Nestled along the Highwood River roughly 68 kilometres south of Calgary, High River sits at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23, placing it within the broader Calgary Metropolitan Region. The town occupies a land area of 22.19 square kilometres and recorded a population of 14,324 in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada. That figure reflects steady growth from 13,594 residents counted in 2016, a rise of 5.4 percent. A 2019 municipal census put the population at 14,052, representing a striking 19.3 percent increase from the 11,783 residents recorded in the 2010 municipal count. At the 2021 census, population density reached approximately 645.5 people per square kilometre across the town’s 5,950 private dwellings, of which 5,787 were occupied.
History and Origins
The name High River comes directly from the Highwood River that winds through the community. Long before European settlement, the area was home to the Blackfoot First Nation, who referred to the site as Ispitzee, meaning “the place of high trees along running water.” By 1870, the arrival of the North-West Mounted Police and the signing of Treaty Number 7 in 1877 opened the region to settlers. Growth gathered pace around a natural ford on the Highwood River known as The Crossing, a practical spot for people, horses, and cattle to move through the area. The completion of the Calgary and Edmonton Railway in 1892 accelerated development considerably. High River was incorporated as a village on December 5, 1901, and achieved town status on February 12, 1906. Daniel Edward Riley, a local rancher who would later serve as a senator, became the town’s first mayor. Construction slowed during the First World War but resumed afterward, with brick buildings and new industries taking shape. As early as 1921, one of Canada’s first air force stations was built to the east of town, and during the Second World War, that same facility hosted a British Commonwealth Air Training Plan elementary flying training school, bringing further economic activity to the area.
Climate and Flooding
High River experiences a humid continental climate, classified under the Köppen system as Dfb. Summers bring mild to warm days and cool nights, while winters are cold and typically snowy, with annual snowfall averaging around 175 centimetres. The Highwood River has a long history of flooding, with significant flood events recorded in 1894, 1899, 1902, 1908, 1912, 1923, 1929, 1932, 1942, 1995, 2005, and 2013. The 2013 Alberta floods were particularly severe, prompting mass evacuations across the province as the Highwood River, the Bow River, the Elbow River, the Sheep River, and other waterways rose to dangerous levels. Three people in the High River area lost their lives as a result of that flooding event.