Central Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta .
12-557: Smoky Lake is a town in Central Alberta , Canada. It is located 116 km (72 mi) northeast of Edmonton at the junction of Highway 28 and Highway 855 . It lies between the North Saskatchewan River , Smoky Creek, and White Earth Creek, in a mainly agricultural area. The provincial historic site of Victoria Settlement is nearby. Long Lake Provincial Park is located 60 km (37 mi) north of
24-504: Is a feature along the side of a road meant to attract tourists . In general, these are places one might stop on the way to somewhere, rather than being a destination. They are frequently advertised with billboards . The modern tourist-oriented highway attraction originated as a U.S. and Canadian phenomenon in the 1940s to 1960s, and subsequently caught on in Australia . When long-distance road travel became practical and popular in
36-451: Is the municipal office for Smoky Lake County . In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , the Town of Smoky Lake had a population of 1,031 living in 442 of its 518 total private dwellings, a change of 7% from its 2016 population of 964. With a land area of 4.26 km (1.64 sq mi), it had a population density of 242.0/km (626.8/sq mi) in 2021. In
48-430: The 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Smoky Lake recorded a population of 964 living in 421 of its 499 total private dwellings, a -5.7% change from its 2011 population of 1,022. With a land area of 4.26 km (1.64 sq mi), it had a population density of 226.3/km (586.1/sq mi) in 2016. Central Alberta Central Alberta is the most densely populated rural area in
60-994: The Giants of the Prairies can be found in Central Alberta. Large mushrooms in Vilna , huge pumpkins in Smoky Lake , giant Perogy (Ukrainian dumpling) in Glendon , huge Kielbasa (Ukrainian garlic sausage) in Mundare , large Pysanka (Ukrainian easter egg) in Vegreville , a UFO Landing Pad in St. Paul and a giant mallard duck in Andrew . Central Alberta has a population of 240,368 (2004). Queen Elizabeth II Highway crosses
72-544: The Mystery Spot near Santa Cruz, California, or curiosities such as The Thing? along Interstate 10 in Arizona. With the construction of the U.S. Interstate Highway System in the mid-1950s, many roadside attractions were bypassed and quickly went out of business. Some remained attractive enough to divert travelers from the interstate for a brief respite and thus remain in business. The best example of this change
84-429: The 1920s, entrepreneurs began building restaurants, motels, coffee shops, cafes, and unusual businesses to attract travelers. Many of the buildings were attractions in themselves in the form of novelty architecture , depicting everyday objects of enormous size, typically relating to the items sold there. Some other types of roadside attractions include monuments and fictionalized-paranormal/illusionary amusements such as
96-1390: The other six regional health boards in 2008 to form Alberta Health Services. Post-secondary institutions in the region are Red Deer Polytechnic , Olds College , Lakeland College , Burman University and the University of Alberta Augustana Faculty (Camrose) . On a provincial level, central Alberta is represented in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta by MLA's elected in the ridings of Camrose , Drayton Valley-Devon , Drumheller-Stettler , Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville , Innisfail-Sylvan Lake , Lacombe-Ponoka , Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland , Leduc-Beaumont , Maskwacis-Wetaskiwin , Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills , Red Deer-North , Red Deer-South , Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre , Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright , and West Yellowhead . The region spreads across several census divisions : 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 14 and parts of divisions 11 , 12 and 13 . Cities Towns Villages Summer villages Improvement districts Municipal districts Special areas 52°N 113°W / 52°N 113°W / 52; -113 ( Central Alberta ) Roadside attraction A roadside attraction
108-647: The province. Agriculture and energy are important to the area's economy. Central Alberta is bordered by the Canadian Rockies in the west, Southern Alberta and the Calgary Region to the south, Saskatchewan to the east and Northern Alberta to the north. It completely surrounds the Edmonton Capital Region and contains the central part of the heavily populated Calgary-Edmonton Corridor . The North Saskatchewan River crosses
120-606: The region from south to north, and the Yellowhead Highway from east to west. Other major highways include Highway 9 , Highway 21 , Veteran Memorial Highway , David Thomson Highway , Cowboy Trail , Grizzly Trail and Buffalo Trail . Poundmaker Trail runs through the north-east of the region. Health care in the region is overseen by Alberta Health Services . It was formerly served by Aspen Regional Health Authority , David Thompson Regional Health Authority and East Central Health before they were amalgamated with
132-1193: The region from west to east. Other rivers traversing the area are Red Deer River , Battle River , Athabasca River , Pembina River , Brazeau River , Beaver River . Tourist attractions in the region include: Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions , the Canadian Petroleum Discovery Centre in Leduc , Discovery Wildlife Park, Kerry Wood Nature Centre and Gaetz Lake Sanctuary in Red Deer , Nordegg Heritage Centre and Mine Site, Reynolds-Alberta Museum , Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site, Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village and Stephannson House Provincial Historic Site near Sylvan Lake . Major national, provincial, and municipal parks include Elk Island National Park , William A. Switzer Provincial Park , Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park , Big Knife Provincial Park , Pigeon Lake Provincial Park , and Sylvan Lake Park . A series of roadside attractions known as
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#1732779661235144-658: The town. The Woods Cree , a First Nations people, named "Smoking Lake" for the smoke from ceremonies performed on the shore; the name Smoky Lake may also be based on the mist that rose from the lake in great quantities at sundown. One of its churches, the St. Onuphrius Ukrainian-Catholic, built in 1907, has been moved to the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau , Quebec . It is in Census Division No. 12 and
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