List of hamlets in Alberta


Hamlets in the province of Alberta, Canada, are unincorporated communities administered by, and within the boundaries of, specialized municipalities or rural municipalities. They consist of five or more dwellings, have a generally accepted boundary and name, and contain parcels of land used for non-residential purposes.
Section 59 of the Municipal Government Act enables specialized municipalities and municipal districts to designate a hamlet, while Section 590 of the MGA enables the Minister of Alberta Municipal Affairs to designate a hamlet within an improvement district. The Minister may also designate a hamlet within a special area pursuant to Section 10 of the Special Areas Act.
A hamlet can be incorporated as a village when its population reaches 300. However, Alberta has not had a hamlet incorporate as a village since January 1, 1980 when both Barnwell and Wabamun incorporated as villages. Since then, it has been more common for urban municipalities to dissolve from their current municipal status to that of a hamlet under the jurisdiction of its surrounding specialized or rural municipality. As such, the number of hamlets in Alberta has steadily grown over the years.
As of 2020, Alberta has 398 hamlets recognized by Alberta Municipal Affairs. Alberta's two largest hamlets – Fort McMurray within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and Sherwood Park within Strathcona County – have been further designated as urban service areas by Municipal Affairs. If they were to incorporate as cities, Fort McMurray and Sherwood Park would rank fifth and sixth respectively among Alberta's largest cities by population. Alberta's newest hamlets are Gadsby and Granum, which both dissolved on February 1, 2020 to become hamlets under the jurisdiction of the County of Stettler No. 6 and the Municipal District of Willow Creek No. 26 respectively.
The latest populations of hamlets are not published by Municipal Affairs, with the exception of the two urban service areas.

List of hamlets



Notes:

Former hamlets

Numerous communities in Alberta have been previously recognized as hamlets by the Province of Alberta. The following are those hamlets that have been absorbed by urban municipalities through annexation or amalgamation.
NameFormer municipalitySubsequent municipalityRemarks
BankviewBadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7DrumhellerAnnexed in 1964
CambriaBadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7DrumhellerAbsorbed as a result of amalgamation January 1, 1998
College HeightsLacombe CountyLacombeAnnexed January 1, 2000
East CouleeBadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7DrumhellerAbsorbed as a result of amalgamation January 1, 1998
GlenwoodYellowhead CountyEdsonAnnexed January 1, 1984
Grande Prairie TrailYellowhead CountyEdsonAnnexed January 1, 1984
GrantvilleKneehill CountyThree HillsAnnexed January 1, 1983
HardievilleLethbridgeLethbridge CountyLethbridgeAnnexed January 1, 1978
HillcrestImprovement District No. 5CrowsnestMunicipality of Crowsnest PassAbsorbed via amalgamation January 1, 1979
LehighBadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7DrumhellerAbsorbed as a result of amalgamation January 1, 1998
MidlandvaleBadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7DrumhellerAnnexed in 1972
MidnaporeFoothillsMD of Foothills No. 31CalgaryAnnexed in 1961
NacmineBadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7DrumhellerAbsorbed as a result of amalgamation January 1, 1998
NewcastleBadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7DrumhellerAnnexed in 1967
North DrumhellerBadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7DrumhellerAnnexed in 1967
RosedaleBadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7DrumhellerAbsorbed as a result of amalgamation January 1, 1998
RuarkvilleKneehill CountyThree HillsAnnexed December 31, 1984
ShepardRocky View CountyCalgaryAnnexed July 31, 2007
WayneBadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7DrumhellerAbsorbed as a result of amalgamation January 1, 1998
Western Monarch Wheatland CountyBadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7Now within the Town of Drumheller following the amalgamation of the City
of Drumheller and the MD of Badlands No. 7 on January 1, 1998