Okotoks
Town
Town of Okotoks
A view of Okotoks; overlooking downtown and facing south.
Logo
Motto(s):  Historic Past, Sustainable Future
Okotoks Show map of Foothills County Okotoks Show map of Alberta Okotoks Show map of Canada
Coordinates: 50°43′34″N 113°58′39″W / 50.72611°N 113.97750°W / 50.72611; -113.97750[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Calgary Region
Census division	6
Municipal district	Foothills County
Incorporated[2]
• Village	25 October 1899
• Town	1 June 1904
Government [3]
• Mayor	Tanya Thorn
• Governing body	Okotoks Town Council Cheryl Actemichuk Oliver Hallmark Ken Heemeryck Gord Lang Brent Robinson Rachel Swendseid
• CAO	Elaine Vincent
• MP	John Barlow
• MLA	RJ Sigurdson
Area  (2021)[4]
• Land	38.55 km2 (14.88 sq mi)
Elevation [5]	1,051 m (3,448 ft)
Population  (2021)[4][8][9]
• Total	30,405
• Density	788.7/km2 (2,043/sq mi)
• Municipal census (2015)	28,016[6]
• Estimate (2020)	31,708[7]
Time zone	UTC−07:00 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00 (MDT)
Forward sortation area	T1S
Area code(s)	403, 587, 825, 368
Highways	Highway 2A Highway 7 Highway 549
Waterway	Sheep River
Website	Official website

Okotoks (/ˈoʊkətoʊks/ OH-kə-tohks, originally /ˈɒkətɒks/ OK-ə-toks) is a town in the Calgary Region of Alberta, Canada. It is on the Sheep River, approximately 38 km (24 mi) south of Downtown Calgary. Okotoks has emerged as a bedroom community of Calgary.^[10] According to the 2021 Federal Census, the town has a population of 30,214^[11] making it the largest town in Alberta.

History

The town's name is derived from "ohkotok", the Blackfoot language word for "rock". The name may refer to Big Rock, the largest glacial erratic in the Foothills Erratics Train, situated about 7 km (4.3 mi) west of the town.^[12]

Before European settlement, journeying First Nations, members of the Blackfoot Confederacy, used the rock as a marker to find the river crossing situated at Okotoks. The tribes were nomadic and often followed large buffalo herds for their sustenance. David Thompson explored the area as early as 1800. Soon trading posts were established, including one built in 1874 at the Sheep River crossing in the current town. This crossing was on a trade route called the Macleod Trail, which led from Fort Benton, Montana to Calgary.

In 1879, the area saw the killing of the last buffalo. Government leasing of land for $0.01/acre ($0.025/ha) or $2.47/km² ($6.4/sq mi) began in 1880. This created a major change in the region. The first settlers arrived in 1882.^[13]

A community grew around a sawmill that was established in 1891, and it would grow in size. The last stagecoach stopped in Okotoks in 1891 when rail service between Calgary and Fort Macleod replaced horse-drawn travel. By 1897 the community name had changed three times, first from Sheep Creek, to Dewdney after Edgar Dewdney the Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories, and later being informed by post office authorities in Ottawa of an older settlement named Dewdney in Lower Mainland, British Columbia, the name Okotoks was chosen by local businessman John Lineham.^[14] The rail line is still a main line south to the United States border, but the last of the passenger service (Dayliner unit) ended in 1971.^[15]

In 2007, the energy efficient Drake Landing Solar Community was established in Okotoks.^[16]

Flooding

Okotoks has experienced three major flooding events, in 1995, 2005 and 2013.^[17][18][19] The 2005 event, which affected much of southern Alberta, flooded virtually all lands adjacent to the Sheep River, including the central business district, were at least briefly flooded, with the most serious damage being inflicted to riverside pathways, parks and campgrounds.^[18] Okotoks was also affected by the 2013 Alberta floods.^[19]

Heritage conservation

Numerous old buildings have been restored, and one house was even resited^[20] blocks away to avoid destruction by the widening of the highway through the townsite.

Geography

Land annexation

Effective 1 July 2017 the Government of Alberta approved the annexation of approximately 1,950 ha (4,800 acres) of land. Okotoks and the Municipal District of Foothills reached an agreement more than three years after the town first issued its notice of intent to seek more land to accommodate its long-term growth plans. Okotoks will gain a 60-year land supply that will enable the Town to develop housing and other services over the next several decades.^[21]

Water conservation

Although the Sheep River runs through Okotoks year round, artesian wells near the river supply the town with its water. In September 1998, Okotoks became one of the first communities in Canada to recognize its environmental limits to growth were restricted by the carrying capacity of the local watershed. In concern for the supply of water, the town announced a unique and controversial suggestion of capping its population at 25,000 residents.^[22] In an interview on The Current, Mayor Bill McAlpine stated that this objective may be politically difficult due to the surrounding region.^[23]

Climate

Okotoks experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), with generally warm summers and long, cold winters. Rainfall is usually limited to the summer, with most of it falling between the months of May and September.

Neighbourhoods

Neighbourhoods of Okotoks are:^{[25][26][27][28][29]}

Demographics

Federal census
population history

Year	Pop.	±%
1901	245	—
1906	508	+107.3%
1911	516	+1.6%
1916	525	+1.7%
1921	448	−14.7%
1926	579	+29.2%
1931	760	+31.3%
1936	571	−24.9%
1941	591	+3.5%
1946	694	+17.4%
1951	767	+10.5%
1956	764	−0.4%
1961	1,043	+36.5%
1966	922	−11.6%
1971	1,247	+35.2%
1976	1,795	+43.9%
1981	3,847	+114.3%
1986	5,214	+35.5%
1991	6,720	+28.9%
1996	8,510	+26.6%
2001	11,664	+37.1%
2006	17,145	+47.0%
2011	24,511	+43.0%
2016	28,881	+17.8%
2021	30,405	+5.3%
Source: Statistics Canada [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40] [11][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51]

In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Okotoks had a population of 30,405 living in 10,476 of its 10,750 total private dwellings, a change of 4.8% from its 2016 population of 29,016. With a land area of 38.55 km² (14.88 sq mi), it had a population density of 788.7/km² (2,042.8/sq mi) in 2021.^[4]

In the Canada 2016 Census conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Okotoks recorded a population of 28,881 living in 9,667 of its 9,840 total private dwellings, a 17.8% change from its 2011 population of 24,511. With a land area of 19.63 km² (7.58 sq mi), it had a population density of 1,471.3/km² (3,810.6/sq mi) in 2016.^[51]

The population of the Town of Okotoks according to its 2015 municipal census is 28,016, a 2.5% change from its 2014 municipal census population of 27,331.^[6] At its current population, Okotoks is the largest town in the province^[52] 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.^[53]

Ethnicity

Almost 3% of Okotoks residents identified themselves as aboriginal at the time of the 2006 census.^[54]

Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Okotoks,_Alberta
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Panethnic groups in the Town of Okotoks (2001−2021)

Panethnic group	2021[55]		2016[56]		2011[57]		2006[58]		2001[59]
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
European[a]	26,130	87.04%	25,330	88.81%	22,490	92.08%	16,030	93.52%	11,135	95.7%
Indigenous	1,605	5.35%	1,135	3.98%	1,065	4.36%	460	2.68%	270	2.32%
Southeast Asian[b]	990	3.3%	840	2.95%	240	0.98%	110	0.64%	40	0.34%
South Asian	335	1.12%	335	1.17%	215	0.88%	145	0.85%	25	0.21%
African	260	0.87%	240	0.84%	165	0.68%	85	0.5%	80	0.69%
East Asian[c]	250	0.83%	370	1.3%	170	0.7%	210	1.23%	80	0.69%