Rocky View County is a
municipal district in southern
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 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 great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...
to the west. It surrounds most of
Calgary
Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
, 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. 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 ...
, 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.][ " 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 ]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 great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...
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 municipalities of Alberta, specialized municipality in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region within Alberta, Canada between Edmonton and Elk Island National Park. It forms part of Division No. 11, Alberta, Census Di ...
near Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
. 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 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 ...
*
Airdrie
*
Chestermere
;
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 ...
*
Cochrane
*
Crossfield
*
Irricana
;
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 ...
*
Beiseker
;
Summer villages
*none
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 Rocky View 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 ...
* Balzac
* Bottrel
* Bragg Creek
* Cochrane Lake
* Conrich
* Dalemead
* Dalroy
* Delacour
*Indus
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans- Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northwest through the dis ...
*Janet
Janet may refer to:
Names
* Janet (given name)
Surname
* Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table
* Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psychologist and psychotherapist
* Maur ...
* Kathyrn
* Keoma
* Langdon
* Madden
Harmony
In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...
(urban community)
* Heritage Woods (designated place)
* Springbank (country residential area)
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 ...
, 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.
Attractions
* Big Hill Springs Provincial Park
* Bragg Creek Community Centre and historic downtown
* Bragg Creek Provincial Park
* Calaway Park
* Century Downs Racetrack and Casino
* CrossIron Mills
* 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
Alberta Municipal Affairs is a ministry of the Executive Council of Alberta. Its major responsibilities include assisting municipalities in the provision of local government, administering the assessment of linear property in Alberta, administeri ...
, 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:
Provincial
Rocky View County is served by the Provincial Electoral Divisions of Airdrie, Chestermere-Rocky View and Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills.
Rocky View is currently represented in the Alberta Legislature by MLA Angela Pitt in the riding of Airdrie, Chantelle De Jonge in Chestermere-Strathmore and Nathan Cooper in Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills.
Federal
Rocky View is served by three Federal Electoral Divisions: Crowfoot, Macleod 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 Crowfoot. This riding has been represented by Kevin Sorenson, who was originally elected as a member of the Reform Party then again as a member of the Canadian Alliance and currently of the Conservative Party.
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 Macleod. This riding has been represented by Ted Menzies, who was originally elected as a member of the Canadian Alliance and currently of the Conservative Party.
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, who was elected as a member of the Conservative Party on October 14, 2008.
Infrastructure
Transportation
;Highways
Rocky View County is bisected by the Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, 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 A ...
( Highway 1) and Highway 2. Highway 9, a major transportation route between Calgary and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, 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 Hig ...
, also bisects the eastern portion of Rocky View County.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
;Railways
The main lines of the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and the Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...
(CNR) between Calgary and Edmonton travel through Rocky View County. The CPKC 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 Irricana and the Village of Beiseker.
;Airports
Two airports are located within Rocky View County – Beiseker Airport and Springbank Airport.
See also
*List of communities in Alberta
The province of Alberta, Canada, is divided into ten types of Local government in Canada, local governments – urban municipalities (including List of cities in Alberta, cities, List of towns in Alberta, towns, List of villages in Alberta, vil ...
*List of municipal districts in Alberta
A municipal district (MD) is the most common form of all List of communities in Alberta#Rural municipalities, rural municipality statuses used in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. Alberta's municipal distric ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Calgary Region
Municipal districts in Alberta