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Edson, Alberta

Edson
Town
Town of Edson
Edson town hall
Edson town hall
Motto: Heart of the Yellowhead
Edson is located in Alberta
Edson
Edson
Location of Edson in Alberta
Coordinates: 53°34′54″N 116°26′04″W / 53.58167°N 116.43444°W / 53.58167; -116.43444Coordinates: 53°34′54″N 116°26′04″W / 53.58167°N 116.43444°W / 53.58167; -116.43444
Country  Canada
Province  Alberta
Region Central Alberta
Census division 14
Municipal district Yellowhead County
Incorporated  
 • Village January 9, 1911
 • Town September 21, 1911
Government
 • Mayor Greg Pasychny
 • Governing body
 • Manager Mike Derricott
 • MP Jim Eglinski (Cons - Yellowhead)
 • MLA Eric Rosendahl (Alberta NDP - West Yellowhead)
Area (2016)
 • Land 29.72 km2 (11.47 sq mi)
Elevation 920 m (3,020 ft)
Population (2016)
 • Total 8,414
 • Density 283.1/km2 (733/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Edsonite
Time zone MST (UTC−7)
 • Summer (DST) MDT (UTC−6)
Postal code span T7E
Area code(s) +1-780
Website Official website

Edson is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Yellowhead County, 192 kilometres (119 mi) west of Edmonton along the Yellowhead Highway and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of the intersection with Highway 47. Residents of Edson are referred to as Edsonites.

The town was originally named Heatherwood, but the name was changed around 1911 in honour of Edson Joseph Chamberlin, vice-president of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. When Edson was declared the local rail centre, smaller communities such as Rosevear (abandoned), Wolf Creek, Carrot Creek and Niton Junction fell into a decline that continues today. In the 1950s, upgrading of Highway 16 caused a dramatic increase in private, commercial and industrial traffic. Today, the Yellowhead Highway carries some of the heaviest traffic flow in Alberta and has been officially declared the second Trans-Canada Highway. In the 1970s, a revitalized coal industry saw the Cardinal River Coal and Luscar Sterco mines launched in the area. The 1980s saw the development of Pelican Spruce Mills (now Weyerhaeuser Canada) and Sundance Forest Industries (now Edson Forest Products a division of West Fraser Mills Ltd.) - two of Edson's major employers. The former hamlets of Glenwood and Grande Prairie Trail were annexed from Yellowhead County by the Town of Edson on 1 January 1984.

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Edson recorded a population of 8,414 living in 3,359 of its 3,762 total private dwellings, a −0.7% change from its 2011 population of 8,475. With a land area of 29.72 km2 (11.47 sq mi), it had a population density of 283.1/km2 (733.2/sq mi) in 2016.

The Town of Edson's 2012 municipal census counted a population of 8,646.


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