Tucked into central Alberta roughly 70 kilometres west of the Saskatchewan border, the village of Czar sits at the crossing of Highway 13, also known as the Buffalo Trail, and the Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway line. This small but enduring community covers a land area of 1.12 square kilometres, giving it a compact footprint on the Alberta plains.
Czar has seen a notable uptick in residents over recent census periods. The 2021 Census recorded a population of 248 people living in 86 of the village’s 99 private dwellings, representing a growth of roughly 22.8 per cent compared to the 202 residents counted in 2016. That 2016 figure itself reflected a significant jump of around 21 per cent from the 167 residents recorded in 2011. With 248 people spread across just over a square kilometre, the village had a population density of approximately 221.4 people per square kilometre as of the most recent census. The steady population growth across three consecutive census periods points to a community that, modest in size, has been quietly gaining new households over the past decade.