Tucked into central Alberta along Highway 766, just north of Highway 11, Eckville sits west of the city of Red Deer. The area around the town includes the nearby community of Sylvan Lake, which draws students and residents alike, and Red Deer College is only a short drive away. The town covers a land area of 1.61 square kilometres, and as of the 2021 federal census, it was home to 1,014 residents living in 425 occupied private dwellings out of a total of 472, giving it a population density of roughly 630 people per square kilometre. That figure represents a decline of approximately 9.9 per cent from the 2016 census count of 1,125 people, which itself was unchanged from the 2011 population of 1,125.
The town takes its name from A. E. T. Eckford, an early European colonist to the area. Eckville moved to its present site in 1912 following the completion of a local line by the Canadian Northern Railway, and the location was briefly known as Kootuk before the Eckville name stuck. By 1910, the community had a notably large Estonian population, with 171 Estonians recorded there. Eckville was incorporated as a village in 1921 and achieved town status in 1966. The climate is classified as humid continental, bordering on subarctic. Throughout the year, residents gather for events including the Eckville Indoor Rodeo, the Eckville 50s and 60s Dance Jamboree, Canada Day celebrations, the Eckville Winter Carnival, and a tree-lighting ceremony. The town is also known nationally for the 1984 criminal case involving former mayor and teacher James Keegstra, who was convicted of wilfully promoting hatred after teaching antisemitic and Holocaust-denial material to students at Eckville Junior/Senior High School. His conviction was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada in 1990 in the landmark case R v Keegstra. Eckville is also the hometown of Olympic skeleton medallist Mellisa Hollingsworth.