Sylvan Lake, Alberta

Sylvan Lake is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of the City of Red Deer along Highway 11 or Highway 11A. It is on the southeast edge of Sylvan Lake, a 15-kilometre-long (9.3 mi) freshwater lake that straddles the boundary between Red Deer County and Lacombe County.

This article is about the town. For the lake, see Sylvan Lake (Alberta).
Sylvan Lake
Town
Town of Sylvan Lake
Sylvan Lake is located in Alberta
Sylvan Lake
Sylvan Lake
Location of Sylvan Lake in Alberta
Sylvan Lake is located in Canada
Sylvan Lake
Sylvan Lake
Sylvan Lake (Canada)
Coordinates: 52°18′30″N 114°05′47″W
CountryCanada
ProvinceAlberta
RegionCentral Alberta
Census division8
Municipal districtRed Deer County
Founded1898
Incorporated[1] 
 • VillageDecember 30, 1912
 • TownMay 20, 1946
Government
[2]
 • MayorMegan Hanson
 • Governing body
Sylvan Lake Town Council
  • Kjeryn Dakin
  • Teresa Rilling
  • Graham Parsons
  • Jas Payne
  • Tim Mearns
  • Ian Oostindie
 • CAOSean Durkin
 • MPBlaine Calkins
 • MLADevin Dreeshen
Area
 (2021)[3]
 • Land23.09 km2 (8.92 sq mi)
Elevation
[4]
945 m (3,100 ft)
Population
 (2021)[3][5][6]
 • Total15,995
 • Density692.8/km2 (1,794/sq mi)
 • Municipal census (2015)
14,310[7]
 • Estimate (2020)
16,351[8]
Time zoneUTC−7 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−6 (MDT)
Forward sortation area
T4S
Area code(s)403, 587, 825
WaterwaysSylvan Lake
HighwaysHighway 11
Highway 11A
Highway 20
Websitesylvanlake.ca

The lake is a popular destination for tourists from around Alberta, with around 1 million visitors each year.[9] Popular tourist activities include sunbathing, swimming, water-skiing, and visiting Camp Woods. Camp Woods in Sylvan Lake hosted the 12th Canadian Scout Jamboree in July 2013.[10]

History

The land that would later become the town was ceded to the Crown by the First Nations with Treaty 6 in 1877.

Sylvan Lake was originally settled by French-speaking immigrants from Quebec and the United States. Arriving in 1898 from Michigan, Alexandre Loiselle and his family homesteaded the quarter section that later became the west side of today's Main (50th) Street and the businesses and homes immediately to the west. When the first settlers arrived at Sylvan Lake in 1899, the lake was named Snake Lake from the Cree name kinepik (ᑭᓀᐱᐠ) which referred to the numerous garter snakes in the area. The name was officially changed to Sylvan Lake in 1903 (Gaetz 1948). "Sylvan" is from the Latin sylvanus, which means "of a forest".

Palliser's map of 1859 gives the name Swan Lake for the location.[11]

Sylvan Lake Lighthouse

In the early twentieth century, groups of Estonian[12] and then Finnish settlers moved to homesteads to the south and west of the fledgling settlement at Sylvan Lake. With their arrival came the early business community, a general store, a blacksmith, a hardware store, post office, barber, and restaurants. The completion of the Canadian Northern line to Rocky Mountain House and Nordegg in 1912 and the parallel Canadian Pacific in 1914 opened the west country to settlement and resulted in the incorporation of Sylvan Lake in 1913 under Mayor E. S. Grimson, a local hardware store owner. The anniversary of the founding of the town is celebrated every year in Sylvan Lake as "1913 Days".

Farming quickly became a mainstay in the area and in 1923 an Alberta Pacific Grain Company elevator was built on the CPR line immediately north of what is now Cottonwood Estates. The elevator was torn down in the 1970s and the CPR line was abandoned in 1983 and removed in 1986. Since then, the right of way has survived as a natural area and walking path through Sylvan Lake.

Elevators were also constructed along the CN line and were used by local farmers in the mid-century decades. They were torn down in the late 1990s.

Even prior to the building of the railways, Sylvan Lake was becoming a summer resort for families in Red Deer. With the coming of the trains, "the Lake" became a favourite of families from both Edmonton and Calgary. The summer visitors camped in tents, but soon the "Cottage Area" east of 46 Street and in "Lower Camp" on the southeast shore began to fill with summer cottages. In the 1930s and 1940s people began arriving by car and the areas around Norglenwold, Sylvan Lake Provincial Park and Jarvis Bay Provincial Park began to fill up with summer visitors.

The influx of summer residents and visitors also brought businesses and services that catered to the ever-increasing number of tourists. In 1913, the first motor launch took paying passengers on tours around the lake. A large boathouse was constructed in 1926, allowing visitors to rent a boat, canoe, swimsuit, or buy ice cream, pop and other items necessary to a summer day at the lake. Regattas were held on the lake for a number of years beginning in 1923.

In 1928, the Dominion Government, assisted by the Sylvan Lake Women's Institute (WI), built the long pier that jutted out into the lake from the bottom of Main Street. This pier was connected to the earlier WI Pier and formed a square area used for swimming and mooring boats. The first "waterslide" at Sylvan Lake was part of this facility. The piers were prone to ice damage over the winter and were replaced by the existing "landfill" that now hosts beach volleyball tournaments, dragon boat racing and the lake tour on the "Zoo Cruise".

In 1983, the original waterslide was replaced by the Wild Rapids Waterslides, which was the largest facility of its kind in western Canada until its closure in 2016.[13]

Another byproduct of losing the piers and later the government boat launch was the construction of the Sylvan Lake Marina, home of many of the permanent boats on the lake, boating facilities, and the Sylvan Lake lighthouse.

In 2014, Sylvan Lake won the Kraft Hockeyville contest, which included a large cash prize and the rights to host an NHL pre-season game between the Calgary Flames and the Arizona Coyotes.[14]

Geography

The Town of Sylvan Lake is located on the southeast shore of Sylvan Lake. The summer villages of Norglenwold and Jarvis Bay border the town to the northwest and northeast respectively.[15]

Climate

Sylvan Lake has a subarctic climate (Dfc) with long, cold winters and short, mild summers.[16]

Climate data for Sylvan Lake, Alberta
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 13.3
(55.9)		 14.8
(58.6)		 15.4
(59.7)		 28.6
(83.5)		 32.5
(90.5)		 33.3
(91.9)		 32.2
(90.0)		 31.8
(89.2)		 29.6
(85.3)		 28.1
(82.6)		 19.1
(66.4)		 12.7
(54.9)		 33.3
(91.9)
Average high °C (°F) −9.5
(14.9)		 −6.4
(20.5)		 0.7
(33.3)		 9.3
(48.7)		 15.9
(60.6)		 19.5
(67.1)		 21.3
(70.3)		 20.1
(68.2)		 14.8
(58.6)		 9.2
(48.6)		 −2.1
(28.2)		 −8.7
(16.3)		 7.0
(44.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) −14.6
(5.7)		 −11.8
(10.8)		 −5.1
(22.8)		 3.1
(37.6)		 9.5
(49.1)		 13.7
(56.7)		 15.7
(60.3)		 14.4
(57.9)		 9.2
(48.6)		 3.9
(39.0)		 −6.4
(20.5)		 −13.4
(7.9)		 1.5
(34.7)
Average low °C (°F) −19.8
(−3.6)		 −17.6
(0.3)		 −11
(12)		 −3.1
(26.4)		 3.1
(37.6)		 7.8
(46.0)		 10.0
(50.0)		 8.6
(47.5)		 3.6
(38.5)		 −1.4
(29.5)		 −10.9
(12.4)		 −18.2
(−0.8)		 −4.1
(24.6)
Record low °C (°F) −42.8
(−45.0)		 −40.0
(−40.0)		 −38.3
(−36.9)		 −26.1
(−15.0)		 −7.2
(19.0)		 −2.7
(27.1)		 3.1
(37.6)		 −2.1
(28.2)		 −7.8
(18.0)		 −21.8
(−7.2)		 −36.1
(−33.0)		 −41.7
(−43.1)		 −42.8
(−45.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 25.8
(1.02)		 20.7
(0.81)		 25.5
(1.00)		 29.0
(1.14)		 67.0
(2.64)		 91.6
(3.61)		 97.2
(3.83)		 73.7
(2.90)		 55.9
(2.20)		 24.2
(0.95)		 21.3
(0.84)		 24.5
(0.96)		 556.0
(21.89)
Source 1: 1961-1990 Environment Canada[17]
Source 2: 1971-2000 Environment Canada Precipitation Only[18]

Seasonal mean temperatures:[17]

  • Winter −14.6 °C (5.72 °F)
  • Spring 3.1 °C (37.58 °F)
  • Summer 15.7 °C (60.26 °F)
  • Fall 3.9 °C (39.02 °F)

Annual precipitation:[18]

  • Rain: 398.3 millimetres (15.68 in)
  • Snow: 158.2 centimetres (62.28 in)
  • Total: 556.4 millimetres (21.91 in)

Average hours of sunshine: 2,125 hours

Demographics
Federal census
population history
YearPop.±%
1916115—    
1921180+56.5%
1926295+63.9%
1931416+41.0%
1936652+56.7%
1941805+23.5%
1946971+20.6%
1951985+1.4%
19561,114+13.1%
19611,381+24.0%
19661,332−3.5%
19711,597+19.9%
19761,837+15.0%
19813,779+105.7%
19863,937+4.2%
19914,197+6.6%
19965,178+23.4%
20017,493+44.7%
200610,208+36.2%
201112,327+20.8%
201614,816+20.2%
Source: Statistics Canada
[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]
[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Sylvan Lake had a population of 15,995 living in 6,396 of its 7,141 total private dwellings, a change of 8% from its 2016 population of 14,816. With a land area of 23.09 km2 (8.92 sq mi), it had a population density of 692.7/km2 (1,794.1/sq mi) in 2021.[3]

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Sylvan Lake recorded a population of 14,816 living in 5,616 of its 6,567 total private dwellings, a 19.9% change from its 2011 population of 12,362. With a land area of 23.36 km2 (9.02 sq mi), it had a population density of 634.2/km2 (1,642.7/sq mi) in 2016.[39]

The population of the Town of Sylvan Lake according to its 2015 municipal census is 14,310,[7] a 10% change from its 2013 municipal census population of 13,015.[40] At its current population, Sylvan Lake is one of the largest towns in the province and is eligible for city status. According to Alberta's Municipal Government Act, a town is eligible for city status when it reaches 10,000 residents.[41]

Government
Federal

Sylvan Lake is within the Red Deer—Lacombe federal electoral district. It is represented by Blaine Calkins of the Conservative Party.[44]

Provincial

Sylvan Lake is within the Innisfail-Sylvan Lake provincial electoral district. It is represented by Devin Dreeshen of the United Conservative Party.[45]

Municipal

Sylvan Lake Town Council consists of one Mayor and six Councillors that are elected every four years. The current mayor is Megan Hanson, who was first elected as a Councillor in 2013 and as mayor in the 2021 municipal election. Councillors elected in the 2021 municipal election were Kjeryn Dakin, Jas Payne, Teresa Rilling, Tim Mearns, Graham Parsons, and Kendall Kloss.[46] Ian Oostindie was elected in a by election when Kendall Kloss resigned his seat in 2022.

Education

The town has six public schools in the Chinook's Edge School District.[47]

  • Beacon Hill Elementary School
  • C. P. Blakely School
  • Fox Run School
  • H.J. Cody School
  • Steffie Woima Elementary School
  • Sylvan Lake Career High

Two Catholic Schools in the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools Division.[48]

  • École Mother Teresa Catholic School
  • Our Lady of the Rosary

Also, Lighthouse Christian Academy[49] and Sylvan Meadows Adventist School[50] are two private schools that operate in Sylvan Lake.

Media

Sylvan Lake is served by one local newspaper, The Sylvan Lake News.[51]

Sports

The Sylvan Lake Gulls of the Western Canadian Baseball League play at Pogadl Park.

The Sylvan Lake Wranglers of the Heritage Junior Hockey League play at the NexSource Centre.

See also

References
  1. "Location and History Profile: Town of Sylvan Lake" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. June 17, 2016. p. 632. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  2. "Municipal Officials Search". Alberta Municipal Affairs. May 9, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  3. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities)". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  4. "Alberta Private Sewage Systems 2009 Standard of Practice Handbook: Appendix A.3 Alberta Design Data (A.3.A. Alberta Climate Design Data by Town)" (PDF) (PDF). Safety Codes Council. January 2012. pp. 212–215 (PDF pages 226–229). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  5. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and population centres". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  6. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  7. "Regular Council Meeting Agenda" (PDF). Town of Sylvan Lake. July 13, 2015. p. 123. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  8. "Census Subdivision (Municipal) Population Estimates, July 1, 2016 to 2020, Alberta". Alberta Municipal Affairs. March 23, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  9. "Tourism Profile" (PDF). www.sylvanlake.ca. Town of Sylvan Lake. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  10. "Canadian Scout Jamboree 2013". Scouts Canada. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  11. Hamilton, William (1978). The Macmillan Book of Canadian Place Names. Toronto: Macmillan. p. 32. ISBN 0-7715-9754-1.
  12. "2. peatükk - Eestlased Kanadas enne Esimest maailmasõda". www.eesti.ca. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  13. "Closure of Wild Rapids in Sylvan Lake end of an era, creator says". CBC. August 30, 2016. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  14. "Sylvan Lake, Alta., crowned Kraft Hockeyville". CBC. April 5, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  15. "Sylvan Lake Summer Village Civic Address Map" (PDF). April 30, 2007. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  16. Beck, Hylke E.; Zimmermann, Niklaus E.; McVicar, Tim R.; Vergopolan, Noemi; Berg, Alexis; Wood, Eric F. (2018-10-30). "Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution". Scientific Data. 5 (1): 180214. Bibcode:2018NatSD...580214B. doi:10.1038/sdata.2018.214. ISSN 2052-4463. PMC 6207062. PMID 30375988.
  17. Environment Canada—1961–1990. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  18. Environment Canada—1971–2000. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
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  20. "Table 8: Population by districts and sub-districts according to the Redistribution Act of 1914 and the amending act of 1915, compared for the census years 1921, 1911 and 1901". Census of Canada, 1921. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1922. pp. 169–215.
  21. "Table 7: Population of cities, towns and villages for the province of Alberta in census years 1901-26, as classed in 1926". Census of Prairie Provinces, 1926. Vol. Census of Alberta, 1926. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1927. pp. 565–567.
  22. "Table 12: Population of Canada by provinces, counties or census divisions and subdivisions, 1871-1931". Census of Canada, 1931. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1932. pp. 98–102.
  23. "Table 4: Population in incorporated cities, towns and villages, 1901-1936". Census of the Prairie Provinces, 1936. Vol. I: Population and Agriculture. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1938. pp. 833–836.
  24. "Table 10: Population by census subdivisions, 1871–1941". Eighth Census of Canada, 1941. Vol. II: Population by Local Subdivisions. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1944. pp. 134–141.
  25. "Table 6: Population by census subdivisions, 1926-1946". Census of the Prairie Provinces, 1946. Vol. I: Population. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1949. pp. 401–414.
  26. "Table 6: Population by census subdivisions, 1871–1951". Ninth Census of Canada, 1951. Vol. I: Population, General Characteristics. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1953. p. 6.73–6.83.
  27. "Table 6: Population by sex, for census subdivisions, 1956 and 1951". Census of Canada, 1956. Vol. Population, Counties and Subdivisions. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1957. p. 6.50–6.53.
  28. "Table 6: Population by census subdivisions, 1901–1961". 1961 Census of Canada. Series 1.1: Historical, 1901–1961. Vol. I: Population. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1963. p. 6.77-6.83.
  29. "Population by specified age groups and sex, for census subdivisions, 1966". Census of Canada, 1966. Vol. Population, Specified Age Groups and Sex for Counties and Census Subdivisions, 1966. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1968. p. 6.50–6.53.
  30. "Table 2: Population of Census Subdivisions, 1921–1971". 1971 Census of Canada. Vol. I: Population, Census Subdivisions (Historical). Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1973. p. 2.102-2.111.
  31. "Table 3: Population for census divisions and subdivisions, 1971 and 1976". 1976 Census of Canada. Census Divisions and Subdivisions, Western Provinces and the Territories. Vol. I: Population, Geographic Distributions. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1977. p. 3.40–3.43.
  32. "Table 4: Population and Total Occupied Dwellings, for Census Divisions and Subdivisions, 1976 and 1981". 1981 Census of Canada. Vol. II: Provincial series, Population, Geographic distributions (Alberta). Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1982. p. 4.1–4.10. ISBN 0-660-51095-2.
  33. "Table 2: Census Divisions and Subdivisions – Population and Occupied Private Dwellings, 1981 and 1986". Census Canada 1986. Vol. Population and Dwelling Counts – Provinces and Territories (Alberta). Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1987. p. 2.1–2.10. ISBN 0-660-53463-0.
  34. "Table 2: Population and Dwelling Counts, for Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1986 and 1991 – 100% Data". 91 Census. Vol. Population and Dwelling Counts – Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1992. pp. 100–108. ISBN 0-660-57115-3.
  35. "Table 10: Population and Dwelling Counts, for Census Divisions, Census Subdivisions (Municipalities) and Designated Places, 1991 and 1996 Censuses – 100% Data". 96 Census. Vol. A National Overview – Population and Dwelling Counts. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1997. pp. 136–146. ISBN 0-660-59283-5.
  36. "Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, and Census Divisions, 2001 and 1996 Censuses - 100% Data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
  37. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
  38. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
  39. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  40. "Sylvan Lake Regular Council Agenda: 2013 Municipal Census & Population Affidavit". Town of Sylvan Lake. pp. 85–86. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  41. "Municipal Government Act". Alberta Queen's Printer. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  42. "2016 Community Profiles – Community Highlights for Sylvan Lake". Statistics Canada. 2020-04-21. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  43. "2001 Community Profiles – Community Highlights for Sylvan Lake". Statistics Canada. 2007-02-01. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  44. "Blaine Calkins takes the seat for Red-Deer Lacombe". Sylvan Lake News. 2019-10-21. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  45. "Legislative Assembly of Alberta". www.assembly.ab.ca. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  46. "Sylvan Lake / Government / Council". Town of Sylvan Lake. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  47. "Chinook's Edge School District No. 73 / Schools / Sylvan Lake". Chinook’s Edge School District No. 73. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  48. "Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools / Our Schools / Sylvan Lake". Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  49. "Lighthouse Christian Academy". Lighthouse Christian Academy. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  50. "Sylvan Meadows Adventist School". Sylvan Meadows Adventist School. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  51. "Sylvan Lake News - Home". Sylvan Lake News. Black Press Group Ltd. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
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