Strathcona County


Strathcona County is a specialized municipality in central Alberta, Canada between Edmonton and Elk Island National Park.
It is located in Division No. 11 and is also part of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. More than half of the population lives in Sherwood Park, a large community east of Edmonton that has opted to retain hamlet status. Strathcona County was designated as a specialized municipality on January 1, 1996, in order to accommodate the specific needs of an area that includes both urban and rural territory.

History

First officially recognized in 1893 by the territorial legislature as Statute Labour District #2, Strathcona County has changed immensely since its inception. In 1913 Statute Labour District #2 was renamed to Local Improvement District #517, which then, in 1943, merged with Local Improvement District #518 to become Municipal District #83. By joining with local school divisions in 1962, Municipal District #83 officially became a county. County status was subsequently revoked in 1995 when the County Act was repealed by the provincial legislature, but was quickly returned in 1996 when the County of Strathcona #20 officially changed its name to Strathcona County and received Specialized Municipality status.
On March 29, 2007, Strathcona County announced plans to create an entirely new urban community from scratch to complement Sherwood Park. This development is supposed to be more dense and pedestrian friendly, and could hold up to 200,000 people. However, opponents have pointed out that the development will destroy land of high agricultural value.

Demographics

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Strathcona County recorded a population of 98,044 living in 35,567 of its 36,354 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 92,490. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2016.
The population of Strathcona County according to its 2015 municipal census is 95,597, a change of from its 2012 municipal census population of 92,403.
In the 2011 Census, Strathcona County had a population of 92,490 living in 33,129 of its 34,136 total dwellings, a change of 12.1% from its 2006 population of 82,511. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2011.

Geography

Major highways

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.

Communities and localities


The following urban municipalities are surrounded by Strathcona County.
;Cities
  • Fort Saskatchewan
;Towns
  • none
;Villages
  • none
;Summer villages
  • none
The following hamlets are located within Strathcona County.
;Hamlets
  • Antler Lake
  • Ardrossan
  • Collingwood Cove
  • Half Moon Lake
  • Hastings Lake
  • Josephburg
  • North Cooking Lake
  • Sherwood Park
  • South Cooking Lake

The following localities are located within Strathcona County.
;Localities

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.
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:
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.