Sylvan Lake is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is about 25 kilometers (16 miles) west of the City of Red Deer along Highway 11 or Highway 11A. The town is on the southeast edge of Sylvan Lake, a 15-kilometer-long (9.3-mile) freshwater lake that is located between Red Deer County and Lacombe County.
The lake is a popular place for tourists from across Alberta, with about 1 million visitors each year. Activities that visitors enjoy include sunbathing, swimming, water-skiing, and visiting Camp Woods. Camp Woods in Sylvan Lake was the place where the 12th Canadian Scout Jamboree happened in July 2013.
History
The land that became Sylvan Lake was given to the Crown by First Nations through Treaty 6 in 1877.
Sylvan Lake was first settled by French-speaking people from Quebec and the United States. In 1898, Alexandre Loiselle and his family arrived from Michigan and claimed a piece of land that later became the west side of Main (50th) Street and the homes and businesses nearby. When the first settlers came to Sylvan Lake in 1899, the lake was called Snake Lake, named after the Cree word kinepik (ᑭᓀᐱᐠ), which described the many garter snakes in the area. The name was officially changed to Sylvan Lake in 1903. The word Sylvan comes from the Latin sylvanus, meaning "of a forest."
A map made in 1859 by Palliser showed the lake as Swan Lake.
In the early 1900s, Estonian and Finnish settlers moved to areas near Sylvan Lake. Their arrival brought businesses such as a general store, blacksmith shop, hardware store, post office, barber shop, and restaurants. The completion of the Canadian Northern Railway to Rocky Mountain House and Nordegg in 1912 and the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1914 encouraged more people to settle in the area. Sylvan Lake became a town in 1913, led by Mayor E. S. Grimson, who owned a hardware store. The town celebrates its founding every year as "1913 Days."
Farming became an important part of Sylvan Lake’s economy. In 1923, the Alberta Pacific Grain Company built a grain elevator on the CPR line near what is now Cottonwood Estates. The elevator was removed in the 1970s, and the CPR line was abandoned in 1983 and removed in 1986. The area where the railway once ran is now a natural space and walking path.
Grain elevators were also built along the CN line and used by farmers in the mid-1900s. These elevators were removed in the late 1990s.
Before the railways arrived, Sylvan Lake was a summer resort for families from Red Deer. With the arrival of trains, families from Edmonton and Calgary also visited. Early visitors camped in tents, but later, summer cottages were built in the "Cottage Area" near 46 Street and in "Lower Camp" on the lake’s southeast shore. In the 1930s and 1940s, more people arrived by car, and areas like Norglenwold, Sylvan Lake Provincial Park, and Jarvis Bay Provincial Park filled with summer visitors.
The growing number of tourists led to more businesses, such as the first motor launch, which took passengers on lake tours in 1913. A waterslide was built near the lakeshore, and a boathouse opened in 1926, where visitors could rent boats, canoes, and swimsuits or buy snacks. Regattas, which are boat races, were held on the lake starting in 1923.
In 1928, the Dominion Government, with help from the Sylvan Lake Women’s Institute, built a long pier extending from Main Street into the lake. This pier connected to an earlier WI Pier and formed a square area for swimming and mooring boats. The first waterslide at Sylvan Lake was part of this facility. Over time, the piers were damaged by ice and replaced by a landfill area now used for beach volleyball, dragon boat racing, and the "Zoo Cruise" lake tour.
In 1983, the original waterslide was replaced by the Wild Rapids Waterslides, which was the largest waterslide facility in western Canada until it closed in 2016.
The loss of the piers and the government boat launch led to the creation of the Sylvan Lake Marina, which now houses many permanent boats, boating facilities, and the Sylvan Lake lighthouse.
In 2014, Sylvan Lake won the Kraft Hockeyville contest, which included a cash prize and the chance to host an NHL pre-season game between the Calgary Flames and the Arizona Coyotes.
Geography
The Town of Sylvan Lake is located on the southeast shore of Sylvan Lake. The summer villages of Norglenwold and Jarvis Bay are next to the town on the northwest and northeast sides.
Sylvan Lake has a subarctic climate (Dfc), which means it has long, cold winters and short, mild summers.
Average temperatures by season:
• Winter: −14.6 °C (5.72 °F)
• Spring: 3.1 °C (37.58 °F)
• Summer: 15.7 °C (60.26 °F)
• Fall: 3.9 °C (39.02 °F)
Annual precipitation:
• Rain: 398.3 millimetres (15.68 in)
• Snow: 158.2 centimetres (62.28 in)
• Total precipitation: 556.4 millimetres (21.91 in)
On average, there are 2,125 hours of sunshine each year.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population done by Statistics Canada, the Town of Sylvan Lake had 15,995 people living in 6,396 of its 7,141 private homes. This was an increase of 8% compared to its 2016 population of 14,816. With a land area of 23.09 km (8.92 sq mi), the town had a population density of 692.7 people per km (1,794.1 people per sq mi) in 2021.
In the 2016 Census of Population done by Statistics Canada, Sylvan Lake had 14,816 people living in 5,616 of its 6,567 private homes. This was an increase of 19.9% compared to its 2011 population of 12,362. At that time, the town had a land area of 23.36 km (9.02 sq mi) and a population density of 634.2 people per km (1,642.7 people per sq mi).
According to its 2015 municipal census, Sylvan Lake had a population of 14,310, which was a 10% increase from its 2013 municipal census population of 13,015. At its current population, Sylvan Lake is one of the largest towns in the province and meets the requirements to become a city. Alberta's Municipal Government Act states that a town becomes eligible for city status when it reaches 10,000 residents.
Government
Sylvan Lake is located in the Red Deer—Lacombe federal voting area. Blaine Calkins from the Conservative Party represents Sylvan Lake in this area.
Sylvan Lake is also part of the Innisfail-Sylvan Lake provincial voting area. Devin Dreeshen from the United Conservative Party represents Sylvan Lake in this area.
The Sylvan Lake Town Council has one mayor and six councillors who are chosen every four years. The current mayor is Megan Hanson, who was first elected as a councillor in 2013 and became mayor in the 2021 election. The councillors elected in the 2021 election are Kjeryn Dakin, Jas Payne, Teresa Rilling, Tim Mearns, Graham Parsons, and Kendall Kloss. Ian Oostindie was elected in a by-election after Kendall Kloss left his position in 2022.
Education
There are six public schools in the Chinook's Edge School District.
- Beacon Hill Elementary School
- C. P. Blakely School
- Fox Run School
- H.J. Cody School
- Steffie Woima Elementary School
- Sylvan Lake Career High
Two Catholic schools are located in the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools Division.
- École Mother Teresa Catholic School
- Our Lady of the Rosary
Additionally, Lighthouse Christian Academy and Sylvan Meadows Adventist School are two private schools that are located in Sylvan Lake.
Sports
The Sylvan Lake Gulls of the Western Canadian Baseball League play their games at Pogadl Park.
The Sylvan Lake Wranglers of the Heritage Junior Hockey League play their games at the NexSource Centre.