The criteria to become city in Alberta is a population of at least 10,000 people. Becoming a city does not happen automatically.
The municipality has to apply for city status, and some choose not to.
What is the smallest city in Alberta?
Wetaskiwin is the smallest city in Alberta with a population of 12,594.
There are other Alberta towns with a smaller population exceeding 10,000, that do not currently have city status.
How Many Cities are there in Alberta?
There are 19 cities in Alberta (In order of population from Lowest to Highest):
- Wetaskiwin
- Lacombe
- Brooks
- Cold Lake
- Camrose
- Lloydminster
- Beaumont
- Chestermere
- Fort Saskatchewan
- Leduc
- Spruce Grove
- Medicine Hat
- Grand Prairie
- St. Albert
- Airdrie
- Lethbridge
- Red Deer
- Edmonton
- Calgary
Alberta Towns Eligible to become Cities
Towns with more than 10,000 population that could potentially receive city status (In order of population from Lowest to Highest):
- Blackfalds
- Morinville
- Canmore
- Strathmore
- High River
- Sylvan Lake
- Stony Plain
- Okotoks
- Cochrane
In Summary
- The smallest city in Alberta is Wetaskiwin with a population of 12,594.
- There are towns in Alberta that are eligible to become cities with a smaller population.
- A town is eligible to apply for city status when the population crosses the 10,000 mark.
- There are currently 9 Alberta towns eligible to become cities.
- Calgary is the largest city in Alberta, with Edmonton in a close second.
