Strathcona County

Strathcona County is a specialized municipality in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region within Alberta, Canada between Edmonton and Elk Island National Park. It forms part of Census Division No. 11.

Strathcona County is both urban and rural in nature. Approximately of its population lives in Sherwood Park, which is an urban service area east of Edmonton, remains an unincorporated hamlet. The balance lives beyond Sherwood Park within a rural service area.

History

In Treaty 6, the First Nations ceded their title to the land that would become Strathcona County. Local governance began in 1893 when the North-West Territorial Legislature established an area east of Edmonton as Statute Labour District No. 2. It then grew in size over the following decade and was renamed Local Improvement District (LID) No. 517 in 1913. It was subsequently renumbered as the MD of Strathcona No. 83 in 1945. Its remaining rural territory was specifically designated a rural service area deemed equivalent to a municipal district. and forms the eastern portion of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. It borders Lamont County to the northeast, Improvement District No. 13 (Elk Island National Park) to the east, Beaver County to the southeast, Leduc County to the south, the City of Edmonton to the west, the City of Fort Saskatchewan to the northwest, and Sturgeon County to the north.

Fort Saskatchewan

;Towns

;Hamlets

Antler Lake
Ardrossan
Collingwood Cove
Half Moon Lake
Hastings Lake
Josephburg
North Cooking Lake
Sherwood Park (urban service area)
South Cooking Lake

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The following localities are located within Strathcona County.

;Localities

Adam Lily Acres
Akenside
Akenside Estates
Arddmoor-Rosswood
Ardmoor
Artesian Estates
Aspen Heights
Aspen View
Aurora Place
Avery Park
Ball Meadows
Baronwood
Beaver Brook Estates
Beaver Valley Estates
Beck Estates
Belvedere Heights
Belvedere Heights East
Belvedere Heights West
Berry Hill
Best Estates
Beverly Hills
Birch Park
Birchwood Village
Brecken Woods
Bremner
Bretona
Bretville Junction
Bristol Estates
Brookville Estates
Busenius Estates
Calebo Estates
Camelot Square
Campbelltown
Campbelltown Heights
Carriage Lane
Caswellem
Century Estates
Century Meadows
Chrenek Acres
Chrenek Estates
Claireridge Estates
Clarkdale Meadows
Clover Bar
Cloverlea
Colonel Younger Estates
Colonial Estates
Cooking Lake
Country Club Estates
Craigavon
Cranston Place
Croftland
Dasmarinas Estates
Deer Horn Estates
Deville
Dixon Crescent
Dixon Place
Donaldson Park
Dowling Estates
Dunbar
East Edmonton
East Whitecroft
Easton Acres
Eastwood Estates
Elk Island
Elkland Estates
Executive Estates
Farrell Estates
Farrell Properties
Forest Hills Country Estates
Fulham Park
Galloway Park Subdivision
Garden Estates
Garden Heights
Glenwood Park Estates
Good Hope
Graham Heights
Gray Drive Estates
Greenbrae
Greenhaven
Greenhaven Estates
Greenwood Estates
Griesbach
Gunnmanor
Half Moon Estates
Hanson Estates
Hercules
Heritage Hills
High Ridge Place
Highroad Estates
Hillsdale
Hillside Park
Holland Subdivision
Horton Place
Hulbert Crescent
Hunter Heights
Hunter Hill Estates
Hyland Hills
Ireland Subdivision
Ithacan Drive
Jidaro Valley Subdivision
Keding Estates
Lakeland Village
Lakeland Village Trailer Park
Lakeview
Lakeview Estates
Lakewood Acres
Lark Hill Farms
Las Villas
Laurina Estates
Levder's Ridge Subdivision
Lina Country Estates
Lincoln Green
Lindale
Lindale Park
Lindberg
Lueder Ridge
Lynley Ridge
Mark Iv Estates
Marler Subdivision
Marvin Gardens
McConnell Estates
Meadow Court
Meadow Land Estates
Meadowbrook Heights
Meyers Lakeshore Estates
Midway Estates
Military Point
Miniskic Estates
Newton Estates
North Queensdale Place
Ordze Park and Wye Road Garden
Parker Ridge
Parklane Estates
Parkside Estates
Parkview Ridge
Parkwood Place
Partridge Hill
Paso Valley Subdivision
Patricia Estates
Pebble Court
Penridge Estates
Pine Grove Acres
Pleasant View
Pleasantview Acreages
Pointe Aux Pins Estates
Poplar Lake Estates
Portas Gardens
Queensdale Place Its 2024 population includes 75,575 or living in the Sherwood Park urban service area and 28,253 or in the rural service area.

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Strathcona County municipal census population breakdown

!Component

!2024 population

!2018 population

Ethnicity

{| class="wikitable collapsible sortable"

|+ Panethnic groups in the Municipality of Strathcona County (2001−2021)

! rowspan="2" |Panethnic<br>group

! colspan="2" |2021

! colspan="2" |2016

! colspan="2" |2011

! colspan="2" |2006

! colspan="2" |2001

| European

| 83,940

| 85,990

| 82,960

| 75,970

| 67,930

| Indigenous

| 4,600

| 3,880

| 3,480

| 2,270

| 1,510

| Southeast Asian

| 2,820

| 2,110

| 1,150

| 860

| 365

| South Asian

| 2,650

| 1,820

| 1,425

| 805

| 485

| East Asian

| 1,315

| 1,280

| 1,015

| 980

| 545

| African

| 985

| 775

| 455

| 450

| 360

| Latin American

| 570

| 455

| 525

| 160

| 85

| Middle Eastern

| 370

| 325

| 175

| 160

| 50

| Other/multiracial

| 480

| 380

| 315

| 180

| 95

! Total responses

! 97,730

! 97,020

! 91,495

! 81,845

! 71,420

|- class="sortbottom"

! Total population

! 99,225

! 98,044

! 92,490

! 82,511

! 71,986

|- class="sortbottom"

| colspan="11" |

Economy

;Industrial

Strathcona County had 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.

In 2002, when reporting on the industrial growth of Strathcona County, the National Post focused specifically on the companies Lockerbie & Hole Contracting and Jireh Industries. Regarding Jireh Industries, the National Post stated that the company "does aerospace quality machining and makes robots that inspect on-surface and underwater pipelines for cracks and corrosion."

Small Business Week and Conference
Business Visitation Program
Business Startup Seminars and Support
Business Planning and Site Selection Resources

== Arts and culture ==

Strathcona County Library is a publicly funded library with its main branch in Sherwood Park. Its bookmobile provides service to rural residents through 14 regular weekly stops.

The Smeltzer House Visual Arts Centre is operated by Strathcona County as arts and culture programming space. The main home is primarily used for art exhibitions, while the 1920 and 1950s garages have been outfitted as a glass and clay studio respectively.

Attractions

Elk Island National Park is adjacent to Strathcona County to the east. replacing Roxanne Carr who was elected in 2013.

Infrastructure

;Airports

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.

;Roads

The following provincial highways service Strathcona County.