La Crete is a hamlet

Hamlet

The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...

 in northern Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 within Mackenzie County. It is located on Highway 697, approximately 135 kilometres (83.9 mi) southeast of High Level

High Level, Alberta

- Demographics :According to the 2006 census, High Level had a:*population of 3,887 living in 1,519 dwellings, a 12.9% increase from 2001;*land area of ; and*population density of .- Economy :...

 and 701 kilometres (435.6 mi) north of Edmonton, Alberta.

The hamlet is located in census division

Census division

Census division is an official term in Canada and the United States. The census divisions of Canada are second-level census geographic unit, below provinces and territories, and above "census subdivisions" and "dissemination areas". In provinces where they exist, the census division may correspond...

 No. 17

Division No. 17, Alberta

Division No. 17 is a census division in Alberta, Canada. It spans the central and northwest portions of northern Alberta and its largest urban community is the Town of Slave Lake. Division No...

 and in the federal riding

Alberta federal electoral districts

As of 2006, the province of Alberta has 28 electoral districts represented in the Canadian House of Commons.*Calgary Centre*Calgary Centre-North*Calgary East*Calgary Northeast*Calgary Southeast*Calgary Southwest*Calgary West*Calgary—Nose Hill*Crowfoot...

 of Peace River

Peace River (electoral district)

Peace River is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1925. It is a rural riding in northwest Alberta, representing the counties of Saddle Hills, Birch Hills, Grande Prairie, Northern Lights, Mackenzie, and the municipal...

.

Temperatures can range from 30 °C (86 °F) to -50 °C.

The name "La Crête" means "the ridge" in French, which is how the earliest settlers described the area they settled.

History

La Crete was first settled in 1914 as La Crête Landing. When the first Mennonites arrived in the 1930s, they settled a short distance southwest of the original settlement on the current site of La Crete. When the first highways were built into the area in the 1960s, the population began to increase as new settlers arrived, and in 1979, La Crete was created into a hamlet.

During the summer months the La Crete Ferry, one of only seven ferries still operating in Alberta, shuttles vehicles across the Peace River

Peace River (Canada)

The Peace River is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River flows into the Slave River, a tributary of the Mackenzie River. The Mackenzie is the 12th longest river in the world,...

 on Highway 697 about 70 kilometres southwest of the hamlet. In the winter, an ice bridge

Ice bridge

An ice bridge is a frozen natural structure formed over seas, bays, rivers or lake surfaces. They facilitate migration of animals or people over a water body that was previously uncrossable by terrestrial animals, including humans. The most significant ice bridges are formed by glaciation, spanning...

 is maintained at the same spot. This access connects La Crete to the Mackenzie Highway

Mackenzie Highway

The Mackenzie Highway is a Canadian highway in northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. It begins as Alberta Highway 2 at Mile Zero in Grimshaw, Alberta...

 near Paddle Prairie, offering a considerable time saving when travelling to or from La Crete. During the spring and fall, when the river is unfit for the ferry and the ice too thin to support vehicle traffic, or at other times when the ferry is not operational, travellers must continue north to High Level, then east on Highway 58 before coming back south to reach La Crete. In the summer of 2006 a sandbar formed in the centre of the river, where the ferry normally crossed, forcing it to travel around it. The sandbar has grown to such a size that the ferry does not always run if the water level is too low.

Sports and recreation

La Crete holds a hockey tournament every year known as the Challenge Cup, where teams from all over northern Alberta

Northern Alberta

Northern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.Its primary industry is oil and gas, with large heavy oil reserves being exploited at the Athabasca Oil Sands and Wabasca Area in the east of the region...

 come to challenge each other in hopes of winning the trophy.

The La Crete Public High School's men's and women's basketball teams host an annual basketball tournament, The Northern Exposure Hoop Classic. It has been held every year since 2004, and has grown in stature to include teams from across Alberta. There is a waiting list to get into the Hoop Classic, even though the number of teams invited has increased.

La Crete has walking trails that were paid using donations from the residents of the town.

Demographics

As of 2006, La Crete had a total population of 2,166 living in 707 dwellings. With a land area of 8.54 km² (3.3 sq mi), it has a population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 of 253.6 /km2.

These figures were derived from summing La Crete's urban area Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada is the Canadian federal government agency commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. Its headquarters is in Ottawa....

 data with its designated place

Designated place

A designated place or DPL is a type of community or populated area identified by Statistics Canada for statistical purposes. DPLs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages.DPLs are communities that lack...

Statistics Canada data. More specifically:

• the La Crete urban area had a total population of 1,455 living in 489 dwellings within a land area of 3.13 km² (1.2 sq mi), resulting in a population density
  Population density
  Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
  
   of 464.9 /km2; and
• the La Crete designated place had a total population of 711 living in 218 dwellings within a land area of 5.41 km² (2.1 sq mi), resulting in a population density
  Population density
  Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
  
   of 131.3 /km2.

La Crete's urban area and designated place boundaries are contiguous with no overlaps.

La Crete had a population of 2,039 according to Mackenzie County's 2003 municipal census, which was more than double its 1995 population of 995.

The combined population of La Crete and its greater rural community is approximately 5,000.

As a predominantly Mennonite

Mennonite

The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...

 community, the residents of La Crete typically speak both English and Low German

Low German

Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...

. Most businesses serve customers in both languages, often switching between the two over the course of business.

External links

• Discover the Peace Country—La Crete