Mackenzie County is a specialized municipality in

northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

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 ...

, Canada. It is located in Census Division 17, along the

Mackenzie Highway The Mackenzie Highway is a Canadian highway in northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. It begins as Alberta Highway 2 at ''Mile Zero'' in Grimshaw, Alberta. After the first , it becomes Alberta Highway 35 for the balance of its lengt ...

. The municipal office is located in the hamlet of

Fort Vermilion Fort Vermilion is a hamlet on the Peace River in northern Alberta, Canada, within Mackenzie County. Established in 1788, Fort Vermilion shares the title of oldest European settlement in Alberta with Fort Chipewyan. Fort Vermilion contains ma ...

History

Originally ''Improvement District No. 23'', the ''Municipal District of Mackenzie No. 23'' incorporated as 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 g ...

on January 1, 1995. It subsequently changed its status to specialized municipality on June 23, 1999 "to address concerns about municipal government and management in a municipality that serves a number of unique communities within a very large territory." The ''Municipal District of Mackenzie No. 23'' changed its name to ''Mackenzie County'' on March 8, 2007.

Geography

Mackenzie County is in the northwest corner of the province of Alberta. It borders the province of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

to the west; the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

to the north; Improvement District No. 24 (

Wood Buffalo National Park Wood Buffalo National Park is the largest national park of Canada at . It is located in northeastern Alberta and the southern Northwest Territories. Larger in area than Switzerland, it is the second-largest national park in the world. The park w ...

) and the

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (abbreviated RMWB) is a specialized municipality in northeast Alberta, Canada. It is the second largest municipality in Alberta by area and is home to oil sand deposits known as the Athabasca oil sand ...

to the east; and

Northern Sunrise County Northern Sunrise County is a municipal district in northern Alberta, Canada. Located in Census Division 17, its municipal office is located east of the Town of Peace River at the intersection of Highway 2 and Highway 688. History On July ...

, the

Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement is a Metis settlement in northern Alberta, Canada along the northern boundary of the County of Northern Lights. It is located along the Mackenzie Highway (Highway 35), approximately south of the Town of High ...

, and the

County of Northern Lights The County of Northern Lights is a List of municipal districts in Alberta, municipal district in northwest Alberta, Canada. Located in Division No. 17, Alberta, Census Division 17, its List of municipal districts in Alberta#Office locations, m ...

to the south. The

Peace River The Peace River (french: links=no, rivière de la Paix) is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in ...

meanders eastward through the southeast portion of Mackenzie County. Some of its water bodies include

Bistcho Lake Bistcho Lake is a large lake in northwestern Alberta, Canada. Bistcho Lake has a total area of (with islands area and water surface), and lies at an elevation of . It is the third largest lake in Alberta. Bistcho Lake is located in the hy ...

, Eva Lake, Margaret Lake, Wadlin Lake,

Wentzel Lake Wentzel and Wentzell are surnames, and may refer to: Wentzel * Emil Wentzel (c. 1817–1892), timber merchant and politician in South Australia * Gregor Wentzel (1898–1978), German physicist * Stan Wentzel (1917–1991), Major League Baseball ...

, and

Zama Lake Zama Lake is a large lake in Mackenzie County, in north-western Alberta, Canada. Major Ernest Wilson Hubbell, Chief Inspector of the Dominion Land Survey, recorded the name "Zammah River" in his field notes as the transliteration of the name of ...

. Land formations include Bootis Hill in the northwest, the Caribou Mountains in the northeast, Buffalo Head Hills in the south, Cameron Hills in the north, and Mount Watt northwest of the Town of High Level.

Communities and localities

The following urban municipalities are surrounded by Mackenzie 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 ...

*none ;

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 or ...

High Level High Level is a town in northern Alberta, Canada. It is located at the intersection of the Mackenzie Highway (Highway 35) and Highway 58, approximately north of Edmonton and south of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. High Level is located wi ...

* Rainbow Lake ;

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 ...

*none ; Summer villages *none The following hamlets are within Mackenzie County. ; Hamlets *

La Crete La Crete ( ), also spelled La Crête, is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada, within Mackenzie County. It is located on Highway 697, approximately southeast of High Level and north of Edmonton. The hamlet is located in Census Division No. ...

* Zama City The following localities are within Mackenzie County. ;Localities * Adams Landing *

Assumption Assumption, in Christianity, refers to the Assumption of Mary, a belief in the taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Assumption may also refer to: Places * Assumption, Alberta, Canada * Assumption, Illinois, United States ** Assumption Town ...

*Blumenort *Boyer *Boyer River Settlement *Boyer Settlement * Buffalo Head Prairie *Carcajou Settlement *

Chateh Chateh is an unincorporated community in northern Alberta Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. An informally defined cultural region, the boundaries of Northern Alberta are not fixed. Under some ...

* Footner Lake *Fort Vermilion Settlement * Habay *Hutch Lake * Indian Cabins *Little Red River *Lutose * Meander River *Meander River Station *Metis *North Vermilion *North Vermilion Settlement *Slavey Creek * Steen River *Vermilion Chutes The following settlements are within Mackenzie County. ;Settlements *Boyer *Footner *Fort Vermilion *North Vermilion *North Zama *Steen River *Tugate

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

have the following

Indian reserves In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." Ind ...

within Mackenzie County. ;Indian reserves * Amber River 211 * Beaver Ranch 163 * Beaver Ranch 163A * Beaver Ranch 163B * Bistcho Lake 213 * Boyer 164 * Bushe River 207 * Child Lake 164A * Fort Vermilion 173B * Fox Lake 162 *

Hay Lake 209 Hay Lake 209 is an Indian reserve of the Dene Tha' First Nation in Alberta, located within Mackenzie County. It is northwest of High Level. In the 2016 Canadian Census The 2016 Canadian census was an enumeration of Canadian residents, which c ...

* Jackfish Point 214 *

John D'or Prairie 215 John D'Or Prairie 215 ''(Jean D’Or in French)'' is an Indian reserve of the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, Canada. It is located east of the Town of High Level on Highway 58 and is surrounded by Mackenzie County Macken ...

* Tallcree 173 * Tallcree 173A * Upper Hay River 212 * Wadlin Lake 173C * Zama Lake 210

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 cultu ...

, Mackenzie County had a population of 12,804 living in 3,516 of its 3,756 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 11,171. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. The population of Mackenzie County according to its 2018 municipal census is 12,514, a change of from its 2015 municipal census population of 11,750. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Mackenzie County had a population of 11,171 living in 3,088 of its 3,567 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 10,927. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Attractions

Mackenzie County is home to Caribou Mountains Wildland Provincial Park and Hay-Zama Lakes Wildland Provincial Park. It is also adjacent to Wood Buffalo National Park to the east.

References

External links

* {{Alberta Regions Lower Peace 1995 establishments in Alberta Specialized municipalities in Alberta Populated places established in 1995