Editing List of communities in Alberta (section)

== Municipalities ==

=== Urban municipalities ===

==== Cities ====
{{main|List of cities in Alberta}}

According to Section 82 of the ''Municipal Government Act'' (MGA), an area may incorporate as a city if:
* it has a population of 10,000 people or more; and
* the majority of its buildings are on parcels of land smaller than {{cvt|1,850|m2}}.<ref name=munact />

Essentially, cities are formed from urban communities with populations of at least 10,000 people.<ref name=muntypes>{{cite web|url=https://www.alberta.ca/types-of-municipalities-in-alberta.aspx |title=Types of municipalities in Alberta| publisher=Alberta Municipal Affairs and Housing |date=2021|access-date=July 31, 2021}}</ref>

Alberta currently has a total of 19 cities with a combined population totalling 2,959,559 as of 2019.<ref name=2019pop />
{{:List of cities in Alberta}}

==== Towns ====
{{main|List of towns in Alberta}}

According to Section 81 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), an area may incorporate as a town if:
* it has a population of 1,000 people or more; and
* the majority of its buildings are on parcels of land smaller than {{cvt|1,850|m2}}.<ref name=munact />

Essentially, towns are formed from urban communities with populations of at least 1,000 people. When a town's population exceeds 10,000 people, its council may apply to change its status to that of a [[List of cities in Alberta|city]], but the change in [[Municipal government in Canada|incorporated]] status is not mandatory.<ref name=muntypes />

Communities with shrinking populations are allowed to retain town status even if the number of residents falls below the 1,000 limit. Some of Alberta's towns have never reached a population of 1,000 people, but were incorporated as towns before the current requirement to have a population of 1,000 or more.

Alberta currently has a total of 107 towns, with a combined population totalling 466,470 as of 2019.<ref name=2019pop />

{{:List of towns in Alberta}}

==== Villages ====
{{main|List of villages in Alberta}}

According to Section 80 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), an area may incorporate as a village if:
* it has a population of 300 people or more; and
* the majority of its buildings are on parcels of land smaller than {{cvt|1,850|m2}}.<ref name=munact />

Essentially, villages are formed from urban communities with populations of at least 300 people. When a village's population exceeds 1,000 people, its council may apply to change its status to that of a [[List of towns in Alberta|town]], but the change in [[Municipal government in Canada|incorporated]] status is not mandatory.

Communities with shrinking populations are allowed to retain village status even if the number of residents falls below the 300 limit. Some of Alberta's villages have never reached a population of 300 people, but were incorporated as villages before there was a requirement to have a population of 300 or more.

Alberta currently has a total of 81 villages, with a combined population totalling 34,600 as of 2021.<ref name=2016StatCanAB3>{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=86&O=A&RPP=9999&PR=48 |title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta) |publisher=Statistics Canada |date=February 7, 2018 |access-date=February 7, 2021}}</ref>

{{:List of villages in Alberta}}

==== Summer villages ====

{{Main|List of summer villages in Alberta}}

According to former Section 79 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), a summer village is an area that:
* has at least 60 parcels of land developed with dwelling buildings; and
* has a population of less than 300 persons where the majority of the persons who would be electors do not permanently reside in that area.

As a result of Section 79 being repealed,<ref name=munact /> summer villages can no longer be formed in Alberta.<ref name=muntypes />

Essentially, summer villages were once formed from urban communities with populations of less than 300 people and significant non-permanent populations. When a summer village's population exceeds 300 people, its council may apply to change its status to that of a village, but the change in incorporated status is not mandatory.

Alberta currently has a total of 51 summer villages, with a combined population totalling 5,200 as of 2019.<ref name=2019pop />

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|+Summer&nbsp;villages&nbsp;of&nbsp;Alberta
|-{{:List of summer villages in Alberta}}
|}

=== Specialized municipalities ===
{{main|List of specialized municipalities in Alberta}}
According to Section 83 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), a municipality may incorporate as a specialized municipality under one of the following three scenarios:
* where the Minister of Alberta Municipal Affairs (AMA) is satisfied that the other incorporated statuses under the MGA do not meet the needs of the municipality's residents;
* to form a local government that, in the opinion of the Minister of AMA, will provide for the orderly development of the municipality in a similar fashion to the other incorporated statuses within the MGA; or
* for any other circumstances that are deemed appropriate by the Minister of AMA.<ref name=munact />

Essentially, specialized municipalities are municipalities that are unconventional in nature compared to other municipalities in Alberta, and they are incorporated under the authority of the existing MGA instead of relying on the creation of their own separate acts (i.e., the Special Areas Act<ref name=specact /> allowed the incorporation of Alberta's three special areas and the Metis Settlements Act<ref name=metisact /> allowed the incorporation of Alberta's eight Métis settlements).<ref name=muntypes />

Alberta's six specialized municipalities have a combined population totalling 242,395 as of 2019.<ref name=2019pop />
{{:List of specialized municipalities in Alberta}}

=== Rural municipalities ===

==== Municipal districts ====
{{main|List of municipal districts in Alberta}}

According to Section 78 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), a [[municipal district]] is an area in which:
* the majority of the buildings used as dwellings are on parcels of land with an area of at least {{cvt|1,850|m2}}; and
* there is a population of 1,000 or more.<ref name=munact />

Essentially, municipal districts are large rural areas in which their citizens reside on farms, country residential subdivisions or unincorporated communities (i.e., hamlets, localities and other settlements).<ref name=muntypes />

In Alberta, the term ''[[county]]'' is synonymous with the term ''municipal district'' – it is not its own incorporated municipal status that is different from that of a municipal district. As such, Alberta Municipal Affairs provides municipal districts with the opportunity to brand themselves either as ''municipal districts'' or ''counties'' in their official names.

Of Alberta's 63 municipal districts, 46 of them brand themselves as ''counties''. Over the past 30 years, Alberta has observed a trend of numerous municipal districts rebranding themselves as ''counties'' through official name changes. Some of the reasons why a municipal district would rebrand itself as a ''county'' include that the term ''county'' is: more recognizable by the general public; has a more traditional appeal; and is more marketable from an economic development perspective.

The last municipal district (MD) to rebrand itself as a ''county'' was the MD of Foothills No. 31, which was renamed as [[Foothills County]] on January 1, 2019.<ref name=Foothills>{{cite web | url=https://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/orders/Orders_in_Council/2018/1218/2018_396.html | title={{abbr|O.C.|Order in Council}} 396/2018 | publisher=Government of Alberta | date=December 11, 2018 | access-date=May 16, 2020}}</ref>

Alberta's 63 municipal districts have a combined population totalling 471,852 as of 2019.<ref name=2019pop />

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|+Municipal&nbsp;districts&nbsp;of&nbsp;Alberta
|-{{:List of municipal districts in Alberta}}
|}

==== Improvement districts ====
According to Section 581 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA), Alberta's Lieutenant Governor in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Municipal Affairs, may form an improvement district. Section 582 of the MGA requires that the order to form an improvement district must describe its boundaries and give it an official name.

Alberta currently has seven improvement districts, which have a combined population totaling 2,146.<ref name=2011censusABmunis /> With some exceptions, their boundaries are coterminous with that of a national or provincial park. Five of them are located within national parks, and two are within provincial parks.

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|- class="sorttop" style="text-align:center;"
|+Improvement&nbsp;districts&nbsp;of&nbsp;Alberta
|-
!Name
!Incorporation date<br />(improvement district)<ref name=IDprofiles>{{cite web | url=http://municipalaffairs.alberta.ca/cfml/MunicipalProfiles/basicReport/IDST.PDF | publisher=Alberta Municipal Affairs | title=Municipal Profiles (Improvement Districts) | date=May 31, 2013 |access-date=June 5, 2013}}</ref>
!Population<br />(2011)<ref name=2011censusABmunis>{{cite web | url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table-Tableau.cfm?LANG=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=51&O=A&RPP=9999&PR=48&CMA=0 | title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (Alberta) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=August 9, 2016 | access-date=November 5, 2016}}</ref>
!Population<br />(2006)<ref name=2011censusABmunis />
!Change (%)<ref name=2011censusABmunis />
!Land<br />area<br />(km<sup>2</sup>)<ref name=2011censusABmunis />
!Population<br />density<br />(per km<sup>2</sup>)<ref name=2011censusABmunis />
!class="unsortable"|Remarks
|-
| <span style="display:none">004</span>[[Improvement District No. 4|Improvement District No. 4 (Waterton)]] ||align=center| {{dts|January 1, 1944}} ||align=center| {{nts|88}} ||align=center| {{nts|160}} ||align=center| {{nts|-45.0}} ||align=center| {{nts|480.58}} ||align=center| {{Pop density|88|480.58|km2|disp=num|prec=2}} || Coincident with [[Waterton Lakes National Park]]
|-
| <span style="display:none">009</span>[[Improvement District No. 9|Improvement District No. 9 (Banff)]] ||align=center| {{dts|April 1, 1945}} ||align=center| {{nts|1175}} ||align=center| {{nts|938}} ||align=center| {{nts|25.3}} ||align=center| {{nts|6782.23}} ||align=center| {{Pop density|1175|6782.23|km2|disp=num|prec=2}} || Coincident with [[Banff National Park]] excluding the Town of [[Banff, Alberta|Banff]]
|-
| <span style="display:none">012</span>[[Improvement District No. 12|Improvement District No. 12 (Jasper National Park)]] ||align=center| {{dts|April 1, 1945}} ||align=center| {{nts|34}} ||align=center| {{nts|24}} ||align=center| {{nts|41.7}} ||align=center| {{nts|10181.58}} ||align=center| {{Pop density|34|10181.58|km2|disp=num|prec=3}} || Coincident with [[Jasper National Park]] excluding the Municipality of [[Jasper, Alberta|Jasper]]
|-
| <span style="display:none">013</span>[[Improvement District No. 13|Improvement District No. 13 (Elk Island)]] ||align=center| {{dts|April 1, 1958}} ||align=center| {{nts|10}} ||align=center| {{nts|21}} ||align=center| {{nts|-52.4}} ||align=center| {{nts|165.28}} ||align=center| {{Pop density|10|165.28|km2|disp=num|prec=2}} || Coincident with [[Elk Island National Park]]
|-
| <span style="display:none">024</span>[[Improvement District No. 24|Improvement District No. 24 (Wood Buffalo)]] ||align=center| {{dts|January 1, 1967}} ||align=center| {{nts|590}} ||align=center| {{nts|422}} ||align=center| {{nts|39.8}} ||align=center| {{nts|33412.25}} ||align=center| {{Pop density|590|33412.25|km2|disp=num|prec=2}} || Coincident with the Alberta portion of [[Wood Buffalo National Park]] excluding [[Peace Point 222]]
|-
| <span style="display:none">025</span>[[Improvement District No. 25|Improvement District No. 25 (Willmore Wilderness)]] ||align=center| {{dts|January 2, 1994}} ||align=center| {{nts|0}} ||align=center| {{nts|0}} ||align=center| — ||align=center| {{nts|4604.97}} ||align=center| {{Pop density|0|4604.97|km2|disp=num|prec=1}} || Coincident with [[Willmore Wilderness Park]]
|-
| <span style="display:none">Kananaskis</span>[[Kananaskis Improvement District]] ||align=center| {{dts|January 1, 1983}} ||align=center| {{nts|249}} ||align=center| {{nts|429}} ||align=center| {{nts|-42.0}} ||align=center| {{nts|4210.72}} ||align=center| {{Pop density|249|4210.72|km2|disp=num|prec=2}} || Consists mostly of [[Kananaskis Country]]
|- class="sortbottom" style="text-align:center;"
! style="text-align:center;"| Total improvement districts
! style="text-align:center;"| —
! style="text-align:center;"| {{nts|2463}}
! style="text-align:center;"| {{nts|1994}}
! style="text-align:center;"| {{nts|7.6}}
! style="text-align:center;"| {{nts|65642.17}}
! style="text-align:center;"| {{Pop density|2146|65642.17|km2|disp=num|prec=2}}
! style="text-align:center;"| —
|}

==== Special areas ====
{{main|Special Areas Board}}
Special areas are rural municipalities created in 1938 under the authority of the Special Areas Act.<ref name=specact /><ref name=muntypes /> A special area is not to be confused with a [[List of communities in Alberta#Specialized municipalities|specialized municipality]], which is a completely different municipal status.

Alberta's three special areas had a combined population totalling 4,184 in 2016.<ref name=2019pop />

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|+Special&nbsp;areas&nbsp;of&nbsp;Alberta
|-{{:Special Areas Board}}
|}