Tucked into the rolling landscape of northern Alberta, Nampa sits along Highway 2, roughly 27 kilometres south of the Town of Peace River. The Heart River crosses Highway 2 just to the north of the community, and a Canadian National Railway line runs directly through the village. The name Nampa itself carries meaning rooted in Indigenous language, translating to “the Place.” The village covers a land area of 1.69 square kilometres and recorded a population of 367 residents in the 2021 federal census, a modest increase from 364 in 2016 and 362 in 2011. That works out to a population density of around 217 people per square kilometre.
Agriculture forms the backbone of the local economy, with operations like Great Northern Grain Terminals – a privately owned grain company established in 1986 with a 77,200 metric tonne terminal – and Nampa Co-Op Seed Processors serving the farming community. The Peace River Timothy Processing Plant grows, harvests, bales, dehydrates, and double-compresses timothy hay for export to Asian markets including Japan. Forestry also plays a role, with Boucher Brothers Lumber Mill nearby producing dimensional lumber for the Alberta construction market, while proximity to the Peace River Oilsands brings some oil and gas activity to the area as well. Visitors and locals alike enjoy the Nampa Recreation Centre, which houses a curling rink, an arena, a dance hall, and conference rooms. Mill Brown Memorial Park offers camping, picnic areas, baseball diamonds, tennis courts, and a children’s playground. The Nampa and District Pioneer Museum opens each summer and also serves as a tourist information centre, while the Heart River Golf Course sits just north of the village. Green Valley Provincial Park, located to the northeast in the Heart River valley, stretches from Nampa all the way to the Town of Peace River. The village is governed by a mayor, a deputy mayor, and three councillors, and falls within the Peace River Federal Electoral District.