Chestermere, originally named Chestermere Lake, is a city in the Canadian province of

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 ...

, within

Rocky View County 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 e ...

. It is largely a

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

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 ...

and is a member municipality of the

Calgary Region 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. With the Government of Alberta's establishment of the Calgary Metropol ...

. The city, which surrounds

Chestermere Lake Chestermere Lake is a man-made reservoir in Chestermere, Alberta, Canada. It was built in the 1880s by the Canadian Pacific Railway, for irrigation of the area between Calgary and Strathmore. It is now used mainly for recreation purposes, such ...

, was known as Chestermere Lake from 1977 to 1993.

History

Early settlement

Prior to the 20th century, the area around what is now Chestermere Lake was settled by only a few farmers. When the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

was established in the 1880s, more and more people came to settle in the west. To make farming more productive, settlers began to determine ways to irrigate their land. As a natural wetland, Chestermere Lake was considered to be perfect for use as a balancing pool for the Western Irrigation Block. By 1907, a dam and canal system had been built, the wetland developed into a lake, and farmers began using the water for irrigation.

Summer village

Following the irrigation development, the lake began to be used for recreation. People would lease land from the Western Irrigation District (WID) (which took control of the land from CPR in 1944), build cabins and stay on the lake during the summer months. In 1959, the Chestermere Cabin Owners Association (CCOA) was incorporated with approximately 50 members. The CCOA held events, bought a fire truck for the community, worked to reduce pollution in the lake, planted trees, and arranged for electricity and natural gas for the cabins. As more people began to live around Chestermere Lake, residents wanted to secure long-term leases. In 1975, the CCOA bought the land from the WID and then transferred it to the residents. By 1977, the lake boasted 120 permanent homes and gained official status as the ''Summer Village of Chestermere Lake'' on April 1, 1977. As a

summer village Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, with ...

, the residents of Chestermere gained more political influence and were able to begin adding services and amenities or encouraging infrastructure and developments such as fire and protection services, improved roads, a community hall, street lights, a recreation centre, local businesses and a golf course.

Town

By 1992, Chestermere's population had increased to 1,043 permanent residents. On March 1, 1993, the ''Summer Village of Chestermere Lake'' officially changed its status and name to the ''Town of Chestermere''. Becoming a

town 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 ...

gave the residents more local and political authority. The town continued developing amenities and services for residents and its population has grown to 17,203 residents as recorded by its 2014 municipal census. In late 2014, town council voted in favour of pursuing city status, which became effective January 1, 2015.

City

Chestermere's town council voted to apply for city status on September 29, 2014 when it was the fastest growing Town in Alberta. It became Alberta's 18th city on January 1, 2015.

Geography

Neighbourhoods

The city is organized into the following neighbourhoods.

;Northeast * The Cove ;Northwest * Westmere * Westmere Commercial * Lakepointe ;Southwest * Chesterview Estates * The Beaches * Lakeside Greens * Lakeview Landing * Rainbow Falls * West Creek * South Shore ( https://www.liveatsouthshore.com/ ) * Dawson's Landing ( https://liveindawsonslanding.ca/ ) * Chelsea ( https://chelseachestermere.com/ ) * Waterford ( https://lifeinwaterford.com/ ) ;Southeast * Chestermere Estates * East Lakeview Shores * Estates of Chestermere * Kinniburgh North * Kinniburgh South * Lake Ere Estates

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

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 ...

, the City of Chestermere had a population of 22,163 living in 6,733 of its 6,925 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 19,887. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. The population of the City of Chestermere according to its 2017 municipal census is 20,331, a change of from its 2016 municipal census population of 19,715. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the City of Chestermere had a population of 19,887 living in 6,112 of its 6,250 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 14,824. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. In the 202
Census of Population
conducted by Statistics Canada, the City of Chestermere had a population of 21,425 living in 6,480 of its 6,485 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 21,425. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021

Transportation

Chestermere is accessible on land through

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 ...

(

Alberta Highway 1 Alberta Provincial Highway No. 1, commonly referred to as Highway 1, is a major east–west highway in Southern Alberta that forms the southern mainline of the Trans-Canada Highway. It runs from the British Columbia border near Lake ...

) and Chestermere Boulevard / 17 Avenue SE (formerly signed as

Alberta Highway 1A Alberta Provincial Highway No. 1A is the designation of two alternate routes off the Alberta portion of Trans-Canada Highway 1. However, it is not the only name used for spurs off Highway 1 - Highway 1X is another such designation ...

). By air, the city is accessible through Chestermere (Kirkby Field) Airport.

Calgary Transit Calgary Transit is the public transit agency which is owned and operated by the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. In 2019, an estimated 106.5 million passengers boarded approximately 1,155 Calgary Transit vehicles. It operates light metro (LRT), u ...

provides bus service into Chestermere during the morning and evening rush hours.

Attractions

– Chestermere is well known for its lake. In the summer, it is used for waterskiing, wakeboarding, fishing and a variety of other water sports. It also provides day use parks for launching boats and family areas for the enjoyment of the outdoors. Chestermere Lake is also home to the Calgary Yacht Club. * Chestermere Water Festival – The Chestermere Water Festival is an annual celebration of summer at the lake. *

Biking Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

and

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a ...

– Chestermere is connected to the Calgary bicycle pathway system at the south end of West Chestermere * Winter Festival – The Chestermere Winter Festival is an annual celebration of winter in a small city. * Chestermere Drive (by the canal) and has bike trails surrounding the lake, a

BMX BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation. History BMX began during the earl ...

park and a skate park. * Lakeside Greens Golf Course in Chestermere is a semi-private 18 hole golf course. * Camp Chestermere is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

camp located on the southeast end of Chestermere Lake.

Education

The public schools in the city are

Chestermere High School Chestermere High School is a public high school near Chestermere, Alberta, Canada. About 900 students were enrolled at this school before Grade 9 Ninth grade, freshman year, or grade 9 is the ninth year of school education in some school syst ...

, Chestermere Lake Middle School, Prairie Waters Elementary School, East Lake School and Rainbow Creek Elementary School. Public schools in the city are run by the Rocky View School Division, which includes several other communities surrounding Calgary. For publicly funded Catholic education, the city falls within the jurisdiction of the

Calgary Catholic School District Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School District No. 1 or the Calgary Catholic School District (CSSD) is the Roman Catholic separate school board in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It also serves the neighbouring communities of Airdrie, Chestermere, ...

, which runs the St. Gabriel the Archangel school for grades 7-12 and Our Lady of Wisdsom school for grade K-6. Most educational needs beyond this (e.g. post-secondary education) are met within Calgary.

Contemporary issues

Although Chestermere is considered a separate municipality in its own right, its proximity to Calgary has led to occasional questions regarding possible future absorption by Calgary as it grows. On August 1, 2007, the City of Calgary annexed an extensive tract of land from Rocky View County, which placed Calgary's eastern city limits one section (1.6 km or 1 mi) from the Chestermere's western city limits. Meanwhile, Chestermere's March 2007 Growth Study proposed annexation of, among other areas, the intervening land between Chestermere and the newly expanded Calgary boundaries. On March 13, 2009, Chestermere's annexation was approved resulting in a shared municipal boundary with Calgary.Province of Albert
Order in Council 130/2009 (Chestermere 2009 Annexation)
/ref>

References

External links

* {{Subdivisions of Alberta, cities=yes 1977 establishments in Alberta Calgary Region Cities in Alberta Rocky View County Former summer villages in Alberta