Nestled in central Alberta roughly 111 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, the hamlet of Bellis sits within Smoky Lake County, just 8 kilometres west of Highway 36. The community’s name carries a meaningful origin, drawing from the Ukrainian phrase meaning “white woods” – a direct reference to the birch trees and poplars that characterise the surrounding landscape. The area welcomed its first settlers back in 1898, giving Bellis a history stretching well over a century.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Bellis had a population of 60 residents living in 23 of its 33 total private dwellings. This represented a notable increase of 20% compared to the 2016 census figure of 50 people. The hamlet covers a compact land area of just 0.23 square kilometres, resulting in a population density of approximately 260.9 people per square kilometre. Administratively, Bellis has an interesting past – it once held incorporated village status before dissolving on January 1, 1946, at which point it became part of the Municipal District of Vilna No. 575, eventually falling under the jurisdiction of Smoky Lake County.