Nestled in central Alberta northeast of Red Deer, the village of Alix sits on just over three square kilometres of prairie land and is home to a population that, according to the 2021 Census, numbered 774 residents living in 343 occupied dwellings. That figure represented a healthy 5.4% increase from the 734 people recorded in the 2016 Census, which itself had reflected a sharper decline from 830 residents counted in 2011. With a land area of 3.11 km², the community carries a population density of roughly 249 people per square kilometre. One of the village’s most recognisable features is its beloved mascot, the Alix-Gator, whose cheerful image appears on signage and storefronts throughout the community.
The settlement was originally known as Toddsville, honouring an early settler named Joseph Todd, but when it was formally incorporated as a village on June 3, 1907, it took the name of Alexia Westhead – the first white woman to settle in the area, known to friends by the nickname Alix. The village’s first mayor was Robert F. Sanderson, who also operated the local general store. Alix Westhead played an unexpected role in Canadian history when she invited her friend Irene Marryat for a visit in 1896. During that stay, Irene met local farmer and Oxford graduate Walter Parlby, eventually married him, and made Alix her permanent home. Irene Parlby’s public career began modestly in 1913 as secretary of the Alix Country Women’s Club, but grew considerably when she became President of the United Farmers of Alberta’s Women’s Auxiliary. She served as the local MLA from 1921 to 1935 and was appointed a cabinet minister when the UFA formed Alberta’s government in 1921, holding that position for 14 years. The University of Alberta awarded her an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1935, and in 2009 she and her fellow members of the Famous Five were posthumously appointed honorary senators.