Clearwater County is a

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

in west central

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, Canada in Division No. 9. Its northwest boundary is the Brazeau River. The municipal office is located in the Town of

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 ...

. The county has a land area of and comprises close to 99% of Census Division No. 9's land area of . Although the territory excluded is rather small in geographical area, it comprises the major population centre of Rocky Mountain House, which has one-third of Division No. 9's population, in addition to the communities of Burnstick Lake and three

Indian reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve () or First Nations reserve () is defined 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." ...

s. Clearwater County's 2021 census population was 11,865, which was prior to amalgamation with Caroline in 2025.

History

The Municipal District of Clearwater No. 99 was incorporated as a municipal district from Improvement District No. 10 on January 1, 1985. Its name was changed to Clearwater County on July 1, 2000. Clearwater County amalgamated with the Village of Caroline to form a new municipality on January 1, 2025, retaining the name "Clearwater County". Caroline became a hamlet in the new municipality.

Geography

Communities and localities

The following urban municipalities are surrounded by Clearwater County. ;

Cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

*none ;

Towns A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

;

Villages A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...

*none ; Summer villages * Burnstick Lake The following

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...

are located within Clearwater County. ;

Hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...

Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Muslim world, Islamic world. Additionally, the ...

* Caroline *

Condor Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua language, Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere. One species, the And ...

Leslieville Leslieville is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated east of the Don River. It is bounded by the Canadian National railway line and Gerrard Street to the north, McGee Street to the west, Eastern Avenue to south, and Coxwell ...

* Nordegg * Withrow The following localities are located within Clearwater County. ;Localities * Alexo *Ancona *Baptiste River *

Bingley Bingley is a market town and civil parish in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It is sited on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. The town had a population of 18,040 at the United Kingdom ...

*Brazeau *Brower Subdivision *Butte *Carlos *Chedderville *Clearwater Subdivision * Cline River *Cline Settlement *Codner *Congresbury *Crammond *Crimson Lake *Dovercourt *Evergreen * Ferrier (

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 s ...

) *Ferrier Acres Trailer Court *Garth *Goldeye *Gray Subdivision *Harlech *Horburg *Improvement District No. 10 *

James River Bridge The James River Bridge (JRB) is a four-lane divided highway lift bridge across the James River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Owned and operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation, it carries U.S. Route 17 (US 17), US 258 ...

*Lochearn * Martins Trailer Court (designated place) *Morrish Subdivision *Oras *Pinewoods Estates *Ricinus *Saunders * Stauffer *Stolberg *Strachan *Ullin *Vetchland *Westerner Trailer Court *Woodland Estates * Ya Ha Tinda Ranch

;Other places Phoenix, a former coal mining community between Nordegg and

, is also located within Clearwater County.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Clearwater County had a population of 11,865 living in 4,817 of its 5,605 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 11,947. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Clearwater County had a population of 11,947 living in 4,699 of its 5,486 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 12,278. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Economy

The economy of the county is based on agriculture, oil and gas and forestry, with tourism increasing in importance in recent years.

Attractions

* Rocky Mountain House Historic Site in

* Historic minesite in Nordegg * Hiking in the Bighorn Wildland * Camping at Burnstick Lake campsite * Canoeing on lakes; Rafting and kayaking on Clearwater River and

North Saskatchewan River The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows event ...

* Cross-country skiing, snowmobile trail in the Chambers Creek area * Fishing (cutthroat, rainbow, brook and lake trout, whitefish) and hunting

References

External links

* {{Alberta, RM=yes Municipal districts in Alberta