Southern Alberta

Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of the year 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017 [http://www.albertafirst.com/profiles/statspack/21317.html Southwest Regional. Marketplace Profile] , AlbertaFirst.com. Accessed 22 December 2006.] [http://www.albertafirst.com/profiles/statspack/21316.html Southeast Regional Marketplace Profile] , AlbertaFirst.com. Accessed 22 December 2006.] . The primary cities are Lethbridge and Medicine Hat The region is known mostly for agricultural production, but other sectors, such as alternative energy, film production and tourism, are emerging.

Geography

The region has a total area of approximately 75,500 km² (29,151 sq mi).

Southern Alberta is lined to the west by the Canadian Rockies and their foothills. The rest of region is dominated by the semi-arid prairies of the Palliser's Triangle, where farms and ranches have been built, often with the help of irrigation. Rivers generally flow from west to east and include the Oldman River, Bow River, Red Deer River and South Saskatchewan River.

The environment is protected in such areas as Waterton Lakes National Park, Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park and Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, while sites such as Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump and Dinosaur Provincial Park were declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Alberta Badlands are developed in the north-east of the region, prominently along the Red Deer River. Cypress Hills, located in the east, at the border with Saskatchewan, are the highest point between the Rocky Mountains and Labrador.

Infrastructure

Major highways

*Highway 1
*Highway 2
*Highway 3 (Crowsnest Highway)
*Highway 4
*Highway 5
*Highway 36 (Veteran Memorial Highway)
*Highway 41 (Buffalo Trail)

Health regions

*Calgary Health Region
*Chinook Health
*Palliser Health Region

Economy

In 2007, Alberta Human Resources and Employment reported the fields of finance, insurance, real estate, professions, technicians and senior managers will lead the Lethbridge–Medicine Hat region's growth with an average 2.8% real GDP growth each year until 2011. The industries of manufacturing, energy, mining and forestry would account for 2.6% each. All ten of these fields would account for more than half of the region's domestic product. [cite news |last=Mabell |first=Dave |title=People skills key to building success |pages=E1 |language=English |publisher=Lethbridge Herald |date=2006-01-06]

Politics

On a provincial level, southern Alberta is represented in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta by MLAs elected in the ridings of Airdrie-Chestermere, Cardston-Taber-Warner, Cypress-Medicine Hat, Highwood, Lethbridge East, Lethbridge West, Little Bow, Livingstone-Macleod, Medicine Hat and Strathmore-Brooks.

Municipalities

Cities

*Brooks
*Lethbridge
*Medicine Hat

Towns

*Bassano
*Bow Island
*Cardston
*Claresholm
*Coaldale
*Coalhurst
*Crowsnest Pass
*Fort Macleod
*Granum
*Hanna
*Magrath
*Milk River
*Nanton
*Oyen
*Picture Butte
*Pincher Creek
*Raymond
*Redcliff
*Stavely
*Taber
*Vauxhall
*Vulcan

Villages

*Arrowwood
*Barnwell
*Barons
*Carmangay
*Cereal
*Champion
*Coutts
*Cowley
*Duchess
*Empress
*Foremost
*Glenwood
*Hillspring
*Lomond
*Milo
*Nobleford
*Rosemary
*Stirling
*Tilley
*Warner
*Youngstown

Rural districts

* Municipal district of:
** Acadia
** Cardston
* County of:
** Cypress
** Forty Mile
** Lethbridge
** Newell
* Municipal district of:
** Pincher Creek
** Ranchland
* Special Areas 2 and 3
* Municipal district of:
** Taber
* County of:
** Vulcan
** Warner
* Municipal district of:
** Willow Creek, Municipal District of

Notes

External links

* [http://www1.travelalberta.com/en-south/ Alberta South]
* [http://www.albertasouthwest.com/ Alberta SouthWest]
* [http://www.southgrow.com/ South Grow]
* [http://www.edalliance.ca/ Economic Development Alliance of Southeast Alberta]