2
Brooks	City	September 1, 2005	14,451	13,676	+5.7%	18.59	777.4/km^2
Bruderheim	Town	September 17, 1980	1,308	1,155	+13.2%	7.12	183.7/km^2
Burnstick Lake	Summer village	December 31, 1991	15[25]	16	−6.2%	0.18	83.3/km^2
Calgary	City	January 1, 1894	1,239,220	1,096,833	+13.0%	825.56	1,501.1/km^2
Calmar	Town	January 19, 1954	2,228	1,970	+13.1%	4.68	476.1/km^2
Camrose	City	January 1, 1955	18,742	17,286	+8.4%	42.62	439.7/km^2
Canmore	Town	June 1, 1966	13,992	12,288	+13.9%	69.43	201.5/km^2
Carbon	Village	November 18, 1912	454	592	−23.3%	1.99	228.1/km^2
Cardston	Town	July 2, 1901	3,585	3,580	+0.1%	8.59	417.3/km^2
Carmangay	Village	March 4, 1936	242	367	−34.1%	1.86	130.1/km^2
Caroline	Village	December 31, 1951	512	501	+2.2%	2.04	251.0/km^2
Carstairs	Town	September 1, 1966	4,077	3,442	+18.4%	11.92	342.0/km^2
Castle Island	Summer village	January 1, 1955	10	19	−47.4%	0.05	200.0/km^2
Castor	Town	June 27, 1910	929	932	−0.3%	2.63	353.2/km^2
Cereal	Village	August 19, 1914	111	134	−17.2%	0.79	140.5/km^2
Champion	Village	May 27, 1911	317	378	−16.1%	0.89	356.2/km^2
Chauvin	Village	December 30, 1912	335	334	+0.3%	2.24	149.6/km^2
Chestermere[lower-alpha 5]	City	January 1, 2015[26]	19,887	14,824	+34.2%	32.94	603.7/km^2
Chipman	Village	October 21, 1913	274	284	−3.5%	9.61	28.5/km^2
Claresholm	Town	August 31, 1905	3,780	3,758	+0.6%	8.11	466.1/km^2
Clive	Village	January 9, 1912	715	675	+5.9%	2.17	329.5/km^2
Clyde	Village	January 28, 1914	430	503	−14.5%	1.31	328.2/km^2
Coaldale	Town	January 7, 1952	8,215	7,493	+9.6%	7.99	1,028.2/km^2
Coalhurst	Town	June 1, 1995	2,668	1,978	+34.9%	3.11	857.9/km^2
Cochrane	Town	February 15, 1971	25,853	17,580	+47.1%	29.83	866.7/km^2
Cold Lake	City	October 1, 2000	14,961	13,839	+8.1%	59.92	249.7/km^2
Consort	Village	September 23, 1912	729	689	+5.8%	3.05	239.0/km^2
Coronation	Town	April 29, 1912	940	947	−0.7%	3.62	259.7/km^2
Coutts	Village	January 1, 1960	245	277	−11.6%	1.24	197.6/km^2
Cowley	Village	August 16, 1906	209	236	−11.4%	1.37	152.6/km^2
Cremona	Village	January 1, 1955	444	457	−2.8%	1.94	228.9/km^2
Crossfield	Town	August 1, 1980	2,983	2,853	+4.6%	11.96	249.4/km^2
Crystal Springs	Summer village	January 1, 1957	51	90	−43.3%	0.57	89.5/km^2
Czar	Village	November 12, 1917	202	167	+21.0%	1.12	180.4/km^2
Daysland	Town	April 2, 1907	824	807	+2.1%	1.75	470.9/km^2
Delburne	Village	January 17, 1913	892	830	+7.5%	3.98	224.1/km^2
Delia[lower-alpha 6]	Village	July 20, 1914	216	186	+16.1%	1.33	162.4/km^2
Devon	Town	February 24, 1950	6,578	6,515	+1.0%	14.3	460.0/km^2
Dewberry	Village	January 1, 1957	186	201	−7.5%	0.82	226.8/km^2
Didsbury	Town	September 27, 1906	5,268	4,957	+6.3%	16.37	321.8/km^2
Donalda	Village	December 30, 1912	219	259	−15.4%	0.99	221.2/km^2
Donnelly	Village	January 1, 1956	342	305	+12.1%	1.31	261.1/km^2
Drayton Valley	Town	February 1, 1957	7,235	7,118	+1.6%	30.72	235.5/km^2
Drumheller[lower-alpha 7]	Town	March 2, 1916 January 1, 1998	7,982	8,029	−0.6%	108.03	73.9/km^2
Duchess	Village	May 12, 1921	1,085	992	+9.4%	1.96	553.6/km^2
Eckville	Town	July 1, 1966	1,125	1,125	0.0%	1.6	703.1/km^2
Edberg	Village	February 4, 1930	151	168	−10.1%	0.35	431.4/km^2
Edgerton	Village	September 11, 1917	384	317	+21.1%	2.04	188.2/km^2
Edmonton	City	October 8, 1904	932,546	812,201	+14.8%	685.25	1,360.9/km^2
Edson	Town	September 21, 1911	8,414	8,475	−0.7%	29.72	283.1/km^2
Elk Point	Town	January 1, 1962	1,452	1,412	+2.8%	4.91	295.7/km^2
Elnora	Village	July 22, 1929	298	313	−4.8%	1.47	202.7/km^2
Empress	Village	February 5, 1914	135	188	−28.2%	1.58	85.4/km^2
Fairview	Town	April 25, 1949	2,998	3,162	−5.2%	11.36	263.9/km^2
Falher	Town	January 1, 1955	1,047	1,075	−2.6%	2.78	376.6/km^2
Ferintosh	Village	January 9, 1911	202	181	+11.6%	0.66	306.1/km^2
Foremost	Village	December 31, 1950	541	526	+2.9%	2.16	250.5/km^2
Forestburg	Village	August 21, 1919	875	831	+5.3%	2.73	320.5/km^2
Fort Macleod[lower-alpha 8]	Town	March 29, 1912	2,967	3,117	−4.8%	23.41	126.7/km^2
Fort Saskatchewan	City	July 1, 1985	24,149	19,051	+26.8%	48.18	501.2/km^2
Fox Creek	Town	September 1, 1983	1,971	1,969	+0.1%	12.36	159.5/km^2
Gadsby	Village	May 6, 1910	40	25	+60.0%	0.75	53.3/km^2
Ghost Lake	Summer village	December 31, 1953	82	81	+1.2%	0.67	122.4/km^2
Gibbons	Town	April 1, 1977	3,159	3,030	+4.3%	7.5	421.2/km^2
Girouxville	Village	December 31, 1951	219	266	−17.7%	0.67	326.9/km^2
Glendon	Village	January 1, 1956	493	486	+1.4%	1.99	247.7/km^2
Glenwood	Village	January 1, 1961	316	287	+10.1%	1.37	230.7/km^2
Golden Days	Summer village	January 1, 1965	160	141	+13.5%	2.28	70.2/km^2
Grande Prairie	City	January 1, 1958	63,166	55,655	+13.5%	132.73	475.9/km^2
Grandview	Summer village	January 1, 1967	114	108	+5.6%	0.79	144.3/km^2
Granum[lower-alpha 9]	Town	November 7, 1910	406	447	−9.2%	1.91	212.6/km^2
Grimshaw	Town	February 2, 1953	2,718	2,515	+8.1%	7.09	383.4/km^2
Gull Lake	Summer village	September 1, 1993	176	122	+44.3%	0.7	251.4/km^2
Half Moon Bay	Summer village	January 1, 1978	42	38	+10.5%	0.11	381.8/km^2
Halkirk	Village	February 10, 1912	112	121	−7.4%	0.61	183.6/km^2
Hanna	Town	April 14, 1914	2,559	2,673	−4.3%	8.81	290.5/km^2
Hardisty	Town	November 9, 1910	554	639	−13.3%	5.13	108.0/km^2
Hay Lakes[lower-alpha 10]	Village	April 17, 1928	495	425	+16.5%	0.59	839.0/km^2
Heisler	Village	January 1, 1961	160	151	+6.0%	0.64	250.0/km^2
High Level	Town	September 1, 1983	3,159	3,641	−13.2%	29.2	108.2/km^2
High Prairie	Town	January 10, 1950	2,564	2,600	−1.4%	7.22	355.1/km^2
High River	Town	February 12, 1906	13,584	12,930	+5.1%	21.39	635.1/km^2
Hill Spring	Village	January 1, 1961	162	186	−12.9%	0.96	168.8/km^2
Hines Creek	Village	December 31, 1951	346	380	−8.9%	5.33	64.9/km^2
Hinton	Town	December 29, 1958	9,882	9,640	+2.5%	33.52	294.8/km^2
Holden	Village	April 14, 1909	350	381	−8.1%	1.74	201.1/km^2
Horseshoe Bay	Summer village	January 1, 1985	49	37	+32.4%	1.14	43.0/km^2
Hughenden	Village	December 27, 1917	243	230	+5.7%	0.78	311.5/km^2
Hussar	Village	April 20, 1928	190	176	+8.0%	0.75	253.3/km^2
Hythe	Village	August 31, 1929	827	820	+0.9%	4.1	201.7/km^2
Innisfail	Town	November 20, 1903	7,847	7,876	−0.4%	19.4	404.5/km^2
Innisfree	Village	March 11, 1911	193	220	−12.3%	1.01	191.1/km^2
Irma	Village	May 30, 1912	521	457	+14.0%	1.34	388.8/km^2
Irricana	Town	June 9, 2005	1,216	1,162	+4.6%	3.23	376.5/km^2
Island Lake South	Summer village	January 1, 1983	228	243	−6.2%	1.85	123.2/km^2
Island Lake	Summer village	January 1, 1958	61	72	−15.3%	0.67	91.0/km^2
Itaska Beach	Summer village	June 30, 1953	23	20	+15.0%	0.29	79.3/km^2
Jarvis Bay	Summer village	January 1, 1986	213	203	+4.9%	0.53	401.9/km^2
Kapasiwin	Summer village	September 1, 1993	10	10	0.0%	0.3	33.3/km^2
Killam	Town	May 1, 1965	989	981	+0.8%	6.75	146.5/km^2
Kitscoty	Village	March 22, 1911	925	846	+9.3%	1.51	612.6/km^2
Lacombe	City	September 5, 2010	13,057	11,707	+11.5%	20.81	627.4/km^2
Lakeview	Summer village	October 25, 1913	30	26	+15.4%	0.35	85.7/km^2
Lamont	Town	May 31, 1968	1,774	1,753	+1.2%	9.2	192.8/km^2
Larkspur	Summer village	January 1, 1985	44	38	+15.8%	0.26	169.2/km^2
Leduc	City	September 1, 1983	29,993	24,304	+23.4%	42.44	706.7/km^2
Legal	Town	January 1, 1998	1,345	1,225	+9.8%	3.18	423.0/km^2
Lethbridge	City	May 9, 1906	92,729	83,517	+11.0%	122.09	759.5/km^2
Linden	Village	January 1, 1964	828	725	+14.2%	2.58	320.9/km^2
Lloydminster (part)[lower-alpha 11]	City	January 1, 1958	19,645	18,032	+8.9%	24.04	817.2/km^2
Lomond	Village	February 16, 1916	166	173	−4.0%	1.21	137.2/km^2
Longview	Village	January 1, 1964	307	307	0.0%	1.1	279.1/km^2
Lougheed	Village	November 7, 1911	256	233	+9.9%	2.1	121.9/km^2
Magrath	Town	July 24, 1907	2,374	2,217	+7.1%	5.99	396.3/km^2
Ma-Me-O Beach	Summer village	December 31, 1948	110	113	−2.7%	0.52	211.5/km^2
Manning	Town	January 1, 1957	1,183	1,164	+1.6%	4.05	292.1/km^2
Mannville	Village	December 29, 1906	828	803	+3.1%	1.64	504.9/km^2
Marwayne	Village	December 31, 1952	564	612	−7.8%	1.6	352.5/km^2
Mayerthorpe	Town	March 20, 1961	1,320	1,398	−5.6%	4.37	302.1/km^2
McLennan	Town	February 11, 1948	701	809	−13.3%	3.71	188.9/km^2
Medicine Hat	City	May 9, 1906	63,260	60,005	+5.4%	112.04	564.6/km^2
Mewatha Beach	Summer village	January 1, 1978	90	79	+13.9%	0.8	112.5/km^2
Milk River	Town	February 7, 1956	827	811	+2.0%	2.33	354.9/km^2
Millet	Town	September 1, 1983	1,945	2,092	−7.0%	3.72	522.8/km^2
Milo	Village	May 7, 1931	91	122	−25.4%	0.98	92.9/km^2
Morinville	Town	April 21, 1911	9,848	8,569	+14.9%	11.15	883.2/km^2
Morrin	Village	April 16, 1920	240	245	−2.0%	0.67	358.2/km^2
Mundare	Town	January 4, 1951	852	855	−0.4%	4.21	202.4/km^2
Munson	Village	May 5, 1911	192	204	−5.9%	2.53	75.9/km^2
Myrnam	Village	August 22, 1930	339	370	−8.4%	2.79	121.5/km^2
Nampa	Village	January 1, 1958	364	362	+0.6%	1.71	212.9/km^2
Nakamun Park	Summer village	January 1, 1966	96	36	+166.7%	0.45	213.3/km^2
Nanton	Town	August 9, 1907	2,181[25]	2,132	+2.3%	4.87	447.8/km^2
Nobleford	Town	February 28, 1918	1,278	1,000	+27.8%	1.59	803.8/km^2
Norglenwold	Summer village	January 1, 1965	273	232	+17.7%	0.62	440.3/km^2
Norris Beach	Summer village	December 31, 1988	38	46	−17.4%	0.2	190.0/km^2
Okotoks	Town	June 1, 1904	28,881	24,511	+17.8%	19.63	1,471.3/km^2
Olds	Town	July 1, 1905	9,184	8,235	+11.5%	14.93	615.1/km^2
Onoway	Town	September 1, 2005	1,029	1,039	−1.0%	3.32	309.9/km^2
Oyen	Town	September 1, 1965	1,001	973	+2.9%	5.28	189.6/km^2
Paradise Valley	Village	January 1, 1964	179	174	+2.9%	0.63	284.1/km^2
Parkland Beach	Summer village	January 1, 1984	153	124	+23.4%	0.95	161.1/km^2
Peace River[lower-alpha 12]	Town	December 1, 1919	6,842	6,729	+1.7%	26.26	260.5/km^2
Pelican Narrows	Summer village	July 1, 1979	151	162	−6.8%	0.72	209.7/km^2
Penhold	Town	September 1, 1980	3,277	2,375	+38.0%	5.29	619.5/km^2
Picture Butte	Town	January 1, 1960	1,810	1,650	+9.7%	2.85	635.1/km^2
Pincher Creek	Town	May 12, 1906	3,642	3,685	−1.2%	10.09	361.0/km^2
Point Alison	Summer village	December 31, 1950	10	15	−33.3%	0.16	62.5/km^2
Ponoka	Town	October 15, 1904	7,229	6,778	+6.7%	17.33	417.1/km^2
Poplar Bay	Summer village	January 1, 1967	103	80	+28.8%	0.67	153.7/km^2
Provost	Town	December 29, 1952	1,998	2,041	−2.1%	4.72	423.3/km^2
Rainbow Lake	Town	September 1, 1995	795	870	−8.6%	10.76	73.9/km^2
Raymond	Town	July 1, 1903	3,708	3,743	−0.9%	6.66	556.8/km^2
Red Deer	City	March 25, 1913	100,418	90,564	+10.9%	104.73	958.8/km^2
Redcliff	Town	August 5, 1912	5,600	5,588	+0.2%	16.25	344.6/km^2
Redwater	Town	December 31, 1950	2,053	1,915	+7.2%	20.03	102.5/km^2
Rimbey	Town	December 13, 1948	2,567	2,378	+7.9%	11.4	225.2/km^2
Rochon Sands	Summer village	May 17, 1929	86	65	+32.3%	2.16	39.8/km^2
Rocky Mountain House	Town	August 31, 1939	6,635	6,933	−4.3%	12.71	522.0/km^2
Rockyford	Village	March 28, 1919	316	325	−2.8%	1.08	292.6/km^2
Rosalind	Village	January 1, 1966	188	190	−1.1%	0.62	303.2/km^2
Rosemary	Village	December 31, 1951	396	342	+15.8%	0.59	671.2/km^2
Ross Haven	Summer village	January 1, 1962	160	137	+16.8%	0.71	225.4/km^2
Rycroft	Village	March 15, 1944	612	628	−2.5%	1.92	318.8/km^2
Ryley[lower-alpha 13]	Village	April 2, 1910	483	497	−2.8%	2.61	185.1/km^2
Sandy Beach	Summer village	January 1, 1956	278	223	+24.7%	2.4	115.8/km^2
Seba Beach	Summer village	August 20, 1920	169	143	+18.2%	0.86	196.5/km^2
Sedgewick	Town	May 1, 1966	811	857	−5.4%	2.72	298.2/km^2
Sexsmith	Town	October 15, 1979	2,620	2,418	+8.4%	13.24	197.9/km^2
Silver Beach	Summer village	December 31, 1953	65	52	+25.0%	0.64	101.6/km^2
Silver Sands	Summer village	January 1, 1969	160	85	+88.2%	2.41	66.4/km^2
Slave Lake	Town	August 2, 1965	6,651	6,782	−1.9%	14.44	460.6/km^2
Smoky Lake	Town	February 1, 1962	964	1,022	−5.7%	4.26	226.3/km^2
South Baptiste	Summer village	January 1, 1983	66	52	+26.9%	0.93	71.0/km^2
South View	Summer village	January 1, 1970	67	35	+91.4%	0.41	163.4/km^2
Spirit River	Town	September 18, 1951	995	1,025	−2.9%	3.14	316.9/km^2
Spring Lake[lower-alpha 14]	Village	January 1, 1999	699	533	+31.1%	2.33	300.0/km^2
Spruce Grove	City	March 1, 1986	34,066	26,171	+30.2%	32.2	1,058.0/km^2
St. Albert	City	January 1, 1977	65,589	61,466	+6.7%	48.45	1,353.7/km^2
St. Paul[lower-alpha 15]	Town	December 15, 1936	5,827	5,405	+7.8%	8.64	674.4/km^2
Standard	Village	April 29, 1922	353	379	−6.9%	2.35	150.2/km^2
Stavely	Town	May 25, 1912	541	505	+7.1%	1.83	295.6/km^2
Stettler	Town	November 23, 1906	5,952	5,748	+3.5%	13.14	453.0/km^2
Stirling	Village	September 3, 1901	978	1,090	−10.3%	2.71	360.9/km^2
Stony Plain	Town	December 10, 1908	17,189	15,051	+14.2%	35.72	481.2/km^2
Strathmore	Town	July 6, 1911	13,756	12,305	+11.8%	27.4	502.0/km^2
Sunbreaker Cove	Summer village	December 31, 1990	81	69	+17.4%	0.5	162.0/km^2
Sundance Beach	Summer village	January 1, 1970	73	82	−11.0%	0.44	165.9/km^2
Sundre	Town	January 1, 1956	2,729	2,610	+4.6%	11.11	245.6/km^2
Sunrise Beach	Summer village	December 31, 1988	135	149	−9.4%	1.66	81.3/km^2
Sunset Beach	Summer village	May 1, 1977	49	44	+11.4%	0.74	66.2/km^2
Sunset Point	Summer village	January 1, 1959	169	221	−23.5%	1.15	147.0/km^2
Swan Hills	Town	January 1, 1967	1,301	1,465	−11.2%	26.12	49.8/km^2
Sylvan Lake	Town	May 20, 1946	14,816	12,362	+19.9%	23.36	634.2/km^2
Taber	Town	July 1, 1907	8,428	8,104	+4.0%	15.67	537.8/km^2
Thorsby	Town	January 1, 2017	985	951	+3.6%	3.85	255.8/km^2
Three Hills	Town	January 1, 1929	3,212	3,198	+0.4%	6.75	475.9/km^2
Tofield	Town	September 10, 1909	2,081	2,182	−4.6%	8.21	253.5/km^2
Trochu	Town	August 1, 1962	1,058	1,072	−1.3%	2.78	380.6/km^2
Turner Valley	Town	September 1, 1977	2,559	2,167	+18.1%	5.79	442.0/km^2
Two Hills	Town	January 1, 1955	1,352	1,379	−2.0%	3.38	400.0/km^2
Val Quentin	Summer village	January 1, 1966	252	157	+60.5%	0.31	812.9/km^2
Valleyview	Town	February 5, 1957	1,863	1,761	+5.8%	9.32	199.9/km^2
Vauxhall	Town	January 1, 1961	1,222	1,288	−5.1%	2.72	449.3/km^2
Vegreville	Town	August 15, 1906	5,708	5,717	−0.2%	14.08	405.4/km^2
Vermilion	Town	August 27, 1906	4,084	3,930	+3.9%	12.93	315.9/km^2
Veteran	Village	June 30, 1914	207	249	−16.9%	0.84	246.4/km^2
Viking	Town	November 10, 1952	1,083	1,041	+4.0%	3.7	292.7/km^2
Vilna	Village	June 23, 1923	290	249	+16.5%	0.96	302.1/km^2
Vulcan	Town	June 15, 1921	1,917	1,836	+4.4%	6.34	302.4/km^2
Wabamun	Village	January 1, 1980	682	661	+3.2%	3.58	190.5/km^2
Wainwright	Town	July 14, 1910	6,270	5,925	+5.8%	9.1	689.0/km^2
Waiparous	Summer village	January 1, 1986	49	42	+16.7%	0.41	119.5/km^2
Warburg	Village	December 31, 1953	766	789	−2.9%	2.68	285.8/km^2
Warner	Village	November 12, 1908	373	331	+12.7%	1.16	321.6/km^2
Waskatenau	Village	May 19, 1932	186	255	−27.1%	0.6	310.0/km^2
Wembley	Town	August 1, 1980	1,516	1,383	+9.6%	4.75	319.2/km^2
West Baptiste	Summer village	January 1, 1983	38	52	−26.9%	0.65	58.5/km^2
West Cove	Summer village	January 1, 1963	149	121	+23.1%	1.33	112.0/km^2
Westlock	Town	January 7, 1947	5,101	4,823	+5.8%	13.37	381.5/km^2
Wetaskiwin	City	May 9, 1906	12,655	12,525	+1.0%	18.31	691.2/km^2
Whispering Hills	Summer village	January 1, 1983	142	108	+31.5%	1.68	84.5/km^2
White Sands	Summer village	January 1, 1980	120	91	+31.9%	1.58	75.9/km^2
Whitecourt	Town	December 20, 1971	10,204	9,605	+6.2%	26.44	385.9/km^2
Yellowstone	Summer village	January 1, 1965	137	124	+10.5%	0.28	489.3/km^2
Youngstown	Village	December 31, 1936	154	178	−13.5%	1.11	138.7/km^2
Total cities	—	—	2,837,511	2,488,211	+14.0%	2,465.94	1,150.7/km^2
Total towns	—	—	454,181	420,498	+8.0%	1,248.01	363.9/km^2
Total villages	—	—	37,099	36,470	+1.7%	159.14	233.1/km^2
Total summer villages	—	—	5,176	4,586	+12.9%	40.79	126.9/km^2
Total urban municipalities	—	—	3,333,967	2,950,215	+13.0%	3,913.88	851.8/km^2
Province of Alberta	—	—	4,067,175	3,645,257	+11.6%	640,330.46	6.4/km^2

Specialized municipalities

Distribution of Alberta's six specialized municipalities and three urban service areas (2020)

Sherwood Park is an urban service area within Strathcona County.

Fort McMurray is an urban service area within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

Main article: List of specialized municipalities in Alberta

Specialized municipalities in Alberta are unique local governments.[32] Alberta's Municipal Government Act (MGA), enacted in 2000, provides the authority to form a specialized municipality under the following scenarios:[6]

• where the Minister of Municipal Affairs is satisfied that the other incorporated statuses under the MGA do not meet the needs of the proposed municipality's residents;
• to form a local government that, in the opinion of the Minister of Municipal Affairs, will provide for the orderly development of the municipality in a similar fashion to the other incorporated statuses within the MGA, including other previously incorporated specialized municipalities; or
• for any other circumstances that are deemed appropriate by the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

Alberta has six specialized municipalities, which are recognized as census subdivisions by Statistics Canada.[2][12] In the 2016 Census of Population, they had a cumulative population of 199,313, a total land area of 157,285.11 km² (60,728.12 sq mi).[3] These totals represent 5% of Alberta's population yet 24.6% of its land area.

The province's largest and smallest specialized municipalities by population are Strathcona County and the Municipality of Jasper with 98,044 and 4,590 respectively, while its largest and smallest by land area are Mackenzie County and the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass with 80,458.19 km² (31,065.08 sq mi) and 371.44 km² (143.41 sq mi) respectively.[3] Lac La Biche County is Alberta's newest specialized municipality, which was formed on January 1, 2018.[33] Alberta's first specialized municipality was the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, which formed on April 1, 1995.[34]

Strathcona County and the Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo are home to the unincorporated hamlets of Sherwood Park and Fort McMurray respectively.[35] These communities are designated urban service areas, which are deemed equivalents of cities.[36][37] Excluding Sherwood Park and Fort McMurray, 18 other unincorporated communities, also recognized as hamlets by Alberta Municipal Affairs, are distributed among Mackenzie County, Strathcona County and the RM of Wood Buffalo.[35]

List of specialized municipalities

List of specialized municipalities in Alberta

Name	Incorporation date (specialized municipality)[34]	Population (2016)[38]	Population (2011)[38]	Change (%)[38]	Land area (km²)[38]	Population density (per km²)[38]
Crowsnest Pass, Municipality of	January 16, 2008	5,589	5,565	+0.4%	371.44	15.0/km^2
Jasper, Municipality of	July 20, 2001	4,590	4,432	+3.6%	924.06	5.0/km^2
Lac La Biche County[lower-alpha 16]	January 1, 2018[33]	8,330	8,397	−0.8%	12,570.99	0.7/km^2
Mackenzie County	June 23, 1999	11,171	10,927	+2.2%	80,458.19	0.1/km^2
Strathcona County	January 1, 1996	98,044	92,490	+6.0%	1,182.78	82.9/km^2
Wood Buffalo, Regional Municipality of	April 1, 1995	71,589	65,565	+9.2%	61,777.65	1.2/km^2
Total specialized municipalities	—	199,313	187,376	+6.4%	157,285.11	1.3/km^2
Province of Alberta	—	4,067,175	3,645,257	+11.6%	640,330.46	6.4/km^2

Rural municipalities

Distribution of Alberta's 74 rural municipalities including 64 municipal districts (orange), 8 improvement districts (dark green) and 3 special areas (light green) (2020)

Rural municipalities in Alberta include municipal districts (counties), improvement districts and special areas.[40] For federal census purposes, Statistics Canada recognizes all three rural municipality types as census subdivisions.[12] However, Statistics Canada embeds Alberta's eight Metis settlements, a separate type of municipality, into the census subdivisions for six municipal districts.[39]

Combined, Alberta has 74 rural municipalities comprising 63 municipal districts, 8 improvement districts and 3 special areas.[2] The 74 rural municipalities have a total population of 471,911, a total land area of 467,243.41 km² (180,403.69 sq mi).[3][lower-alpha 17] These totals represent 12% of Alberta's population yet 73% of its land area.

Municipal districts

Main article: List of municipal districts in Alberta

In Alberta, a municipal district, also known as a county, is a type of rural municipality.[40] The MGA, enacted in 2000, stipulates that an area may incorporate as a municipal district if it has a population of 1,000 people or more and the majority of its buildings are on parcels of land larger than 1,850 m² (19,900 sq ft).[6]

Alberta has 63 municipal districts that had a cumulative population of 465,672 in the 2016 Census of Population.[2][3][25] The province's largest and smallest municipal districts by population are Rocky View County and the Municipal District (MD) of Ranchland No. 66 with 39,407 and 92 respectively, while its largest and smallest by land area are the MD of Greenview No. 16 and the MD of Spirit River No. 133 with 32,984.24 km² (12,735.29 sq mi) and 683.60 km² (263.94 sq mi) respectively.[3] Unincorporated communities recognized as hamlets by Alberta Municipal Affairs are located within every municipal district with the exception of Mountain View County, the MD of Ranchland No. 66 and the MD of Spirit River No. 133.[35]

Improvement districts

In Alberta, an improvement district is a type of rural municipality that can be incorporated by the Lieutenant Governor in Council on the recommendation of Alberta's Minister of Municipal Affairs under the authority of the MGA.[6][40] Improvement districts are administered by the Province of Alberta through its Ministry of Municipal Affairs.[40]

Alberta has eight improvement districts that had a cumulative population of 2,055 in the 2016 Census of Population.[2][3] Five of them are within national parks while two are within provincial parks.[40] Alberta's largest improvement district by population is Improvement District (ID) No. 9, located within Banff National Park, with 1,028, while its largest by land area is ID No. 24, located within Wood Buffalo National Park, at 33,416.30 km² (12,902.11 sq mi).[3][40] ID No. 13 (Elk Island), ID No. 25 (Willmore Wilderness) and ID No. 349 are Alberta's three unpopulated improvement districts,[lower-alpha 2] while its smallest by land area is ID No. 13 (Elk Island) at 165.05 km² (63.73 sq mi).[3] ID No. 349 is also Alberta's newest improvement district, which was formed on January 1, 2012 from portions of Lac La Biche County and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.[41] Alberta Municipal Affairs recognizes two unincorporated communities within improvement districts as hamlets – Lake Louise within ID No. 9 (Banff National Park) and Waterton Park within ID No. 4 (Waterton Lakes National Park).[35]

Special areas

Main article: Special Areas Board

In Alberta, a special area is a type of rural municipality that can be incorporated by the Lieutenant Governor in Council under the authority of the Special Areas Act, which was enacted in 2000.[8][40] They were originally created in 1938 as a result of hardship brought upon a particular area in southeastern Alberta during the drought of the 1930s.[40]

Alberta has three special areas that had a cumulative population of 4,184 in the 2016 Census of Populations.[2][3] The province's largest by population and land area is Special Area (SA) No. 2 with 1,905 and 9,347.57 km² (3,609.12 sq mi) respectively. Alberta's smallest by population is SA No. 3 with 1,042, while its smallest by land area is SA No. 4 with 4,402.64 km² (1,699.87 sq mi).[3] The last special area to form was SA No. 4, which incorporated on January 1, 1969 through the removal of certain lands from SA No. 3.[42] The three special areas are administered as a single unit by the Special Areas Board, and are home to 16 unincorporated communities recognized as hamlets by Alberta Municipal Affairs.[40][42]

List of rural municipalities

List of rural municipalities in Alberta

Name	Status[2]	Incorporation date (current status) [43][41][42]	2016 Census of Population[3]
			Population (2016)	Population (2011)	Change (%)	Land area (km²)	Population density (per km²)
AcadiaMD of Acadia No. 34	Municipal district	December 9, 1913	493	495	−0.4%	1,082.6	0.5/km^2
Athabasca County	Municipal district	January 1, 1947	7,869	7,662	+2.7%	6,124.43	1.3/km^2
Barrhead County of Barrhead No. 11	Municipal district	January 1, 1955	6,288	6,096	+3.1%	2,406.25	2.6/km^2
Beaver County	Municipal district	February 1, 1943	5,905	5,689	+3.8%	3,317.57	1.8/km^2
Big Lakes County[lower-alpha 17]	Municipal district	January 1, 1995	4,103[44]	4,194	−2.2%	11,979.93	0.3/km^2
Bighorn MD of Bighorn No. 8	Municipal district	January 1, 1988	1,334	1,341	−0.5%	2,761.18	0.5/km^2
Birch Hills County	Municipal district	January 1, 1995	1,553	1,582	−1.8%	2,859.6	0.5/km^2
Bonnyville MD of Bonnyville No. 87[lower-alpha 17]	Municipal district	January 1, 1955	11,661[25][44]	10,101	+15.4%	5,456.78	2.3/km^2
Brazeau County	Municipal district	July 1, 1988	7,771	7,132	+9.0%	3,005.35	2.6/km^2
Camrose County	Municipal district	January 1, 1944	8,458	8,004	+5.7%	3,324.21	2.5/km^2
Cardston County	Municipal district	January 1, 1954	4,481	4,167	+7.5%	3,429.82	1.3/km^2
Clear Hills County	Municipal district	January 1, 1995	3,023	2,801	+7.9%	15,125.49	0.2/km^2
Clearwater County	Municipal district	January 1, 1985	11,947	12,278	−2.7%	18,682.45	0.6/km^2
Cypress County	Municipal district	January 1, 1985	7,662	7,214	+6.2%	13,173.25	0.6/km^2
Fairview MD of Fairview No. 136	Municipal district	December 9, 1914	1,604	1,673	−4.1%	1,387.58	1.2/km^2
Flagstaff County	Municipal district	January 1, 1944	3,738	3,591	+4.1%	4,067.58	0.9/km^2
Foothills MD of Foothills No. 31	Municipal district	January 1, 1954	22,766	21,248	+7.1%	3,636.8	6.3/km^2
Forty Mile County of Forty Mile No. 8	Municipal district	January 1, 1954	3,581	3,336	+7.3%	7,249.31	0.5/km^2
Grande Prairie County of Grande Prairie No. 1	Municipal district	December 21, 1943	22,502[25]	19,724	+14.1%	5,802.21	3.9/km^2
Greenview MD of Greenview No. 16	Municipal district	January 1, 1994	5,583	5,299	+5.4%	32,984.24	0.2/km^2
Imp004Improvement District No. 4 (Waterton)	Improvement district	January 1, 1944	105	88	+19.3%	485.66	0.2/km^2
Imp009Improvement District No. 9 (Banff)	Improvement district	April 1, 1945	1,028	1,175	−12.5%	6,787.28	0.2/km^2
Imp012Improvement District No. 12 (Jasper National Park)	Improvement district	April 1, 1945	53	34	+55.9%	10,185.75	0.0/km^2
Imp013Improvement District No. 13 (Elk Island)	Improvement district	April 1, 1958	0	10	−100.0%	165.05	0.0/km^2
Imp024Improvement District No. 24 (Wood Buffalo)	Improvement district	January 1, 1967	648	590	+9.8%	33,416.3	0.0/km^2
Imp025Improvement District No. 25 (Willmore Wilderness)	Improvement district	January 2, 1994	0	0	NA	4,605.63	0.0/km^2
Imp349Improvement District No. 349	Improvement district	January 1, 2012	0	0	NA	5,639.63	0.0/km^2
Kananaskis Improvement District	Improvement district	January 1, 1983	221	249	−11.2%	4,213.95	0.1/km^2
Kneehill County	Municipal district	January 1, 1944	5,001	4,921	+1.6%	3,381.02	1.5/km^2
Lac Ste. Anne County	Municipal district	January 1, 1944	10,899	10,260	+6.2%	2,850.38	3.8/km^2
Lacombe County	Municipal district	January 1, 1944	10,343	10,307	+0.3%	2,765.16	3.7/km^2
Lamont County	Municipal district	January 1, 1944	3,899	3,872	+0.7%	2,385.09	1.6/km^2
Leduc County	Municipal district	January 1, 1944	13,780	13,494	+2.1%	2,601.49	5.3/km^2
Lesser Slave River MD of Lesser Slave River No. 124	Municipal district	January 1, 1995	2,803	2,929	−4.3%	10,074.39	0.3/km^2
Lethbridge County	Municipal district	January 1, 1954	10,353	10,046	+3.1%	2,836.64	3.6/km^2
Minburn County of Minburn No. 27	Municipal district	January 30, 1942	3,188	3,383	−5.8%	2,913.02	1.1/km^2
Mountain View County	Municipal district	January 1, 1944	13,074	12,359	+5.8%	3,782.64	3.5/km^2
Newell County of Newell	Municipal district	January 1, 1953	7,524	7,138	+5.4%	5,904.67	1.3/km^2
Northern Lights County of Northern Lights[lower-alpha 17]	Municipal district	January 1, 1995	3,656[44]	3,555	+2.8%	19,016.55	0.2/km^2
Northern Sunrise County[lower-alpha 17]	Municipal district	April 1, 1994	1,891	1,791	+5.6%	21,149.92	0.1/km^2
Opportunity MD of Opportunity No. 17	Municipal district	August 1, 1995	3,181	3,074	+3.5%	29,142.1	0.1/km^2
Paintearth County of Paintearth No. 18	Municipal district	January 1, 1944	2,102	2,029	+3.6%	3,283.36	0.6/km^2
Parkland County	Municipal district	January 1, 1969	32,097	30,568	+5.0%	2,390.23	13.4/km^2
Peace MD of Peace No. 135	Municipal district	December 11, 1916	1,747	1,446	+20.8%	847.47	2.1/km^2
Pincher Creek MD of Pincher Creek No. 9	Municipal district	January 1, 1944	2,965	3,158	−6.1%	3,482.05	0.9/km^2
Ponoka County	Municipal district	January 1, 1952	9,806	8,856	+10.7%	2,814.26	3.5/km^2
Provost MD of Provost No. 52	Municipal district	March 1, 1943	2,205	2,288	−3.6%	3,628.39	0.6/km^2
Ranchland MD of Ranchland No. 66	Municipal district	January 1, 1995	92	79	+16.5%	2,638.7	0.0/km^2
Red Deer County	Municipal district	January 1, 1944	19,541	18,316	+6.7%	3,961.85	4.9/km^2
Rocky View County	Municipal district	January 1, 1955	39,407	35,754	+10.2%	3,836.33	10.3/km^2
Saddle Hills County	Municipal district	January 1, 1995	2,225	2,288	−2.8%	5,838.15	0.4/km^2
Smoky Lake County[lower-alpha 17]	Municipal district	March 1, 1943	2,461[44]	2,459	+0.1%	2,633.68	0.9/km^2
Smoky River MD of Smoky River No. 130	Municipal district	January 1, 1952	2,023	2,126	−4.8%	2,840.14	0.7/km^2
Special Area No. 2	Special area	April 7, 1959	1,905	2,025	−5.9%	9,347.57	0.2/km^2
Special Area No. 3	Special area	April 7, 1959	1,042	1,122	−7.1%	6,625.58	0.2/km^2
Special Area No. 4	Special area	January 1, 1969	1,237	1,352	−8.5%	4,402.64	0.3/km^2
Spirit River MD of Spirit River No. 133	Municipal district	December 11, 1916	700	713	−1.8%	683.6	1.0/km^2
St. Paul County of St. Paul No. 19	Municipal district	January 30, 1942	6,036	5,826	+3.6%	3,309.44	1.8/km^2
Starland County	Municipal district	February 1, 1943	2,066	2,057	+0.4%	2,559.95	0.8/km^2
Stettker County of Stettler No. 6	Municipal district	March 1, 1943	5,322	5,103	+4.3%	4,018.84	1.3/km^2
Sturgeon County	Municipal district	January 1, 1955	20,495	19,578	+4.7%	2,090.13	9.8/km^2
Taber MD of Taber	Municipal district	January 1, 1954	7,098	6,851	+3.6%	4,201.65	1.7/km^2
Thorhild County	Municipal district	January 1, 1955	3,254	3,417	−4.8%	2,001.74	1.6/km^2
Two Hills County of Two Hills No. 21	Municipal district	January 1, 1944	3,322	3,160	+5.1%	2,637.18	1.3/km^2
Vermilion River County of Vermilion River	Municipal district	January 1, 1944	8,267	7,905	+4.6%	5,519.75	1.5/km^2
Vulcan County	Municipal district	January 1, 1951	3,984	3,875	+2.8%	5,433.43	0.7/km^2
Wainwright MD of Wainwright No. 61	Municipal district	January 30, 1942	4,479	4,138	+8.2%	4,156.56	1.1/km^2
Warner County of Warner No. 5	Municipal district	January 1, 1954	3,947[25]	3,841	+2.8%	4,531.55	0.9/km^2
Westlock County	Municipal district	February 1, 1943	7,220	7,644	−5.5%	3,171.83	2.3/km^2
Wetaskiwin County of Wetaskiwin No. 10	Municipal district	February 1, 1943	11,181	10,866	+2.9%	3,132.06	3.6/km^2
Wheatland County	Municipal district	January 1, 1955	8,788	8,285	+6.1%	4,545.92	1.9/km^2
Willow Creek MD of Willow Creek No. 26	Municipal district	January 1, 1954	5,179	5,107	+1.4%	4,558.14	1.1/km^2
Woodlands County	Municipal district	January 1, 1994	4,754	4,306	+10.4%	7,669.13	0.6/km^2
Yellowhead County	Municipal district	January 1, 1994	10,995	10,469	+5.0%	22,293.16	0.5/km^2
Total municipal districts	—	—	465,672	443,264	+5.1%	381,368.37	1.2/km^2
Total improvement districts	—	—	2,055	2,146	−4.2%	65,499.25	0.0/km^2
Total special areas	—	—	4,184	4,499	−7.0%	20,375.79	0.2/km^2
Total rural municipalities	—	—	471,911	449,909	+4.9%	467,243.41	1.0/km^2
Province of Alberta	—	—	4,067,175	3,645,257	+11.6%	640,330.46	6.4/km^2

Metis settlements

Distribution of Alberta's 8 Metis settlements among its 63 municipal districts (2020)

Metis settlements are unique local governments dedicated to Alberta's Metis people.[45][lower-alpha 18] The settlements were originally created in 1938 under the authority of the Metis Population Betterment Act with land and governance being transferred to the settlements in 1989.[45] Metis settlements are presently under the jurisdiction of the Metis Settlements Act, which was enacted in 2000.[9]

Alberta has eight Metis settlements.[2] Unlike the other types of municipalities, Metis settlements are not recognized as census subdivisions by Statistics Canada for federal census purposes.[12] Rather, Statistics Canada recognizes them as designated places embedded within six municipal districts.[39]

Alberta's eight Metis settlements had a cumulative population of 4,858 in the 2016 Census of Population.[46] The province's largest and smallest Metis settlements by population are Kikino and East Prairie with 934 and 304 respectively, while the largest and smallest by land area are Paddle Prairie and Elizabeth at 1,738.82 km² (671.36 sq mi) and 252.44 km² (97.47 sq mi) respectively.[47]

List of Metis settlements

List of Metis settlements in Alberta

Name	Municipal district or specialized municipality [35][39]	Population (2016)[47]	Population (2011)[47]	Change (%)[47]	Land area (km²)[47]	Population density (per km^2)[47]
Buffalo Lake	Smoky Lake County	712	492	+44.7%	336.97	2.1/km^2
East Prairie	Big Lakes County	304	366	−16.9%	334.44	0.9/km^2
Elizabeth	BonnyvilleMD of Bonnyville No. 87	653	654	−0.2%	252.44	2.6/km^2
Fishing Lake	BonnyvilleMD of Bonnyville No. 87	446	436	+2.3%	355.51	1.3/km^2
Gift Lake[lower-alpha 19]	Big Lakes County Northern Sunrise County	658	662	−0.6%	812.73	0.8/km^2
Kikino[lower-alpha 20]	Smoky Lake County Lac La Biche County	934	964	−3.1%	443.57	2.1/km^2
Paddle Prairie	Northern LightsCounty of Northern Lights	544	562	−3.2%	1,738.82	0.3/km^2
Peavine	Big Lakes County	607	690	−12.0%	816.38	0.7/km^2
Total Metis settlements	—	4,858	4,826	+0.7%	5,090.86	1.0/km^2
Province of Alberta	—	4,067,175	3,645,257	+11.6%	640,330.46	6.4/km^2

See also

• List of former urban municipalities in Alberta
• List of population centres in Alberta

Notes

1. The remaining 1.3% of Alberta's population resides on Indian reserves or Indian settlements, which occupy the remaining 1.1% of the province's land mass.[3]
2. Actual population may not be 0 as Statistics Canada, to protect privacy, rounds population to the nearest 5 in the event a geographic area's actual population is less than 15.[21]
3. Athabasca was formerly known as Athabasca Landing prior to August 4, 1913.[17]
4. Bittern Lake was formerly known as Rosenroll prior to December 16, 1911.[24]
5. Chestermere was formerly known as Chestermere Lake prior to March 1, 1993.[17]
6. Delia was formerly known as Highland prior to December 9, 1915.[27]
7. Drumheller originally incorporated as a city on April 3, 1930 but reverted from city status as a result of its amalgamation with the M.D. of Badlands No. 7 in 1998.[17]
8. Fort Macleod was formerly known as Macleod prior to April 1, 1952.[17]
9. Granum was formerly known as Leavings prior to March 31, 1908.[17]
10. Hay Lakes was formerly known as Hay Lake prior to January 1, 1932.[18]
11. The balance of Lloydminster is located within Saskatchewan. The 2011 and 2006 populations presented here do not include 9,772 and 8,118 in the Saskatchewan portion of Lloydminster respectively, while the land area also does not include 17.34 km² (6.70 sq mi) in the Saskatchewan portion. The city's total populations in 2011 and 2006 were 27,804 and 24,028 respectively, while its total land area was 41.53 km² (16.03 sq mi).[28]
12. Peace River was formerly known as Peace River Crossing prior to May 22, 1916.[17]
13. Ryley was also known as Equity in 1909.[29]
14. Spring Lake was formerly known as Edmonton Beach prior to January 1, 1999.[30]
15. St. Paul was originally named St. Paul de Metis.[31]
16. Statistics presented for six municipal districts (the Big Lakes County, the MD of Bonnyville No. 87, Lac La Biche County, the County of Northern Lights, Northern Sunrise County and Smoky Lake County) differ from statistics for their corresponding census subdivisions published by Statistics Canada to recognize that Alberta's eight Metis settlements, which are designated places located within these six municipal districts, are separate municipalities.[39] The statistics presented for total municipal districts and total rural municipalities therefore exclude the statistics associated with the eight Metis settlements.
17. Statistics presented for six municipal districts (the Big Lakes County, the MD of Bonnyville No. 87, Lac La Biche County, the County of Northern Lights, Northern Sunrise County and Smoky Lake County) differ from statistics for their corresponding census subdivisions published by Statistics Canada to recognize that Alberta's eight Metis settlements, which are designated places located within these six municipal districts, are separate municipalities.[39] The statistics presented for total municipal districts and total rural municipalities therefore exclude the statistics associated with the eight Metis settlements.
18. The Metis are descendants of people of mixed First Nations and European heritage.
19. Gift Lake comprises two parts. The majority is located within Big Lakes County, while the balance is located within Northern Sunrise County. The Big Lakes County portion (part "A") had a population of 658 living on 811.68 km² (313.39 sq mi) in 2016, while the Northern Sunrise County portion (part "B") had a population of 0 living on 1.05 km² (0.41 sq mi).[47]
20. Kikino comprises two parts. The majority is located within Smoky Lake County, while the balance is located within Lac La Biche County. The Smoky Lake County portion (part "A") had a population of 934 living on 442.27 km² (170.76 sq mi) in 2016, while the Lac La Biche County portion (part "B") had a population of 0 living on 1.30 km² (0.50 sq mi).[47]

References

1. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
2. "2017 Municipal Codes" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. September 11, 2017. p. 1 of 13. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
3. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
4. "What Are Municipalities?". Alberta Municipal Affairs. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
5. "The Provisions of Programs and Services Through Municipalities". Alberta Municipal Affairs. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
6. "Municipal Government Act, Revised Statutes of Alberta 2000, Chapter M–26 (Office Consolidation)" (PDF). Alberta Queen's Printer. June 17, 2013. pp. 30–31, 47, 64–66, 69, 306. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
7. "Types Of Municipalities In Alberta". Alberta Municipal Affairs. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
8. "Special Areas Act, Revised Statutes of Alberta 2000, Chapter S–16 (Office Consolidation)" (PDF). Alberta Queen's Printer. May 27, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
9. "Metis Settlements Act, Revised Statutes of Alberta 2000, Chapter M–14 (Office Consolidation)" (PDF). Alberta Queen's Printer. June 17, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
10. "Information Sheet: The Legislative Assembly of Alberta" (PDF). Legislative Assembly of Alberta. p. 2. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
11. "About The Ministry of Municipal Affairs". Alberta Municipal Affairs. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
12. "Interim List of Changes to Municipal Boundaries, Status, and Names: From January 2, 2012 to January 1, 2013" (PDF). Statistics Canada. pp. 6–7. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
13. "2012 Municipal Affairs Population List" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. November 22, 2012. pp. 1–2, 10. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
14. "Order in Council (O.C.) 395/2018". Government of Alberta. December 11, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
15. "Municipal Profiles: Summary Reports (Cities)" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
16. "Order in Council (O.C.) 344/2016" (PDF). Province of Alberta. December 13, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
17. "Municipal Profiles: Summary Reports (Towns)" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
18. "Municipal Profiles: Summary Reports (Villages)" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
19. Jack K. Masson with Edward C. LeSage (1994). Alberta's Local Governments: Politics and Democracy. The University of Alberta Press. p. 69. ISBN 0-88864-251-2.
20. "Types of Municipalities in Alberta: Urban Municipal Governments". Alberta Municipal Affairs. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
21. "Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2011 Census – Notes (Adjustment of population counts)". Statistics Canada. January 30, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
22. "Municipal Profiles: Summary Reports (Summer Villages)" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
23. "Order in Council 461/2002". Government of Alberta. October 8, 2002. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
24. "Order in Council 979/11" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. December 16, 1911. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
25. "Population and dwelling count amendments, 2016 Census". Statistics Canada. January 16, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
26. "O.C. 499/2014". Government of Alberta. December 19, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
27. "Change in Name of Village Municipality – Highland to Delia" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. December 9, 1915. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
28. "Census Profile: Lloydminster (Part), Alberta (Code 4810039) and Lloydminster (Part), Saskatchewan (Code 4717029) (table)". Statistics Canada. March 1, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
29. "The Village of Ryley – Equity". Village of Ryley. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
30. "Order in Council 517/98". Alberta Municipal Affairs. December 9, 1998. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
31. "Order in Council 518/12" (PDF). Government of Alberta. June 14, 1912. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
32. "Types Of Municipalities In Alberta: Specialized Municipalities". Alberta Municipal Affairs. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
33. "O.C. 259/2017". Government of Alberta. September 14, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
34. "Municipal Profiles (Specialized Municipalities)" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
35. "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF) (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. August 30, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
36. "Order in Council 817/94" (PDF). Province of Alberta. December 21, 1994. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
37. "Order in Council 761/95" (PDF). Province of Alberta. December 6, 1995. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
38. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
39. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions, census subdivisions (municipalities) and designated places, 2011 and 2006 censuses". Statistics Canada. January 30, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
40. "Types Of Municipalities In Alberta: Rural Municipal Governments". Alberta Municipal Affairs. October 28, 2013.
41. "Municipal Profiles: Summary Reports (Improvement Districts)" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. October 18, 2013. pp. PDF pages 1, 9, 17, 25, 33, 41, 48 and 56. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
42. "Municipal Profiles: Summary Reports (Special Areas Board)" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. October 18, 2013. p. 1. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
43. "Municipal Profiles: Summary Reports (Municipal Districts)" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
44. "2017 Municipal Affairs Population List" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. ISBN 978-1-4601-3652-2. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
45. "Premier Redford celebrates Metis Settlements 75th anniversary". Alberta Government. August 15, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
46. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
47. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2017.

External links

• Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties
• Alberta Municipal Affairs
• Alberta Urban Municipalities Association
• Association of Summer Villages of Alberta
• Metis Settlements General Council