Rocky View County is a

municipal district A municipal district is an administrative entity comprising a clearly-defined territory and its population. It can refer to a city, a town, a village, a small grouping of them, or a rural area. Brazil In Brazil, municipal districts are, in genera ...

in southern

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada that is named for its views of the nearby

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

to the west. It surrounds most of

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, 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 A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...

, including Langdon, one of Alberta's most populous hamlets. Its rural areas are home to numerous country residential subdivisions.

History

The Municipal District (MD) of Calgary No. 44 was originally formed on January 1, 1955 from part of Improvement District No. 46 and parts of five municipal districts – the MD of Serviceberry No. 43, the MD of Conrich No. 44, the MD of Springbank No. 45, the MD of Kneehill No. 48, and the MD of Mountain View No. 49. The MD of Calgary No. 44 was renamed the MD of Rocky View No. 44 on January 9, 1956. "Rocky View" was the successful entry selected in December 1955 in a local competition to rename the newly formed municipal district. The entry was submitted by Leslie Burwash of Balzac. " Bow View" and " Chinook" placed second and third respectively in the competition. The name "Rocky View" was successful due to its descriptive nature as most areas within the MD of Rocky View No. 44 have views of the

to the west. The MD of Rocky View No. 44 changed its name to Rocky View County on June 24, 2009. On July 28, 2020, Rocky View County applied to the Province of Alberta to change its municipal classification from an MD to a Specialized Municipality, like

Strathcona County 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. Strathcona County is both urban and rural in ...

near

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

. This request was subsequently denied by the Province.

Geography

Communities and localities

The following urban municipalities border Rocky View County. ;

Cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

* Airdrie * Chestermere ;

Towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

* Cochrane * Crossfield *

Irricana Irricana is a town in the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. Surrounded by Rocky View County, it is adjacent to Highway 9, approximately northeast of Calgary. The name of the town is a contraction of the words "irrigation canals", ...

;

Villages A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

Beiseker Beiseker is a village in the Canadian province of Alberta, approximately northeast of Calgary. It is considered to be an outermost part of the Calgary Region, and is included within Calgary's Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). The village is surr ...

; Summer villages *none The following

are located within Rocky View County. ;

Hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...

* Balzac * Bottrel *

Bragg Creek Bragg Creek is a hamlet in southern Alberta under the jurisdiction of Rocky View County in Division No. 6. Bragg Creek is located west of Calgary (via Highway 8 and Highway 22) at the confluence of the Elbow River and Bragg Creek north of ...

* Cochrane Lake * Conrich * Dalemead * Dalroy * Delacour * Indus *

Janet Janet may refer to: Names * Janet (given name) * Janet (French singer) (1939–2011) Surname * Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table * Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psych ...

* Kathyrn *

Keoma Keoma is a hamlet in southern Alberta under the jurisdiction of Rocky View County. Keoma is located approximately 35 km (21 mi) northeast of Downtown Calgary, on Highway 566, 2.0 km (1.2 mi) east of Highway 9 and 19 km (12 mi) north of the ...

* Langdon * Madden

The following localities are located within Rocky View County. ;Localities *Allandale Estates *Anatapy *Artists View East Subdivision * Artists View Park West (

designated place A designated place (DPL) is a type of community or settlement identified by Statistics Canada that does not meet the criteria used to define municipalities or population centres. DPLs are delineated every 5 years for the Canadian census as the ...

) or Artists View West Subdivision *Banded Peak Place *Bearspan Heights * Bearspaw *

Bennett Bennett may refer to: People *Bennett (name), including a list of people with the surname and given name Places Canada * Bennett, Alberta *Bennett, British Columbia * Bennett Lake, in the British Columbia and Yukon Territory **Bennett Range **Benn ...

*Braemore Ranch *Caldbeck *Calling Horse Estates *Camp Gardner *Circle Five *Colpitts Ranch Subdivision *Country Estates *Craigdhu *Croxford Estates *Cullen Creek *Deerwood Estates *Del-Rich Meadows *Elbow River Estates *Elk Valley Park *Entheos West *Fawnhill *Garden Heights *Georgian Estates *Ghost Dam * Glenbow *Green Valley Place *Helmsdale * High Point Estates (designated place) *Idlewood Estates *Inverlake *Kersey *Lake Erie Estates *Lansdowne Estates *Livingstone Estates * Mitford *Mount View Estates *Mountain View Estates *Murray Acres Estates *Nier *Norfolk *O'Neil Ranchettes *Partridge Place *Pinebrook Estates *Pirmez Creek *Prairie Royale *Radnor *River Ridge Estates *Robertson *Rocky View *Rolling Range Estates *Rosewood *Springbank Meadows *Springgate Estates *Springland Estates *Springshire Estates *Toki Estates *Tower Ridge Estates *West Bluff Road Subdivision *Wild Rose Country Estates *Wildcat *Williams Subdivision *Wintergreen ;Other places * Bearspaw-

Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia * Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre *Glendale, Queensland, ...

(country residential area) * Elbow Valley (country residential area) * Harmony (urban community) * Heritage Woods (designated place) * Springbank (country residential area)

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, Rocky View County had a population of 41,028 living in 13,905 of its 14,714 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 39,407. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Rocky View County had a population of 39,407 living in 13,042 of its 13,620 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 35,754. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. Rocky View County's 2013 municipal census counted a population of 38,055, a 6.4% increase over its adjusted 2011 federal census population of 35,754. Its previous 2006 municipal census counted a population of 34,597.

Attractions

* Big Hill Springs Provincial Park * Bragg Creek Community Centre and historic downtown *

Bragg Creek Provincial Park Bragg Creek Provincial Park is a Canadian provincial park in Alberta's Rocky Mountains at the eastern edge of Kananaskis Country. This park is located near the Elbow River and includes facilities for picnicking, hiking, and fishing. CBC's tele ...

Calaway Park Calaway Park is an amusement park and campground in Springbank, Alberta, Canada. The park occupies approximately of land, although the amusement park only occupies of it. The park is western Canada's largest amusement park, and is situated a ...

Century Downs Racetrack and Casino Century Downs Racetrack and Casino is a casino and horse racing track near Calgary. It is one of two "A-level" horse racing venues in the province of Alberta and brought live horse racing back to the Calgary area for the first time since June 15, 2 ...

CrossIron Mills CrossIron Mills is a fully enclosed shopping centre development just outside the northern city limits of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and immediately east of the hamlet of Balzac in Rocky View County. It was developed by Ivanhoé Cambridge, a major ...

* Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park * Pioneer Acres Museum

Government

Municipal

Rocky View County has a council consisting of elected officials representing seven electoral divisions. Municipal elections, organized under the Alberta Elections Act from Alberta Municipal Affairs, are held every four years, the last being in October, 2021. Each October, the councillors elect a mayor and a deputy mayor from among their number. The Rocky View Council consists of: *Kevin Hanson - Division 1: Southwest Rocky View County - Elbow Valley, Bragg Creek *Don Kochan, Mayor - Division 2: West Rocky View County - Springbank *Crystal Kissel, Deputy Mayor - Division 3: West Rocky View County - Cochrane Lake, South Bearspaw, Glendale *Samanntha Wright - Division 4: Northwest Rocky View County - North Bearspaw, Bottrell, Madden *Greg Boehlke - Division 5: Northeast Rocky View County - Kathryn, Keoma, surrounding Airdrie and Crossfield *Sunny Samra - Division 6: East Rocky View County - Conrich, Dalroy, Indus, Janet *Al Schule - Division 7: Hamlet of Langdon

Provincial

Rocky View County is served by the Provincial Electoral Divisions of Airdrie,

Chestermere-Rocky View Chestermere-Rocky View was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first-past-the-post method of voting from 2012 to 2019. History Boundary histor ...

and

Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is one of 87 districts mandated to return a single member (MLA) to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting ...

. Rocky View is currently represented in the Alberta Legislature by MLA

Angela Pitt Angela Pitt (born 1985) is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2015 Alberta general election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Airdrie. She was elected under the banner of the Wildrose Party, ...

in the riding of Airdrie, Leela Sharon Aheer in

and Nathan Cooper in

Federal

Rocky View is served by three Federal Electoral Divisions:

Crowfoot Crowfoot (1830 – 25 April 1890) or Isapo-Muxika ( bla, Issapóómahksika, italics=yes; syllabics: ) was a chief of the Siksika First Nation. His parents, (Packs a Knife) and (Attacked Towards Home), were Kainai. He was five years old when ...

Macleod MacLeod, McLeod and Macleod ( ) which cited: are surnames in the English language. Generally, the names are considered to be Anglicised forms of the Scottish Gaelic ', meaning "son of '". One of the earliest occurrences of the surname is of Gi ...

and Wild Rose. Rocky View's northeast and southeast (east of Calgary, north of the Bow River) is part of the Federal Electoral district (also known as a riding) of

. This riding has been represented by

Kevin Sorenson Kevin A. Sorenson (born November 3, 1958) is a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot (known as Crowfoot from 2000 to 2015) in the House of Commons of Canada from 2000 to 2019, first as a member of the Canad ...

, who was originally elected as a member of the Reform Party then again as a member of the

Canadian Alliance The Canadian Alliance (french: Alliance canadienne), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (french: Alliance réformiste-conservatrice canadienne), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed ...

and currently of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

. Rocky View's southwest (south of the Bow River and west of Calgary) is part of the Federal Electoral district (also known as a riding) of

. This riding has been represented by Ted Menzies, who was originally elected as a member of the

and currently of the

. Rocky View's northwest is part of the Federal Electoral district (also known as a riding) of Wild Rose. This riding is represented by

Blake Richards Blake Richards (born November 8, 1974) is a Canadian politician. He has been a Conservative Member of Parliament since 2008, having been elected to represent the now defunct electoral district (or riding) of Wild Rose in the October 14, 200 ...

, who was elected as a member of the

on October 14, 2008. Rocky View and the Calgary Region are also represented by Senator

Elaine McCoy Elaine Jean McCoy (March 7, 1946December 29, 2020) was a Canadian politician from Alberta. She was a member of the Senate of Canada. In 2005, McCoy was appointed to the Senate. She designated herself a member of the Progressive Conservative ...

was appointed to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

(the

Upper House An upper house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smalle ...

) by Prime Minister

Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. The son o ...

on March 24, 2005.

Infrastructure

Transportation

;Highways Rocky View County is bisected by the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway ( French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean o ...

( Highway 1) and Highway 2. Highway 9, a major transportation route between Calgary and

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...

, also bisects the eastern portion of Rocky View County. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ;Railways The main lines of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

(CNR) between Calgary and Edmonton travel through Rocky View County. The CPR main line is routed through the City of Airdrie and the Town of Crossfield, while the CNR main line is routed through the Town of

and the Village of

. ;Airports Two airports are located within Rocky View County – Beiseker Airport and Springbank Airport.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Calgary Region Municipal districts in Alberta