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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 December 2009, the Canadian province Alberta has 109 towns with a cumulative population of 446,791 and an average population of 4,099.^[1] 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 infrastructure 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.^{[citation needed]}

List of towns

Athabasca

Banff

Bowden

Canmore

Carstairs

Chestermere

Cochrane

Crossfield

Didsbury

Innisfail

Jasper

Lacombe

Fort Macleod

Olds

Peace River

Slave Lake

Stettler

Taber

Vauxhall

Vulcan

Whitecourt

Towns are listed alphabetically; click the sort buttons in the column headers to switch listing order

New towns

New town is a former urban municipal status in Alberta that is no longer in use. The authority to incorporate a community as a new town came from The New Towns Act, which was chapter 39 of the Statutes of Alberta, 1956.

At least 11 communities incorporated as a new town between 1956 and 1967. After only six months of incorporation as a village, Drayton Valley was the first community in Alberta to incorporate as a new town on June 1, 1956. ^[11] Drayton Valley was also the community that operated under new town status for the shortest period – eight months from June 1, 1956 to February 1, 1957. ^[12]

The last community to incorporate as a new town was Fox Creek on July 19, 1967. ^[13] Fox Creek was previously unincorporated prior to this date. It remained a new town for just over sixteen years until September 1, 1983 when it changed to town status. ^[14]

Rainbow Lake was the last community to be recognized as a new town. Its status was changed to that of a town in 1994 when numerous former acts under the authority of Alberta Municipal Affairs were transitioned into the current Municipal Government Act. ^[15] Rainbow Lake was also the community that operated under new town status for the longest period – nearly 28 years from September 1, 1966 to May 2, 1994.

Below is a list of the 11 communities that were once incorporated as a new town. All but one of them are resource communities in northern or west central Alberta and were recently founded communities at their dates of incorporation as new towns. St. Albert was the only community that was not in northern or west central Alberta and had been incorporated as its own municipality since December 7, 1899. ^[16]

Town status eligibility

There is currently one village – Stirling – that is eligible for town status having a population of 1,106,^[1] while the Village of Thorsby may consider town status if its next census reports a population of 1,000 or more.^[33]

There are also at least six hamlets – Clairmont, Fort Chipewyan, La Crete, Lac La Biche, Langdon and Wabasca – that are eligible for town status.

City status eligibility

There are currently 10 towns – Beaumont, Canmore, Chestermere, Cochrane, High River, Lacombe, Okotoks, Stony Plain, Strathmore, and Sylvan Lake – that are eligible for city status having populations in excess of 10,000. At this time, Lacombe is the only town that is in the process of changing its status to that of a city,^[34] while the Town of Hinton has recently expressed interest in incorporating as a city once it surpasses 10,000 people (its population in 2009 was 9,825).^[35]

See also

• List of communities in Alberta
• Cities of Alberta
• Villages of Alberta
• Summer villages of Alberta
• Hamlets of Alberta
• Census divisions of Alberta
• List of Alberta municipal districts

References

List of towns in Canada (by province or territory) Canada · British Columbia · Alberta · Saskatchewan · Manitoba · Ontario · Quebec · New Brunswick · Nova Scotia · Prince Edward Island · Newfoundland and Labrador · Yukon · Northwest Territories · Nunavut

Subdivisions of Alberta Subdivisions Regions · Census divisions · Counties and municipal districts · School districts · Regional Health Authorities Communities Cities · Towns · Villages · Summer villages · Hamlets · Indian reserves · Métis settlements · Ghost towns Cities and Urban Service Areas Airdrie · Brooks · Calgary · Camrose · Cold Lake · Edmonton (capital) · Fort McMurray · Fort Saskatchewan · Grande Prairie · Leduc · Lethbridge · Lloydminster · Medicine Hat · Red Deer · Sherwood Park · Spruce Grove · St. Albert · Wetaskiwin Towns and Specialized Municipalities Athabasca · Banff · Barrhead · Bashaw · Bassano · Beaumont · Beaverlodge · Bentley · Black Diamond · Blackfalds · Bon Accord · Bonnyville · Bow Island · Bowden · Bruderheim · Calmar · Canmore · Cardston · Carstairs · Castor · Chestermere · Claresholm · Coaldale · Coalhurst · Cochrane · Coronation · Crossfield · Crowsnest Pass · Daysland · Devon · Didsbury · Drayton Valley · Drumheller · Eckville · Edson · Elk Point · Fairview · Falher · Fort Macleod · Fox Creek · Gibbons · Grande Cache · Granum · Grimshaw · Hanna · Hardisty · High Level · High Prairie · High River · Hinton · Innisfail · Irricana · Jasper · Killam · Lac La Biche · Lacombe · Magrath · Manning · Mayerthorpe · McLennan · Milk River · Millet · Morinville · Mundare · Nanton · Okotoks · Olds · Onoway · Oyen · Peace River · Penhold · Picture Butte · Pincher Creek · Ponoka · Provost · Rainbow Lake · Raymond · Redcliff · Redwater · Rimbey · Rocky Mountain House · Sedgewick · Sexsmith · Slave Lake · Smoky Lake · Spirit River · St. Paul · Stavely · Stettler · Stony Plain · Strathmore · Sundre · Swan Hills · Sylvan Lake · Taber · Three Hills · Tofield · Trochu · Turner Valley · Two Hills · Valleyview · Vauxhall · Vegreville · Vermilion · Viking · Vulcan · Wainwright · Wembley · Westlock · Whitecourt

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