Towns of Alberta

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Distribution of town and cities in Alberta

Towns in Alberta are generally formed from communities with populations of at least 1,000 people.

Alberta has a total of 111 towns, with a population totaling 406,108 in 2005.^[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 requests 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]

1 Administration
2 List of towns
- 2.1 Most populous towns
3 See also
4 References

[edit] 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.

[edit] List of towns

Town Name	County/Municipal District	Area (km²)	Population (2005)	Remarks
Athabasca	Athabasca County	16.98	&&&&&&&&&&&&2415.02,415	County seat
Banff	Banff Improvement Area	4.87	&&&&&&&&&&&&8352.08,352
Barrhead	Barrhead County	7.77	&&&&&&&&&&&&4215.04,215	County seat
Bashaw	Camrose County	3.08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&825.0825
Bassano	Newell County	5.12	&&&&&&&&&&&&1320.01,320
Beaumont	Leduc County	10.35	&&&&&&&&&&&&8361.08,361
Beaverlodge	Grande Prairie County	5.25	&&&&&&&&&&&&2176.02,176
Bentley	Lacombe County	2.48	&&&&&&&&&&&&1094.01,094
Black Diamond	Foothills MD	1.93	&&&&&&&&&&&&1866.01,866
Blackfalds	Lacombe County	3.60	&&&&&&&&&&&&4373.04,373
Bon Accord	Sturgeon County	2.05	&&&&&&&&&&&&1532.01,532
Bonnyville	Bonnyville MD	16.75	&&&&&&&&&&&&5896.05,896	Municipal seat
Bow Island	Forty Mile County	5.74	&&&&&&&&&&&&1704.01,704
Bowden	Red Deer County	1.90	&&&&&&&&&&&&1174.01,174
Bruderheim	Lamont County	4.55	&&&&&&&&&&&&1202.01,202
Calmar	Leduc County	1.92	&&&&&&&&&&&&1992.01,992
Canmore	Bighorn MD	67.36	&&&&&&&&&&&11442.011,442	Stand-alone municipality
Cardston	Cardston County	6.12	&&&&&&&&&&&&3475.03,475	County seat
Carstairs	Mountain View County	4.20	&&&&&&&&&&&&2501.02,501
Castor	Paintearth County	2.73	&&&&&&&&&&&&&935.0935	County seat
Chestermere	Rocky View MD	8.23	&&&&&&&&&&&&7904.07,904
Claresholm	Willow Creek MD	6.78	&&&&&&&&&&&&3622.03,622
Coaldale	Lethbridge County	8.03	&&&&&&&&&&&&6104.06,104
Coalhurst	Lethbridge County	1.18	&&&&&&&&&&&&1493.01,493
Cochrane	Rocky View MD	31.00	&&&&&&&&&&&12688.012,688	Stand-alone municipality
Coronation	Paintearth County	3.69	&&&&&&&&&&&&1074.01,074
Crossfield	Rocky View MD	3.81	&&&&&&&&&&&&2603.02,603
Crowsnest Pass	Crowsnest Pass MD	373.04	&&&&&&&&&&&&6262.06,262	Specialized Municipality
Daysland	Flagstaff County	1.66	&&&&&&&&&&&&&779.0779
Devon	Leduc County	8.58	&&&&&&&&&&&&6095.06,095	Stand-alone municipality
Didsbury	Mountain View County	5.22	&&&&&&&&&&&&3932.03,932	County seat
Drayton Valley	Brazeau County	8.10	&&&&&&&&&&&&6210.06,210	County seat
Drumheller	Starland County	112.53	&&&&&&&&&&&&7785.07,785	Stand-alone municipality, renounced city status in 1997
Eckville	Lacombe County	1.61	&&&&&&&&&&&&1019.01,019
Edson	Yellowhead County	26.33	&&&&&&&&&&&&8365.08,365	County seat
Elk Point	St. Paul County	1.94	&&&&&&&&&&&&1440.01,440
Fairview	Fairview MD	9.26	&&&&&&&&&&&&3150.03,150	Municipal seat
Falher	Smoky River MD	2.66	&&&&&&&&&&&&1109.01,109	Municipal seat
Fort Macleod	Willow Creek MD	23.31	&&&&&&&&&&&&2990.02,990
Fox Creek	Greenview MD	8.56	&&&&&&&&&&&&2337.02,337
Gibbons	Sturgeon County	6.80	&&&&&&&&&&&&2730.02,730
Grande Cache	Greenview MD	35.43	&&&&&&&&&&&&3828.03,828
Granum	Willow Creek MD	1.79	&&&&&&&&&&&&&420.0420
Grimshaw	Peace MD	3.90	&&&&&&&&&&&&2435.02,435
Hanna	Special Area 2	8.19	&&&&&&&&&&&&2986.02,986	Area Board seat
Hardisty	Flagstaff County	4.16	&&&&&&&&&&&&&761.0761
High Level	Mackenzie MD	20.72	&&&&&&&&&&&&3849.03,849
High Prairie	Big Lakes MD	5.38	&&&&&&&&&&&&2820.02,820	Municipal seat
High River	Foothills MD	12.84	&&&&&&&&&&&&9522.09,522	Municipal seat
Hinton	Yellowhead County	23.90	&&&&&&&&&&&&9405.09,405
Innisfail	Red Deer County	8.48	&&&&&&&&&&&&7208.07,208
Irricana	Rocky View MD	2.73	&&&&&&&&&&&&1104.01,104	Became a town in 2005
Killam	Flagstaff County	3.15	&&&&&&&&&&&&1004.01,004
Lac La Biche	Lakeland County	3.96	&&&&&&&&&&&&2776.02,776	County seat
Lacombe	Lacombe County	19.26	&&&&&&&&&&&10850.010,850	County seat
Lamont	Lamont County	3.38	&&&&&&&&&&&&1692.01,692	County seat
Legal	Sturgeon County	2.47	&&&&&&&&&&&&1058.01,058
Magrath	Cardston County	5.68	&&&&&&&&&&&&1993.01,993
Manning	Northern Lights MD	2.58	&&&&&&&&&&&&1293.01,293	Municipal seat
Mayerthorpe	Lac Ste. Anne County	3.80	&&&&&&&&&&&&1570.01,570
McLennan	Smoky River MD	3.30	&&&&&&&&&&&&&804.0804
Milk River	Warner County	2.33	&&&&&&&&&&&&&879.0879
Millet	Wetaskiwin County	3.57	&&&&&&&&&&&&2125.02,125
Morinville	Sturgeon County	11.67	&&&&&&&&&&&&6540.06,540	County seat
Mundare	Lamont County	1.50	&&&&&&&&&&&&&715.0715
Nanton	Willow Creek MD	3.17	&&&&&&&&&&&&1841.01,841
Okotoks	Foothills MD	18.95	&&&&&&&&&&&11664.011,664
Olds	Mountain View County	11.14	&&&&&&&&&&&&6703.06,703
Onoway	Lac Ste. Anne County	3.11	&&&&&&&&&&&&1036.01,036	Became a town in 2005
Oyen	Special Area 3	4.62	&&&&&&&&&&&&1101.01,101
Peace River	Northern Sunrise County	26.49	&&&&&&&&&&&&6240.06,240	Stand-alone municipality, Municipal seat
Penhold	Red Deer County	2.59	&&&&&&&&&&&&1750.01,750
Picture Butte	Lethbridge County	2.84	&&&&&&&&&&&&1701.01,701
Pincher Creek	Pincher Creek MD	6.42	&&&&&&&&&&&&3666.03,666	Municipal seat
Ponoka	Ponoka County	13.35	&&&&&&&&&&&&6330.06,330	County seat
Provost	Provost MD	4.48	&&&&&&&&&&&&2078.02,078	Municipal seat
Rainbow Lake	Mackenzie MD	11.00	&&&&&&&&&&&&1186.01,186
Raymond	Warner County	4.70	&&&&&&&&&&&&3200.03,200
Redcliff	Cypress County	9.92	&&&&&&&&&&&&4372.04,372
Redwater	Sturgeon County	8.11	&&&&&&&&&&&&2172.02,172
Rimbey	Ponoka County	10.97	&&&&&&&&&&&&2160.02,160
Rocky Mountain House	Clearwater County	12.46	&&&&&&&&&&&&6584.06,584	County seat
Sedgewick	Flagstaff County	2.78	&&&&&&&&&&&&&865.0865	County seat
Sexsmith	Grande Prairie County	3.47	&&&&&&&&&&&&1934.01,934
Slave Lake	Lesser Slave River MD	16.15	&&&&&&&&&&&&6600.06,600	Municipal seat
Smoky Lake	Smoky Lake County	3.89	&&&&&&&&&&&&1011.01,011	County seat
Spirit River	Spirit River MD	2.28	&&&&&&&&&&&&1100.01,100	Municipal seat
St. Paul	St. Paul County	5.03	&&&&&&&&&&&&5144.05,144	County seat
Stavely	Willow Creek MD	1.34	&&&&&&&&&&&&&455.0455
Stettler	Stettler County	9.07	&&&&&&&&&&&&5226.05,226	County seat
Stony Plain	Parkland County	27.20	&&&&&&&&&&&10544.010,544
Strathmore	Wheatland Count	15.57	&&&&&&&&&&&&9653.09,653	County seat
Sundre	Mountain View County	7.79	&&&&&&&&&&&&2267.02,267
Swan Hills	Big Lakes MD	25.66	&&&&&&&&&&&&1807.01,807
Sylvan Lake	Red Deer County	11.20	&&&&&&&&&&&&8504.08,504
Taber	Taber MD	15.66	&&&&&&&&&&&&7671.07,671	Municipal seat
Three Hills	Kneehill County	5.62	&&&&&&&&&&&&3554.03,554	County seat
Tofield	Beaver County	6.58	&&&&&&&&&&&&1818.01,818
Trochu	Kneehill County	2.02	&&&&&&&&&&&&1033.01,033
Turner Valley	Foothills MD	5.58	&&&&&&&&&&&&1786.01,786
Two Hills	Two Hills County	3.49	&&&&&&&&&&&&1109.01,109	County seat
Valleyview	Greenview MD	3.97	&&&&&&&&&&&&1856.01,856	Municipal seat
Vauxhall	Taber MD	2.59	&&&&&&&&&&&&1112.01,112
Vegreville	Minburn County	13.48	&&&&&&&&&&&&5376.05,376	County seat
Vermilion	Vermilion River County	13.56	&&&&&&&&&&&&4435.04,435
Viking	Beaver County	1.99	&&&&&&&&&&&&1052.01,052
Vulcan	Vulcan County	6.13	&&&&&&&&&&&&1762.01,762
Wainwright	Wainwright MD	8.53	&&&&&&&&&&&&5365.05,365	Municipal seat
Wembley	Grande Prairie County	3.52	&&&&&&&&&&&&1542.01,542
Westlock	Westlock County	9.74	&&&&&&&&&&&&4820.04,820
Whitecourt	Woodlands County	28.50	&&&&&&&&&&&&8747.08,747	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]

[edit] Most populous towns

Cochrane - 12,688
Okotoks - 11,664
Canmore - 11,442
Lacombe - 10,850
Stony Plain - 10,544
Strathmore - 9,653
High River - 9,522
Hinton - 9,405
Whitecourt - 8,747
Sylvan Lake - 8,504

The least populated town is Granum, with 420 residents.

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Mainstreets Alberta

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Alberta Municipal Affairs and Housing (2005-11-28). 2005 Municipal Census. Retrieved on December 18, 2006.
^ ^a ^b Alberta Municipal Affairs and Housing (2006-05-16). Types of Municipalities in Alberta. Retrieved on December 18, 2006.
^ Statistics Canada (2003-01-20). Calgary-Edmonton corridor. Retrieved on December 18, 2006.
^ 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.

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