History
In Treaty 6, the First Nations ceded their title to the land that would become Strathcona County. Local governance began in 1893 when the North-West Territorial Legislature established an area east of Edmonton as ''Statute Labour District No. 2''. It then grew in size over the following decade and was renamed ''Local Improvement District (LID) No. 517'' in 1913. In 1918, ''LID No. 517'' became a municipal district under the name of the ''Municipal District (MD) of Clover Bar No. 517''. At the same time, the neighbouring LID No. 518 to the south became the ''MD of Strathcona No. 518''. The ''MD of Clover Bar No. 517'' and the ''MD of Strathcona No. 518'' amalgamated on March 1, 1943, into a larger municipal district under the name of the ''MD of Strathcona No. 517''. It was subsequently renumbered as the ''MD of Strathcona No. 83'' in 1945. Upon further amalgamating with the ''Clover Bar School Division No. 13'', the ''MD of Strathcona No. 83'' incorporated as a county under the name of the ''County of Strathcona No. 20'' on January 1, 1962. Its county status reverted to municipal district status in 1995 when the ''County Act'' was repealed by the provincial legislature though its name remained ''County of Strathcona No. 20''. Its name was officially changed to ''Strathcona County'' on April 26, 1995. Shortly thereafter, Strathcona County's status was changed from municipal district to specialized municipality on January 1, 1996. The purpose of Strathcona County's change to specialized municipality status was to provide "for the unique needs of a municipality that includes both a large urban centre and a significant rural territory and population." The status change specifically designated Strathcona County's large urban centre, Sherwood Park, as an urban service area deemed equivalent to a city. Its remaining rural territory was specifically designated a rural service area deemed equivalent to a municipal district.Geography
Strathcona County is in the central portion of the province of Alberta and forms the eastern portion of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. It borders Lamont County to the northeast, Improvement District No. 13 (Elk Island National Park) to the east, Beaver County to the southeast, Leduc County to the south, the City of Edmonton to the west, the City of Fort Saskatchewan to the northeast, and Sturgeon County to the north. TheCommunities and localities
Demographics
The population of Strathcona County according to its 2024 municipal census is 103,829, a change of from its 2022 municipal census population of 100,362. Its 2024 population includes 75,575 or living in the Sherwood Park urban service area and 28,253 or in the rural service area. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted byEthnicity
Economy
;Industrial Strathcona County has over $12.0 billion worth of industrial projects completed, announced, or under construction. This is aided in part by the concentration of oil refineries on the west side of Sherwood Park. This district, known as Refinery Row, includes some of the largest industrial facilities in Western Canada, such as Imperial's Strathcona Refinery. Originally built in the 1940s, a new refinery was constructed in 1976 and is one of the largest refining facilities in Canada. As well, the Suncor's Edmonton Refinery produces of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and aviation gasoline. This refinery sits on 247 hectares of land and has been operating for over 65 years. A founding member of Alberta's Industrial Heartland, Strathcona County is home to Canada's largest hydrocarbon refining cluster. In 2002, when reporting on the industrial growth of Strathcona County, Alberta, the National Post focused specifically on the companies Lockerbie & Hole Contracting and Jireh Industries. Regarding Jireh Industries, the National Post stated that the company "does aerospace quality machining and makes robots that inspect on-surface and underwater pipelines for cracks and corrosion." As of 2020, the leading industries in Strathcona County are extraction, manufacturing, scientific, construction, trucking and engineering. ;Commercial Strathcona County is home to more than 11,000 businesses, with 3,500 of those businesses comprising employees. A market area population of 1.4 million has resulted in household spending power of $5.6 billion. Strathcona County has over 15,800 highly-skilled graduates available with 94% of residents holding a diploma, certificate, or degree. Within the active business community, there are several resources available to local entrepreneurs to help support their businesses: * Small Business Week and Conference * Business Visitation Program * Business Startup Seminars and Support * Business Planning and Site Selection ResourcesArts and culture
Strathcona County Library is a publicly funded library with its main branch in Sherwood Park. Its bookmobile provides service to rural residents through 14 regular weekly stops.Attractions
Elk Island National Park is adjacent to Strathcona County to the east.Government
Unlike most Albertan municipal districts, where council appoints a reeve, Strathcona County elects a mayor. Rod Frank was elected in 2017, replacing Roxanne Carr who was elected in 2013.Infrastructure
;Airports Strathcona County is home to two public airports. Cooking Lake Airport, which operates as a condo board, accommodates 87 per cent of Strathcona County's public aeronautical transportation needs. It is also the oldest operating public airport in Canada and approved for international flights under the Canada Border Services Agency CANPASS program. The Warren Thomas Aerodrome, better known as the Josephburg Airport, serves the remaining 13 per cent of Strathcona County's public aeronautical transportation needs. ;Roads The following provincial highways service Strathcona County. * (Poundmaker Highway) * * ( Yellowhead Highway route ofSee also
* List of communities in Alberta * List of municipalities in Alberta * List of specialized municipalities in AlbertaNotes
References
External links
* {{Authority control 1943 establishments in Alberta Edmonton Metropolitan Region Specialized municipalities in Alberta