Mountain View County

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Mountain View County
Mountain View County sign.JPG
Welcome sign
Mountain View County (logo).svg
AB locator MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY.svg
Location within Alberta
CountryCanada
Province Alberta
Region Central Alberta
Census division 6
EstablishedMarch 15, 1944 as M.D. of Mountain View No. 280
IncorporatedJanuary 1, 1961 as County of Mountain View No. 17
Name changedJanuary 21, 1998 to Mountain View County
Government
[1]
   Reeve Angela Aalbers
  CAOJeff Holmes
   Administrative office north of Didsbury
Area
 (2021) [2]
  Land3,763.42 km2 (1,453.06 sq mi)
Population
 (2021) [2]
  Total12,981
  Density3.4/km2 (9/sq mi)
Time zone UTC−7 (MST)
  Summer (DST) UTC−6 (MDT)
Website mountainviewcounty.com

Mountain View County is a municipal district in Division No. 6 in central Alberta, Canada. Located between the cities of Calgary and Red Deer within the Calgary-Edmonton corridor, its municipal office is located north of the Town of Didsbury. Mountain View County is a member of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta, along with numerous local boards, commissions and committees.

Contents

History

The first government surveys of the area between Calgary and Edmonton were not made until 1883, around the time when the Canadian Pacific Railway arrived from Eastern Canada in Calgary, then just a small settlement. Just to the east of where the busy Queen Elizabeth II highway runs today, people and goods travelled between Calgary and Fort Edmonton by wagon along the original Calgary and Edmonton Trail. In 1890, the Calgary and Edmonton Railway was chartered, and construction began, with the line reaching the area now comprising the county by the end of that year.

While a handful of squatters had arrived pre-1890, settlement in the area did not begin in earnest until the arrival of the C & E Railway. On July 27, 1891, the first through train made the trip from Calgary to Strathcona, marking the beginning of regular scheduled passenger train service for the next 60 years. The operation of Calgary & Edmonton Railway passed to the Canadian Pacific Railway, which continues to operate the line as its main Calgary-Edmonton connection.

After 1891, homesteaders began to arrive in the region from across Europe and North America, with settlements sprouting up around the fourth (Carstairs), fifth (Didsbury) and sixth (Olds) sidings.

Settlement in the early days was typified by ethnic and usually religious groups living in close-knit communities or colonies. Notable among them were a group of Mennonite families who homesteaded in the Didsbury area from Europe via Ontario around the turn of the 19th century. A large number of German settlers from the American Midwest also settled around Olds; and a group of Norwegian pioneers blazed a trail westward towards Sundre and Bergen.

As the population grew, so did their needs. This led to the formation of local government, though the creation of local Improvement Districts. These were relatively small administrative units, generally no bigger than 72 square miles (190 km2) in size, and were responsible for a number of limited duties including setting local tax rates, and keeping track of necessary local improvements.

In December 1911 the Alberta government brought forward new legislation designed to introduce greater self-government into rural areas of the province. Specifically, the Municipal Act of 1912 encouraged local improvement districts to consolidate with one another to form larger rural municipalities.

Initially the response to the idea of consolidation was unenthusiastic. A majority of rural residents in Mountain View voted against consolidation with other L.I.D.'s in a series of plebiscites held in 1912. Only the Rural Municipality of Mountain View No. 310 would be created out of four improvement districts around Olds and Didsbury, making it one of 55 rural municipalities to come into existence province-wide on December 9, 1912. While Mountain View was the first to consolidate, others would soon follow their lead.

The Municipal District of Mountain View No. 49 was formed into the County of Mountain View No. 17 as of January 1, 1961, with William J. Bagnall of Dogpound was selected as the county's first reeve. A municipal councillor prior to the county's formation, Bagnall would continue to serve as reeve until 1980.

The newly formed county chose Didsbury as the location of its municipal office, and in October 1962, a new administration building was opened to house both the county administration and the school board. This building would serve the county until a new state-of-the-art office was built in 2005, near the Olds-Didsbury Airport along Highway 2A.

On January 21, 1998, the County of Mountain View No. 17 officially changed its name to Mountain View County, as it continues to be known today.

Geography

Communities and localities

Rural neighbourhoods

In 2008, Mountain View County established 20 districts as rural neighbourhoods.[ citation needed ]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Mountain View County had a population of 12,981 living in 5,014 of its 5,743 total private dwellings, a change of

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Mountain View County had a population of 13,074 living in 5,025 of its 5,666 total private dwellings, a

Economy

Oil and gas is the main economic driver of Mountain View County, along with agriculture, forestry and tourism.

Education

In the early 1890s the first schools began to organize in the area now comprising Mountain View County. By 1930, almost 90 school districts had been created to serve the region, with the one-room school house remaining a fixture of rural life until 1936, when the Social Credit government allowed for the creation of larger school divisions.

As consolidation of rural municipalities continued throughput the 1940s and 50s, the provincial government moved to amalgamate municipalities and the local school boards. In 1955, the M.D. of Mountain View and Olds School Division No. 39 were made "coterminous" (meaning they shared the same boundaries). With the introduction of the County system of government in 1961, joint administration of municipalities and the school boards was initiated, and would continue until 1994.

Olds School Division No. 39 would eventually evolve into the Chinook's Edge School Division, which continues to serve the county.

See also

Related Research Articles

Division No. 6, Alberta Census division in Alberta, Canada

Division No. 6 is a census division in Alberta, Canada. It includes the City of Calgary and surrounding areas. The majority of the division consists of Alberta's Calgary Region, while the northern portion of the division is includes central Alberta. The division also forms the southern segment of the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. Division No. 6 is the largest census division in Alberta according to population and also has the highest population density.

Airdrie, Alberta City in Alberta, Canada

Airdrie is a city in Alberta, Canada within the Calgary Region. It is located north of Calgary within the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor at the intersection of Queen Elizabeth II Highway and Highway 567.

Calgary Metropolitan Region Metropolitan area in Alberta, Canada

The Calgary Metropolitan Region (CMR), also commonly referred to as the Calgary Region, is a conglomeration of municipalities centred on Calgary, the largest city in Alberta.

Strathcona County Municipality in Alberta, Canada

Strathcona County is a specialized municipality in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region within Alberta, Canada between Edmonton and Elk Island National Park. It forms part of Census Division No. 11.

Rocky View County Municipal district in Alberta, Canada

Rocky View County is a municipal district in southern Alberta, Canada that is named for its views of the nearby Rocky Mountains to the west. It surrounds most of Calgary, forming the city's northern boundary and most of the city's western and eastern boundaries. At a population of 41,028 in 2021, Rocky View County is the most populous municipal district in Alberta. Though predominantly rural in nature, Rocky View County is home to 14 hamlets, including Langdon, one of Alberta's most populous hamlets. Its rural areas are home to numerous country residential subdivisions.

Olds, Alberta Town in Alberta, Canada

Olds is a town in central Alberta, Canada within Mountain View County and the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. It is approximately 61 km (38 mi) south of Red Deer and 90 km (56 mi) north of Calgary. The nearest towns are Didsbury to the south, Bowden to the north, Sundre to the west and Three Hills to the east. Olds is located at the intersection of Highway 27 and Highway 2A, 5 km (3.1 mi) west of the Queen Elizabeth II Highway. The Canadian Pacific Railway's main Edmonton-Calgary line runs through the town.

Didsbury, Alberta Town in Alberta, Canada

Didsbury is a town in central Alberta, Canada at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It is located next to Alberta Highway 2A, near the Queen Elizabeth II Highway. Didsbury is within the Calgary-Edmonton corridor. Didsbury is approximately the half-way point between the cities of Calgary and Red Deer.

Lacombe, Alberta City in Alberta, Canada

Lacombe is a city in central Alberta, Canada. It is located approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of Red Deer, the nearest major city, and 125 kilometres (78 mi) south of Edmonton, the nearest metropolitan area. The city is set in the rolling parkland of central Alberta, between the Rocky Mountains foothills to the west and the flatter Alberta prairie to the east.

Carstairs, Alberta Town in Alberta, Canada

Carstairs is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located on Highway 2A, 241 kilometres (150 mi) south of the provincial capital, Edmonton, and 48 kilometres (30 mi) north of Calgary, the nearest major city. The closest neighbouring communities are the towns of Didsbury and Crossfield. Carstairs is located entirely within the rural Mountain View County.

Foothills County Municipal district in Alberta, Canada

Foothills County is a municipal district in southern Alberta, Canada adjacent to the south side of Calgary in Census Division No. 6. Despite sharing a common border with the City of Calgary, it does not form part of the Calgary census metropolitan area (CMA) as defined by Statistics Canada. It is however a member municipality of the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board.

Red Deer County Municipal district in Alberta, Canada

Red Deer County is a municipal district in central Alberta, Canada within Census Division No. 8 and surrounding the City of Red Deer. The neighbouring municipalities of Red Deer County are Clearwater County to the west, Lacombe County to the north, the County of Stettler No. 6 to the east, Kneehill County to the southeast and Mountain View County to the south. It is located approximately midway between Edmonton and Calgary, bisected by the Queen Elizabeth II Highway and bounded on the north and east by the Red Deer River.

Crossfield, Alberta Town in Alberta, Canada

Crossfield is a town in the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by Rocky View County. It is located on Highway 2A 43 km (27 mi) north of the City of Calgary.

Kathyrn is a hamlet in southern Alberta under the jurisdiction of Rocky View County.

Langdon, Alberta Hamlet in Alberta, Canada

Langdon is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada under the jurisdiction of Rocky View County. It previously held village status between August 31, 1907, and January 1, 1946.

Madden, Alberta Hamlet in Alberta, Canada

Madden is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada, under the jurisdiction of Rocky View County.

Dalemead is a hamlet in southern Alberta under the jurisdiction of Rocky View County. It is approximately 35 km (21 mi) southeast of Downtown Calgary and 3.2 km (2.0 mi) south of Highway 22X along a Canadian Pacific Railway line.

Indus is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada under the jurisdiction of Rocky View County.

Wheatland County, Alberta Municipal district in Alberta, Canada

Wheatland County is a municipal district in south-central Alberta, Canada that is east of Calgary. Located in Census Division No. 5, its municipal office is located east of the Town of Strathmore on Highway 1.

References

  1. "Municipal Officials Search". Alberta Municipal Affairs. May 9, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities)". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  4. "Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2006, Economic Regions: 4806028 - Mountain View County, geographical codes and localities, 2006". Statistics Canada. March 5, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  5. "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.

Further reading