Hamlets in the Canadian province of Alberta are unincorporated communities administered by, and within the boundaries of, specialized municipalities or rural municipalities (municipal districts, improvement districts and special areas). They consist of five or more dwellings (a majority of which are on parcels of land that are smaller than 1,850 m2), have a generally accepted boundary and name, and contain parcels of land used for non-residential purposes. [1] [2]
Section 59 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA) enables specialized municipalities and municipal districts to designate a hamlet, while Section 590 of the MGA enables the Minister of Alberta Municipal Affairs to designate a hamlet within an improvement district. [1] The Minister may also designate a hamlet within a special area pursuant to Section 10 of the Special Areas Act. [3]
A hamlet can be incorporated as a village when its population reaches 300. However, Alberta has not had a hamlet incorporate as a village since January 1, 1980, when both Barnwell and Wabamun incorporated as villages. [4] [5] Since then, it has been more common for urban municipalities to dissolve from their current municipal status to that of a hamlet under the jurisdiction of its surrounding specialized or rural municipality. As such, the number of hamlets in Alberta has steadily grown over the years.
As of 2024, Alberta has 433 hamlets recognized by Alberta Municipal Affairs, [6] which is up from 403 in 2023. [7] Alberta's two largest hamlets – Sherwood Park within Strathcona County and Fort McMurray (formerly a city) within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo – have been further designated as urban service areas by Municipal Affairs. If they were to incorporate as cities, Sherwood Park and Fort McMurray would rank sixth and seventh respectively among Alberta's largest cities by population. Lac La Biche (formerly a town) within Lac La Biche County is a third hamlet also designated as an urban service area. [6]
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Numerous communities in Alberta have been previously recognized as hamlets by the Province of Alberta. The following are those hamlets that have been absorbed by urban municipalities through annexation or amalgamation.
The Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR), also commonly referred to as Greater Edmonton or Metro Edmonton, is a conglomeration of municipalities centred on Edmonton, the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta.
Cereal is a hamlet within Special Area No. 3 in central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately 161 km (100 mi) east of Drumheller. It was named after the post office that was established in the area in 1910. The name of the post office alluded to grain fields near the community. Cereal held village status prior to 2021.
Dewberry is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada within the County of Vermilion River. It is approximately 66 km (41 mi) northwest of Lloydminster. The hamlet was named for the dewberries growing near the community. Its first school opened in 1930. Dewberry held village status prior to 2021.
Sangudo is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within Lac Ste. Anne County. It is located on Highway 43 and the Pembina River, approximately 99 kilometres (62 mi) northwest of Edmonton.
Thorhild is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within Thorhild County. It is located at the intersection of Highway 18 and Highway 827, approximately 86 kilometres (53 mi) north-by-east of the City of Edmonton.
Lac La Biche County is a specialized municipality within Division No. 12 in northern Alberta, Canada. It was established through the amalgamation of the Town of Lac La Biche and Lakeland County in 2007.
Lakeland County was a municipal district in northern Alberta, Canada. It existed for just over nine years from 1998 to 2007.
Blackie is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within the Foothills County. It is located approximately 70 kilometres (43 mi) southeast of Calgary on Highway 799.
Newcastle is a community within the Town of Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. It held village status for eight years between 1923 and 1931, and was recognized as a hamlet prior to annexation by Drumheller in 1967. The community is located within the Red Deer River valley on South Dinosaur Trail, approximately 2 km (1.2 mi) west of Drumheller's main townsite. The former hamlet of Midlandvale is located across the river to the north.
Improvement District No. 349 was an improvement district in northeast Alberta, Canada that existed between January 1, 2012 and May 1, 2021. The improvement district was largely coextensive with the Alberta portion of the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range. On May 1, 2021, the improvement district was annexed by the adjacent Municipal District (MD) of Bonnyville No. 87.
Alberta has provincial legislation allowing its municipalities to conduct municipal censuses between April 1 and June 30 inclusive. Municipalities choose to conduct their own censuses for multiple reasons such as to better inform municipal service planning and provision, to capitalize on per capita based grant funding from higher levels of government, or to simply update their populations since the last federal census.
Alberta has provincial legislation allowing its municipalities to conduct municipal censuses between April 1 and June 30 inclusive. Municipalities choose to conduct their own censuses for multiple reasons such as to better inform municipal service planning and provision, to capitalize on per capita based grant funding from higher levels of government, or to simply update their populations since the last federal census.
Alberta has provincial legislation allowing its municipalities to conduct municipal censuses between April 1 and June 30 inclusive. Due to the concurrency of Statistics Canada conducting the Canada 2016 Census in May 2016, the Government of Alberta offered municipalities the option to alter their 2016 municipal census timeframes to either March 1 through May 31 or May 1 through July 31. Municipalities choose to conduct their own censuses for multiple reasons such as to better inform municipal service planning and provision, to capitalize on per capita based grant funding from higher levels of government, or to simply update their populations since the last federal census.