
Hamlets in the Canadian province ofAlberta areunincorporated communities administered by, and within the boundaries of,specialized municipalities orrural municipalities (municipal districts,improvement districts andspecial areas). They consist of five or more dwellings (a majority of which are on parcels of land that are smaller than 1,850 m2), have a generally accepted boundary and name, and contain parcels of land used for non-residential purposes.[1][2]
Section 59 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA) enables specialized municipalities and municipal districts to designate a hamlet, while Section 590 of the MGA enables the Minister ofAlberta Municipal Affairs to designate a hamlet within an improvement district.[1] The Minister may also designate a hamlet within a special area pursuant to Section 10 of the Special Areas Act.[3]
A hamlet can beincorporated as avillage when its population reaches 300. However, Alberta has not had a hamlet incorporate as a village since January 1, 1980, when bothBarnwell andWabamun incorporated as villages.[4][5] 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 2025, Alberta has 437 hamlets recognized by Alberta Municipal Affairs,[6] which is up from 403 in 2023.[7]
Alberta's two largest hamlets –Sherwood Park withinStrathcona County andFort McMurray (formerly a city) within theRegional Municipality of Wood Buffalo – have been further designated asurban service areas by Municipal Affairs. If they were to incorporate as cities, Sherwood Park and Fort McMurray would rank sixth and seventh respectively amongAlberta's largest cities by population.Lac La Biche (formerly a town) withinLac La Biche County is a third hamlet also designated as an urban service area.[6]








Notes:
Numerous communities in Alberta have been previously recognized as hamlets by the Province of Alberta. The majority were absorbed byurban municipalities through annexation or amalgamation. The following are those hamlets that have had their hamlet designation removed.
| Name | Former municipality | Subsequent municipality | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bankview | BadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7 | Drumheller | Annexed in 1964[58] |
| Cambria | BadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7 | Drumheller | Absorbed as a result of amalgamation January 1, 1998[58][59] |
| College Heights | Lacombe County | Lacombe | Annexed January 1, 2000[60][61] |
| East Coulee | BadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7 | Drumheller | Absorbed as a result of amalgamation January 1, 1998[58][59] |
| Glenwood | Yellowhead County | Edson | Annexed January 1, 1984[62][63] |
| Grande Prairie Trail | Yellowhead County | Edson | Annexed January 1, 1984[62][63] |
| Grantville | Kneehill County | Three Hills | Annexed January 1, 1983[64][65] |
| Hardieville | LethbridgeLethbridge County | Lethbridge | Annexed January 1, 1978[66] |
| Hillcrest[67][68] | Improvement District No. 5 | CrowsnestMunicipality of Crowsnest Pass | Absorbed via amalgamation January 1, 1979[69] |
| Lake Louise | Improvement District No. 9 | Improvement District No. 9 | Held hamlet designation in 2024[70] but not in 2025[6] |
| Lehigh | BadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7 | Drumheller | Absorbed as a result of amalgamation January 1, 1998[58][59] |
| MacKay | YellowheadYellowhead County | Yellowhead County | Hamlet status was repealed by Yellowhead County in 2019 after being designated one in 1979 |
| Midlandvale | BadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7 | Drumheller | Annexed in 1972[58] |
| Midnapore | FoothillsMD of Foothills No. 31 | Calgary | Annexed in 1961[71] |
| Nacmine | BadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7 | Drumheller | Absorbed as a result of amalgamation January 1, 1998[58][59] |
| Newcastle | BadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7 | Drumheller | Annexed in 1967[58] |
| North Drumheller | BadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7 | Drumheller | Annexed in 1967[58] |
| Pinedale | YellwoheadYellowhead County | Yellowhead County | Hamlet status was repealed by Yellowhead County in 2019 after being designated one in 1987 |
| Ribstone | WainwrightMD of Wainwright No. 61 | MD of Wainwright No. 61 | Hamlet status was repealed on January 21, 2024 |
| Rosedale | BadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7 | Drumheller | Absorbed as a result of amalgamation January 1, 1998[58][59] |
| Ruarkville | Kneehill County | Three Hills | Annexed December 31, 1984[72][73] |
| Shepard | Rocky View County | Calgary | Annexed July 31, 2007[74][75] |
| Wayne | BadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7 | Drumheller | Absorbed as a result of amalgamation January 1, 1998[58][59] |
| Western Monarch (Atlas)[76] | Wheatland County | BadlandsMD of Badlands No. 7[76][77] | Now within the Town ofDrumheller following the amalgamation of theCity of Drumheller and the MD of Badlands No. 7 on January 1, 1998[78] |