La Crete
La Crete ( lə-KREET), also spelled La Crête, is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada, within Mackenzie County. It is located on Highway 697, approximately 57 kilometres (35 mi) southeast of High Level and 701 kilometres (436 mi) north of Edmonton. The hamlet is in Census Division No. 17 and in the federal riding of Peace River—Westlock. The name "La Crête" means "the ridge" in French, which is how the earliest settlers described the area they settled.
La Crete | |
|---|---|
  Location of La Crete in Alberta | |
| Coordinates: 58°11′13″N 116°24′18″W / 58.187°N 116.405°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Census division | No. 17 |
| Specialized municipality | Mackenzie County |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unincorporated |
| • Reeve | Josh Knelsen |
| • Governing body | Mackenzie County Council
|
| Area (2021)[1] | |
| • Land | 17.61 km2 (6.80 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 315 m (1,033 ft) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 3,856 |
| • Density | 218.9/km2 (567/sq mi) |
| • Municipal census (2024)[2] | 4,010 |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Forward sortation areas | |
| Area codes | 780, 587, 825 |
| Highways | 697 |
La Crete (/ləˈkriːt/ lə-KREET), also spelled La Crête, is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada, within Mackenzie County.[3] It is located on Highway 697, approximately 57 kilometres (35 mi) southeast of High Level and 701 kilometres (436 mi) north of Edmonton.
The hamlet is in Census Division No. 17 and in the federal riding of Peace River—Westlock.
The name "La Crête" means "the ridge" in French, which is how the earliest settlers described the area they settled.
History
[edit]La Crete was first settled in 1914 as La Crête Landing. When the first Mennonites arrived in the 1930s, they settled a short distance southwest of the original settlement on the current site of La Crete. When the first highways were built into the area in the 1960s, the population began to increase as new settlers arrived, and in 1979, La Crete was declared a hamlet.
Geography
[edit]The Hamlet of La Crete is west of Highway 697, mostly between Township Road 1060 and Township Road 1062 (109 Avenue).[4] Lake Tourangeau is adjacent to the hamlet to the northwest.[4]
Demographics
[edit]| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 277 | — |
| 1966 | 246 | −11.2% |
| 1976 | 349 | +41.9% |
| 1981 | 479 | +37.2% |
| 1986 | 689 | +43.8% |
| 1991 | 902 | +30.9% |
| 1991A | 909 | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 1,215 | +33.7% |
| 2001 | 1,783 | +46.7% |
| 2006 | 2,166 | +21.5% |
| 2011 | 2,408 | +11.2% |
| 2016 | 3,396 | +41.0% |
| 2021 | 3,856 | +13.5% |
| The 2006 and 2011 population counts are the sum of the La Crete urban area/population centre and the La Crete designated place. Source: Statistics Canada [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][1] | ||
La Crete's population was 4,010 in Mackenzie County's 2024 municipal census.[2]
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, La Crete had a population of 3,856 living in 1,329 of its 1,397 total private dwellings, a change of 13.5% from its 2016 population of 3,396. With a land area of 17.61 km2 (6.80 sq mi), it had a population density of 219.0/km2 (567.1/sq mi) in 2021.[1]
The residents of La Crete typically speak English or German.[20]
Attractions
[edit]La Crete has walking trails that were paved using donations from local residents.[citation needed] There is a Mennonite Heritage Village sited on "10 acres of land homesteaded by Henry H. Peters in 1950".[21]
The La Crete Lumber Barons are a Junior "B" ice hockey team who are a member of the Northwest Junior Hockey League They play their home games at Raymond Knelsen Arena
Government
[edit]A ward boundary bisects the Hamlet of La Crete, which results in it having representation on Mackenzie County Council by two councillors.[22] Ward 3, which is west of 99 Street, is represented by Peter Braun, while Ward 4, which is east of 99 Street, is represented by David Driedger.[22][23]
Transportation
[edit]During the summer months the La Crete Ferry, also known as the Tompkins Landing Ferry,[24] one of only six ferries still operating in Alberta, shuttles vehicles across the Peace River on Highway 697 about 70 kilometres southwest of the hamlet. In the winter, an ice bridge is maintained at the same spot. This access connects La Crete to the Mackenzie Highway near Paddle Prairie, offering a considerable time saving when travelling to or from La Crete. During the spring and fall, when the river is unfit for the ferry and the ice too thin to support vehicle traffic, or at other times when the ferry is not operational, travellers must continue north to High Level, then east on Highway 58 before coming back south to reach La Crete. In the summer of 2006 a sandbar formed in the centre of the river, where the ferry normally crossed, forcing it to travel around it. The sandbar has grown to such a size that the ferry does not always run if the water level is too low.
Notable people
[edit]- High Valley, country music band
See also
[edit]External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- ^ a b >"2024 Municipal Census Report". Mackenzie County. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
- ^ Alberta Municipal Affairs (April 1, 2010). "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 29, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
- ^ a b La Crete Address, 2021 (Map). Mackenzie County. 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ^ Ninth Census of Canada, 1951 (PDF). Vol. SP-7 (Population: Unincorporated villages and hamlets). Dominion Bureau of Statistics. March 31, 1954.
- ^ Census of Canada, 1956 (PDF). Vol. Population of unincorporated villages and settlements. Dominion Bureau of Statistics. October 25, 1957.
- ^ 1961 Census of Canada: Population (PDF). Series SP: Unincorporated Villages. Vol. Bulletin SP—4. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. April 18, 1963.
- ^ Census of Canada 1966: Population (PDF). Special Bulletin: Unincorporated Places. Vol. Bulletin S–3. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1968.
- ^ 1971 Census of Canada: Population (PDF). Special Bulletin: Unincorporated Settlements. Vol. Bulletin SP—1. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1973.
- ^ "Geographical Identification and Population for Unincorporated Places of 25 persons and over, 1971 and 1976". 1976 Census of Canada (PDF). Supplementary Bulletins: Geographic and Demographic (Population of Unincorporated Places—Canada). Vol. Bulletin 8SG.1. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1978.
- ^ 1981 Census of Canada (PDF). Place name reference list. Vol. Western provinces and the Territories. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1983.
- ^ 1986 Census of Canada (PDF). Population. Vol. Unincorporated Places. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1988.
- ^ 91 Census (PDF). Population and Dwelling Counts. Vol. Unincorporated Places. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1993.
- ^ 96 Census (PDF). A National Overview: Population and Dwelling Counts (1996 ed.). Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1997.
- ^ "Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, and Census Divisions, 2001 and 1996 Censuses - 100% Data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. August 15, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and urban areas, 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. July 20, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. July 20, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2011 and 2006 censuses (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. July 25, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- ^ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and population centres, 2011 and 2006 censuses (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. July 20, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census: La Crète [Population centre], Alberta and La Crete, Unincorporated place [Designated place], Alberta". Statistics Canada. August 9, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ "La Crete Mennonite Heritage Village | Mackenzie Frontier Tourist AssociationMackenzie Frontier Tourist Association".
- ^ a b La Crete Electoral District, 2021 (Map). Mackenzie County. 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ^ "Council". Mackenzie County. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ^ "La Crete Ferry closes for the season". Government of Alberta. November 17, 2011. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
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