Cypress County is a

municipal district A municipal district is an administrative entity comprising a clearly-defined territory and its population. It may be a city, a town, a village, a small grouping of them, or a rural area. Brazil In Brazil, municipal districts are, in general, su ...

in southeastern

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, Canada that surrounds the City of Medicine Hat and the Town of Redcliff. The municipality is part of Census Division 1, Alberta.http://www.albertafirst.com/profiles/statspack/20662.html AlbertaFirst.Com The first farm in the area was settled in 1890.

Geography

The Cypress County landscape is dominated by a

shortgrass prairie The shortgrass prairie is an ecosystem located in the Great Plains of North America. The two most dominant grasses in the shortgrass prairie are blue grama (''Bouteloua gracilis'') and buffalograss (''Bouteloua dactyloides''), the two less domin ...

ecosystem.http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/sag6303?OpenDocument Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development The land is flat to slightly rolling. The Cypress Hills region features mixed grasslands, wetlands and montane habitats. Major hydrological features include the

South Saskatchewan The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The river begins at the confluence of the Bow and Oldman Rivers in southern Alberta and ends at the Saskatchewan River Forks in central Sas ...

and Milk rivers. Extensive

coulee Coulee, or coulée ( or ), is any of various different landforms, all of which are kinds of valleys or drainage zones. The word ''coulee'' comes from the Canadian French ''coulée'', from French ''couler'' 'to flow'. The term is often used ...

systems have formed adjacent to major rivers resulting in

badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, ...

terrain. Near

Walsh, Alberta Walsh is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within Cypress County. It is located along the Trans-Canada Highway, immediately west of the Saskatchewan border, and has an elevation of . The hamlet is located in Census Division No. 1 and in the federa ...

at lies the Badlands Guardian. Here the landscape takes the form of a head wearing a feathered headdress. The head is approximately wide and deep. This unusual geographic feature is a result of natural erosion of the surrounding prairie.

Communities and localities

The following urban municipalities are surrounded by Cypress County. ;

Cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Medicine Hat Medicine Hat is a city in Southern Alberta, southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff, Alberta, R ...

;

Towns A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

* Redcliff ;

Villages A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...

*none ; Summer villages *none The following

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...

are located within Cypress County. ;

Hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...

* Desert Blume *

Dunmore Dunmore from the or , meaning "great fort", may refer to: People * Dunmore (surname) * Earl of Dunmore, a title in the Peerage of Scotland, includes a list of earls * Countess of Dunmore (disambiguation), a list of wives of earls of Dunmore Pl ...

Hilda Hilda is one of several feminine given names derived from the name ''Hild'', formed from Old Norse , meaning 'battle'. Hild, a Nordic-German Bellona, was a Valkyrie who conveyed fallen warriors to Valhalla. Warfare was often called Hild's Game. ...

Irvine Irvine may refer to: Places On Earth Antarctica *Irvine Glacier * Mount Irvine (Antarctica) Australia * Irvine Island * Mount Irvine, New South Wales Canada * Irvine, Alberta * Irvine Inlet, Nunavut Scotland *Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotlan ...

Schuler Schuler, also Schüler, Shuler, and Shuhler, is a surname. The German word ''Schüler'' directly translates to the English word ''scholar'' and has the meaning "pupil" in German. Notable people with the surname include: * Adon Shuler (born 2004), A ...

* Seven Persons * Suffield * Veinerville *

Walsh Walsh may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walsh (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters Places Australia * Mount Walsh, Mount Walsh National Park Canada * Fort Walsh, one of the first Royal Canadian Mounted ...

The following

localities Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

are located within Cypress County. ;Localities * Agatha * Alderson (dissolved from village status on January 31, 1936) *Army Experimental Range * Bain *Bellcott *Bowell *Bowmanton *Bulls Head * Bullshead *Carlstadt * Cecil *Craigower * Cressday *Dennis * Eagle Butte * Elkwater *Fitzgerald *Fox * Illingworth *Improvement District No. 1 *Jaydot *Lamoral *Larmour *Little Plume *Macson *McNeill *

Onefour Onefour (stylised in all caps) are an Australian drill and rap group originating from the Western Sydney suburb of Mount Druitt. They are regarded by many as the pioneers of drill music in Australia, following a run of viral singles in 2019. ...

*Pashley *Pivot * Ralston *Ronalane *Rosebeg *Royal *Roytal *Stornham *Thelma *Tothill *Vale *

Wild Horse The wild horse (''Equus ferus'') is a species of the genus Equus (genus), ''Equus'', which includes as subspecies the modern domestication of the horse, domesticated horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') as well as the Endangered species, endangered ...

*Wisdom *Woolchester

Climate

Cypress County has a

semiarid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

climate with cold, dry winters and warm to hot summers. The winter cold is occasionally tempered by mild and dry

chinook wind Chinook winds, or simply Chinooks, are two types of prevailing warm, generally westerly winds in western North America: Coastal Chinooks and interior Chinooks. The coastal Chinooks are persistent seasonal, wet, southwesterly winds blowing in from ...

s blowing from the west. Hot summer daytime temperatures are made tolerable by low humidity and rapid cooling in the evening hours. Maximum precipitation typically occurs in late spring and early summer.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Cypress County had a population of 7,524 living in 2,658 of its 3,149 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 7,662. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Cypress County had a population of 7,662 living in 2,689 of its 3,222 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 7,214. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Economy

Agriculture and the oil and gas industry are the primary economic activities within the county. Agricultural sectors include ranching, wheat and oil seed crops, irrigated alfalfa and other specialty crops. Irrigation water is supplied by the St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID) and other smaller water co-operatives. Oil and gas production is extensive throughout the county. Natural gas is gathered through pipe networks and processed in gas production plants near

Attractions

* Bullshead Reservoir - Camping, Fishing * Cavan Lake Municipal Recreation Area - Camping, Boating, Fishing *

Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park is a natural park in Canada straddling the Alberta / Saskatchewan boundary and jointly administered by the two provinces. Located south-east of Medicine Hat in the Cypress Hills, it became Canada's first i ...

- Camping, Boating, Fishing, Golfing, Swimming, Hiking, Rodeo, Winter Carnival, Skiing (Water, Downhill, Cross Country) * Desert Blume Golf Club - Golfing * Golden Sheaf Municipal Recreation Area - Boating, Fishing, Water Skiing, Camping * Irvine Prairie Memories Museum - Local Historical Displays * Michelle Reservoir - Camping, Fishing, Boating * Murray Lake Reservoir - Fishing * Reesor Lake - Camping, Fishing, Boating, Hiking * Sandy Point Municipal Recreation Area - Camping, Fishing, Boating * Spruce Coulee Reservoir - Camping, Fishing, Boating * Cypress County Welcome Centre - Cypress County

Government

Municipal

Cypress County has a Municipal Council of 9 elected Councillors. Councillors are elected by the eligible electors (Cypress County residents) who vote for a candidate in their electoral ward. Municipal elections organized by

Alberta Municipal Affairs Alberta Municipal Affairs is a ministry of the Executive Council of Alberta. Its major responsibilities include assisting municipalities in the provision of local government, administering the assessment of linear property in Alberta, administeri ...

are held on the 3rd Monday in October every four years. Each October, the Councillors elect the Reeve and Deputy Reeve. The Cypress County Council (elected in October 2021) consists of: *Councillor Michelle McKenzie *Councillor Blaine Brost *Councillor Lloyd Want *Councillor Robin Kurpjuweit *Reeve Dan Hamilton *Councillor Dustin Vossler *Deputy Reeve Richard Oster *Councillor Shane Hok *Councillor Keith Ritz (elected in byelection February 2022)

Provincial

Cypress County is served by the Provincial Electoral Division of

Cypress-Medicine Hat Cypress-Medicine Hat is a provincial electoral district in the southeast corner of Alberta. Under the Alberta electoral boundary re-distribution of 2004, the constituency covers the portion of Medicine Hat south of the South Saskatchewan River, ...

and represented in the

Alberta Legislature The Alberta Legislature is the unicameral legislature of the province of Alberta, Canada. The legislature is made of two elements: the lieutenant governor of Alberta, lieutenant governor (representing the King of Canada),. and the Legislative A ...

by UCP MLA

Justin Wright (politician) Justin Wright (born 1984 or 1985) is a Canadian politician from the United Conservative Party. He was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Cypress-Medicine Hat in the 2023 Alberta general election. Wright is a busines ...

Federal

Cypress County is served by the Federal Electoral Division of

Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner (formerly Medicine Hat) is a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in southern Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1908. Following the Canadian f ...

and represented in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

by Conservative MP

Glen Motz Glen Motz (born 1958) is a Canadian politician who was re-elected for his second term to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2019 Canadian federal election on October 21, 2019. Motz was first elected in a by-election on October 24, 2016 after ...

Military

Cypress County is home to Canadian Forces Base Suffield. The base provides an extensive training area for both Canadian and British Armed Forces.

Defence Research and Development Canada Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC; , ''RDDC'') is the science and technology organization of the Department of National Defence (Canada), Department of National Defence (DND), whose purpose is to provide the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), ...

facilities are located here as well. Fire Services Cypress County Fire Services serves the entirety of Cypress County, excluding the city of Medicine Hat. They are a municipal paid-on-call fire department with 140 firefighters who respond to a yearly average of 250 calls for service. They have 9 fire halls located in Dunmore, Elkwater, Hilda, Irvine, One Four, Schuler, Seven Persons, and Walsh.

Infrastructure

Transportation

;Highways The

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...

(1),

Crowsnest Highway The Crowsnest Highway is an east-west highway in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. It stretches across the southern portions of both provinces, from Hope, British Columbia to Medicine Hat, Alberta, providing the shortest highway connection ...

(3) and Highway 41 traverse Cypress County. The Trans-Canada enters the eastern part of the County near

and travels west through

and on to Medicine Hat. From Medicine Hat the highway travels in a north westerly direction passing near Suffield and on to Calgary. Planning has begun to upgrade The Trans Canada to true freeway status. The Crowsnest highway enters the County near Seven Persons and travels in a north westerly direction to Medicine Hat. Highway 41 begins at the U.S. border (Port of Wild Horse) and passes through the county in a northerly direction. Highway 41 intersects the Trans Canada Highway near Dunmore and continues on in a northerly direction until it exits the County near Sandy Point Recreational Area at the county's most northerly limits. ;Road network Cypress County has developed and maintains an extensive road network within its municipal jurisdiction. Paved, oiled and graveled roads total more than 2700 km in length. ;Rail The

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, Trade name, doing business as CPKC (known as Canadian Pacific Railway Limited until 2023), is a Canadian railway holding company. Through its primary operating railroad subsidiaries, Canadian Pacific Railw ...

main line traverses Cypress County. The line enters the eastern part of the county near

and travels west through

and on to Medicine Hat. From Medicine Hat the line travels in a north westerly direction passing near Suffield and on to Calgary. A secondary line joins the main at Dunmore and travels in a south westerly direction passing near Seven Persons and on to

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 106,550 in the 2023 Alberta municipal censuses, 2023 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

. Major switching yards are located in Dunmore. Several spur lines and side yards exist along the lines route to facilitate the handling of grain and other commodities.

Municipal services

Cypress County provides municipal services through various departments. Services include agricultural programs, road maintenance, bylaw enforcement, land use planning, development advice and approvals, fire protection, recreation, street lighting, waste collection, recycling, water and sewer, emergency services, and family and community support.

Education

Secondary schools

The Prairie Rose School Division #8 serves the needs of public school students. Schools within this district include Eagle Butte High School, Burdett School, Bow Island Elementary, Senator Gershaw School, Parkside School, I. F. Cox School, Margaret Wooding School, Irvine School, Schuler School, Oyen Public School, New Brigden School, Ralston School, Seven Persons School, Beyond Walls Alternative Outreach School and Elkwater Hutterite Colony and six other colony schools. The division office is located in Dunmore. The Medicine Hat Catholic Separate Regional School Division #20 serves the needs of Roman Catholic students. District schools located in Medicine Hat and Bow Island include McCoy High School, St. Mary's School, Notre-Dame Academy, St. Louis School, St. Francis Xavier School, St. Michael's School, Mother Teresa School and St. Patrick's School. Medicine Hat Catholic Separate Regional Division #20 (Official Site) The division office is located in Medicine Hat. Christian Education K-12 is provided by Cornerstone Christian School.

Post-secondary education

The Medicine Hat College is a junior college located in Medicine Hat. The college offers university transfer programs, applied degrees and apprenticeship programs. Athletics include basketball, volleyball, and soccer.

References

External links

* {{Alberta, RM=yes Municipal districts in Alberta 1985 establishments in Alberta Populated places established in 1985