Global InformationList of towns in Alberta information
A town is an urban municipality status type used in the Canadian province of Alberta. Alberta towns are created when communities with populations of at least 1,000 people, where a majority of their buildings are on parcels of land smaller than 1,850 m2, apply to Alberta Municipal Affairs for town status under the authority of the Municipal Government Act.[1] Applications for town status are approved via orders in council made by the Lieutenant Governor in Council under recommendation from the Minister of Municipal Affairs.[1]
Alberta has 105 towns that had a cumulative population of 455,053 and an average population of 4,293 in the 2016 Canadian Census.[2] Alberta's largest and smallest towns are Okotoks and Stavely with populations of 28,881 and 541 respectively.[2] Diamond Valley is Alberta's newest town, which incorporated on January 1, 2023 via amalgamation of the former towns of Black Diamond and Turner Valley.[3]
When a town's population exceeds 10,000 people, the council may request a change to city status, but the change in incorporated status is not mandatory.[4] Towns with populations less than 1,000, whether their populations have declined below 1,000 or they were incorporated as towns prior to the minimum 1,000 population requirement, are permitted to retain town status.
A total of 699 elected town officials (107 mayors and 592 councillors)[needs update] provide town governance throughout the province.[5]
The highest frequency of towns in Alberta is found in the Queen Elizabeth II Highway/Highway 2A corridor between Calgary and Edmonton corridor including, from south to north, Crossfield, Carstairs, Didsbury, Olds, Bowden, Innisfail, Penhold, Blackfalds, Ponoka and Millet.
- ^ a b "Municipal Government Act". Alberta Queen's Printer. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
2016censusABmuniswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
DiamondValleywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Types of Municipalities in Alberta". Alberta Municipal Affairs. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
- ^ "Municipal Profiles (Towns)" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. Retrieved January 14, 2019.