region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British Nor ...

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 T ...

Canadian Rockies The Canadian Rockies (french: Rocheuses canadiennes) or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part ...

Southern Alberta Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. In 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017.Calgary Region to the south,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

to the east and Northern Alberta to the north. It completely surrounds the

Edmonton Capital Region The Edmonton Metropolitan Region (EMR), also commonly referred to as Greater Edmonton or Metro Edmonton, is a conglomeration of municipalities centred on Alberta's provincial capital of Edmonton. The EMR's commonly known boundaries are coincide ...

and contains the central part of the heavily populated Calgary-Edmonton Corridor. The North Saskatchewan River crosses the region from west to east. Other rivers traversing the area are Red Deer River,

Battle River Battle River is a river in central Alberta and western Saskatchewan. It is a major tributary of the North Saskatchewan River. The Battle River flows for and has a total drainage area of . The mean discharge is 10 m³/s at its mouth. His ...

, Athabasca River,

Pembina River Pembina River may refer to: * Pembina River (Alberta), a river in central Alberta, Canada *Pembina River (Manitoba – North Dakota) The Pembina River is a tributary of the Red River of the North, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. Nation ...

,

Brazeau River The Brazeau River is a river in western Alberta, Canada. It is a major tributary of the North Saskatchewan River. The river was named for Joseph Brazeau, a linguist associated with the Palliser Expedition. Course The river originates in the he ...

, Beaver River. Tourist attractions in the region include: Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions, the Canadian Petroleum Discovery Centre in Leduc, Discovery Wildlife Park, Kerry Wood Nature Centre and Gaetz Lake Sanctuary in

Red Deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of ...

,

Nordegg Nordegg is a hamlet in west-central Alberta, Canada within Clearwater County. It is located in the North Saskatchewan River valley in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, just east of the intersection of the David Thompson Highway and the ...

Heritage Centre and Mine Site,

Reynolds-Alberta Museum The Reynolds-Alberta Museum is an agricultural, industrial, and transportation museum in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada. The museum is situated on an property containing the main museum building, an aviation display hangar, and its storage facility. ...

,

Rocky Mountain House Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately west of Red Deer at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail) and Highway 11 (David T ...

National Historic Site, Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village and Stephannson House Provincial Historic Site near Sylvan Lake. Major national, provincial, and municipal parks include

Elk Island National Park Elk Island National Park is a national park in Alberta, Canada, that played an important part in the conservation of the Plains bison. The park is administered by the Parks Canada Agency. This "island of conservation" is east of Edmonton, al ...

, William A. Switzer Provincial Park, Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, Big Knife Provincial Park, Pigeon Lake Provincial Park, and Sylvan Lake Park. A series of roadside attractions known as the Giants of the Prairies can be found in Central Alberta. Large mushrooms in

Vilna Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...

, huge pumpkins in Smoky Lake, giant Perogy (Ukrainian dumpling) in Glendon, huge

Kielbasa Kielbasa (, ; from Polish ) is any type of meat sausage from Poland and a staple of Polish cuisine. In American English the word typically refers to a coarse, U-shaped smoked sausage of any kind of meat, which closely resembles the ''Wiejska'' ...

(Ukrainian garlic sausage) in

Mundare Mundare is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately east of Edmonton at the intersection of Highway 15 and Highway 855, north of the Yellowhead Highway. The Canadian National Railway tracks run through the town. Beaverhill Lake ...

, large Pysanka (Ukrainian easter egg) in

Vegreville Vegreville ( uk, Веґревіль) is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is on Highway 16A approximately east of Edmonton, Alberta's capital city. It was incorporated as a town in 1906, and that year also saw the founding of the ''Vegre ...

, a UFO Landing Pad in St. Paul and a giant mallard duck in

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derive ...

.

Demographics

Central Alberta has a population of 240,368 (2004).

Infrastructure

;Transportation

Queen Elizabeth II Highway Alberta Provincial Highway No. 2, commonly referred to as Highway 2 or the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, is a major highway in Alberta that stretches from the Canada–United States border through Calgary and Edmonton to Grande ...

crosses the region from south to north, and the

Yellowhead Highway The Yellowhead Highway (french: Route Yellowhead) is a major interprovincial highway in Western Canada that runs from Winnipeg to Graham Island off the coast of British Columbia via Saskatoon and Edmonton. It stretches across the four western ...

from east to west. Other major highways include Highway 9, Highway 21, Veteran Memorial Highway, David Thomson Highway, Cowboy Trail, Grizzly Trail and

Buffalo Trail Buffalo most commonly refers to: * Bubalina, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York Buffalo or buffaloes may also refer to: Animals * Bubalina, a subtribe of the tr ...

.

Poundmaker Trail Poundmaker Trail is a interprovincial highway in Western Canada that runs from Edmonton, Alberta, to North Battleford, Saskatchewan, following Alberta Highway 14 and Saskatchewan Highway 40. The highway is named after Pitikwahana ...

runs through the north-east of the region. ;Health Regions The following health regions are located in the region: Aspen Regional Health Authority, David Thompson Regional Health Authority and East Central Health. ;Education Post-secondary institutions in the region are Red Deer Polytechnic, Olds College, Lakeland College, Burman University and the University of Alberta Augustana Faculty (Camrose).

Politics

On a provincial level, central Alberta is represented in the

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly currently has 87 members, elected first past the post from si ...

by MLA's elected in the ridings of

Battle River-Wainwright Battle River-Wainwright 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 2004 to 2019. History The electoral dist ...

,

Drayton Valley-Calmar Drayton Valley-Calmar 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 1993 to 2012. It elected a Progressive-C ...

, Drumheller-Stettler, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville, Innisfail-Sylvan Lake, Lacombe-Ponoka,

Leduc-Beaumont-Devon Leduc-Beaumont-Devon was a provinces and territories of Canada, provincial electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Alberta, Canada mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first-past-the-post ...

, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills,

Red Deer North Red Deer North is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting. The district was created in the 19 ...

, Red Deer South,

Rocky Mountain House Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately west of Red Deer at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail) and Highway 11 (David T ...

, Stony Plain,

Vermilion-Lloydminster Vermilion-Lloydminster was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using first past the post method of voting from 1993 to 2019. The largest communities in ...

,

West Yellowhead West Yellowhead is a provinces and territories of Canada, provincial electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is one of 87 current ridings mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly o ...

,

Wetaskiwin-Camrose Wetaskiwin-Camrose was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using first past the post method of voting from 1993 to 2019. History The district was create ...

and Whitecourt-Ste. Anne.

Communities

The region spreads across several census divisions: 7, 8, 9, 10, 14 and parts of divisions 11, 12 and 13. Cities * Camrose * Cold Lake * Lacombe *

Lloydminster Lloydminster is a city in Canada which has the unusual geographic distinction of straddling the provincial border between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The city is incorporated by both provinces as a single city with a single municipal administrati ...

*

Red Deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of ...

* Wetaskiwin Towns *

Barrhead Barrhead ( sco, Baurheid, gd, Ceann a' Bharra) is a town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, southwest of Glasgow city centre on the edge of the Gleniffer Braes. At the 2011 census its population was 17,268. History Barrhead was formed wh ...

*

Bashaw Bashaw may refer to: Places ;Canada * Bashaw, Alberta ** Bashaw Airport ;United States * Bashaw, Wisconsin, a town * Bashaw, Burnett County, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community * Bashaw Township, Brown County, Minnesota Others *Mose Bashaw (1889 ...

*

Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, Nort ...

*

Blackfalds Blackfalds is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located along Highway 2A 13.5 km north of Red Deer. The town's name, Waghorn (for Walter Waghorn, post master), changed in 1903 to Blackfalds, after Blackfalds, a Scottish hamlet. De ...

* Bonnyville * Bowden * Carstairs * Castor *

Coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of o ...

* Daysland *

Didsbury Didsbury is a suburban area of Manchester, England, on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 26,788. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, there are ...

* Drayton Valley * Eckville * Edson * Elk Point * Hanna * Hardisty * Hinton * Innisfail * Killam * Lamont * Mayerthorpe *

Millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets a ...

*

Mundare Mundare is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately east of Edmonton at the intersection of Highway 15 and Highway 855, north of the Yellowhead Highway. The Canadian National Railway tracks run through the town. Beaverhill Lake ...

* Olds *

Onoway Onoway is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately northwest of Edmonton at the junction of Highway 37 and Highway 43. History Two theories are behind the naming of the community. "Onoway" in Chipewyan translates to "fair field ...

* Penhold * Ponoka * Provost *

Rimbey Rimbey is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located at the junction of Highways 20 and 53 in the Blindman River valley area approximately northwest of Red Deer and southwest of Edmonton. Provincially, Rimbey is part of the Rimbey-R ...

*

Rocky Mountain House Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately west of Red Deer at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail) and Highway 11 (David T ...

* Sedgewick * Smoky Lake * St. Paul * Stettler *

Sundre Sundre is a town in central Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by Mountain View County. It is approximately northwest of Calgary on the Cowboy Trail in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Sundre takes its name from a town in Norway, the ...

* Sylvan Lake *

Tofield Tofield is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately east of Edmonton at the junction of Highway 14, Highway 834, and Highway 626. Beaverhill Lake is located immediately northeast of the community. History Before 1865, only ...

* Two Hills *

Vegreville Vegreville ( uk, Веґревіль) is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is on Highway 16A approximately east of Edmonton, Alberta's capital city. It was incorporated as a town in 1906, and that year also saw the founding of the ''Vegre ...

*

Vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its corresponding color. It i ...

*

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

* Wainwright * Westlock * Whitecourt Villages *

Alberta Beach Alberta Beach is a village in central Alberta, Canada, west of Edmonton. It is located on the southeast shore of Lac Ste. Anne, approximately west of Highway 43 and north of Highway 633. Alberta Beach's economy it is centred on tourism and ...

*

Alix ''Alix'', or ''The Adventures of Alix'', is a Franco-Belgian comics series drawn in the ligne claire style by Jacques Martin (comics), Jacques Martin. The stories revolve around a young Gallo-Roman man named Alix in the late Roman Republic. Al ...

* Alliance * Amisk *

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derive ...

* Bawlf * Big Valley *

Bittern Lake Bittern Lake, originally named Rosenroll, is a village in central Alberta, Canada. It is located between Camrose and Wetaskiwin, on Highway 13. The first post office opened in the home of Ernest Roper in 1899. It was known as the Village of Ros ...

*

Botha Botha (pronounced in non-rhotic dialects of English, ) is a common Afrikaans surname, derived from the Friso-Saxon '' Both''. It was brought to South Africa in 1678 by Frederich Botha. The progenitors of the extended clan were Maria Kickers, her f ...

* Breton *

Caroline Caroline may refer to: People *Caroline (given name), a feminine given name * J. C. Caroline (born 1933), American college and National Football League player * Jordan Caroline (born 1996), American (men's) basketball player Places Antarctica * ...

* Chauvin * Chipman *

Clive Clive is a name. People and fictional characters with the name include: People Given name * Clive Allen (born 1961), English football player * Clive Anderson (born 1952), British television, radio presenter, comedy writer and former barrister * ...

* Clyde * Consort *

Cremona Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''comune'' in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' ( Po Valley). It is the capital of the ...

*

Czar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the t ...

*

Delburne Delburne is a village in the central region of Alberta, Canada that is east of Red Deer. Named for Delia Mewburn, sister of pioneer physician F.H. Mewburn. Delburne is a quaint agricultural community located in the centre of Alberta's scenic P ...

* Dewberry * Donalda * Edberg * Edgerton * Elnora * Ferintosh * Forestburg * Gadsby * Galahad * Glendon *

Halkirk Halkirk ( gd, Hàcraig) is a village on the River Thurso in Caithness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. From Halkirk the B874 road runs towards Thurso in the north and towards Georgemas in the east. The village is within the parish of H ...

*

Hay Lakes Hay Lakes is a village in central Alberta, Canada. It is located along Highway 21, approximately north of Camrose and southeast of Edmonton. Hay Lakes was pioneered and settled primarily by immigrants from Sweden and Norway. Hay Lakes' foun ...

* Heisler *

Holden Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. It was an Australian automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter which sold cars under its own marque in Australia. In its last thr ...

* Hughenden * Innisfree * Irma * Kitscoty * Lougheed * Mannville * Marwayne * Myrnam *

Paradise Valley In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

* Rosalind * Ryley * Sangudo * Spring Lake * Strome *

Veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that h ...

*

Vilna Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...

* Waskatenau * Willingdon Summer villages * Argentia Beach *

Birch Cove Birch Cove is a summer village in Alberta, Canada. It is located between Highway 33 and Lac la Nonne, northwest of Edmonton. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Summer Village of Birch Cove ...

* Birchcliff * Bonnyville Beach * Burnstick Lake * Castle Island * Crystal Springs * Grandview * Gull Lake * Half Moon Bay * Horseshoe Bay * Jarvis Bay * Larkspur * Ma-Me-O Beach *

Nakamun Park Nakamun Park is a summer village in Alberta, Canada. It is located on the southern shore of Nakamun Lake, west of Highway 33 and north of Onoway. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Summer Vil ...

* Norglenwold * Norris Beach * Parkland Beach * Pelican Narrows * Poplar Bay * Rochon Sands *

Ross Haven Ross Haven is a summer village in Alberta, Canada. It is located on the northern shore of Lac Ste. Anne, south of Highway 43. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Summer Village of Ross Haven h ...

* Sandy Beach * Silver Beach * Silver Sands * South View * Sunbreaker Cove * Sunrise Beach * Sunset Point * Val Quentin * West Cove * White Sands *

Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellow ...

Improvement districts * Improvement District No. 13 (Elk Island) Municipal districts * Barrhead No. 11, County of * Beaver County * Bonnyville No. 87, M.D. of *

Brazeau County Brazeau County is a municipal district in central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Census Division 11. The municipal district was incorporated on July 1, 1988 from ''Improvement District No. 222''. On October 1, 2002, the name was changed fro ...

*

Camrose County Camrose County is a municipal district in central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Census Division 10, around the City of Camrose. Geography Communities and localities The following urban municipalities are surrounded by Camrose Cou ...

* Clearwater County * Flagstaff County *

Lac Ste. Anne County Lac Ste. Anne County is a municipal district in central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Census Division 13, north west of Edmonton. Highway 43 stretches across this county. Its municipal office is located in the Hamlet of Sangudo. The ...

* Lacombe County * Lamont County * Minburn No. 27, County of * Mountain View County * Paintearth No. 18, County of * Ponoka County * Provost No. 52, M.D. of * Red Deer County *

Smoky Lake County Smoky Lake County is a municipal district in north-eastern Alberta, Canada. Located in Census Division No. 12, its municipal office is located in the Town of Smoky Lake. Geography Communities and localities The following urban munici ...

* St. Paul No. 19, County of * Stettler No. 6, County of * Thorhild County * Two Hills No. 21, County of * Vermilion River, County of * Wainwright No. 61, M.D. of * Westlock County * Wetaskiwin No. 10, County of * Woodlands County * Yellowhead County Special areas * Special Area No. 4

References

External links

Central AlbertaTravel Alberta
- Central Alberta

- Alberta Heritage {{coord, 52, -113, display=title, scale:200000, name=Central Alberta Geographic regions of Alberta

Geography

Demographics

Infrastructure

Politics

Communities

See also

References

External links