Tucked along Highway 14 in central Alberta, Ryley sits between the City of Edmonton to the west and the Town of Viking to the east, placing it squarely within the boundaries of Beaver County. The City of Camrose lies roughly 58 km to the south, making Ryley a relatively accessible community for residents seeking larger urban services. The village takes its name from George Urquhart Ryley, who served as Land Commissioner for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway when the community was established in 1908.
Ryley is home to around 484 residents, according to the 2021 Census conducted by Statistics Canada, a figure nearly unchanged from the 483 recorded in 2016 and slightly down from 497 in 2011. Covering a land area of 2.53 km², the village had a population density of about 191 people per km² in 2021. Notably, Ryley was the only municipality within Beaver County to record a population increase during the 2021 Census, while the rest of the county saw a combined decline of 199 people. The village spans roughly 250 private dwellings, with 225 occupied at the time of the last census. Governance falls to a five-member council, with councillors elected at-large every four years under the Alberta Municipal Government Act. Among Ryley’s notable community facilities are Alberta’s only indoor swimming pool located within a village, a three-sheet indoor curling rink, an outdoor skating rink, a skate park, a local museum, a community hall, and a school that operates on a four-day weekly schedule.