Editing List of communities in Alberta (section)

=== 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}}
|}