The City dataset is comprised of all the polygons that represent Cities in Alberta. City is a municipality type defined under the authority of the Municipal Government Act. The formation of a City can occur when a majority of the buildings are on parcels of land smaller than 1850 square meters and there is a population of 10 000 or more.

The Special Area dataset is comprised of all the polygons that represent Special Areas in Alberta. Special Area is a rural municipality type defined under the authority of the Municipal Government Act. Special Areas were established under the Special Areas Act in 1938 due to extreme hardship of the drought years of the 1930s. The Special Areas Act of 1938 has more or less remained intact although there were some amendments in 1966 and 1985. Special Area refers to a rural area in southeast Alberta.

The Village dataset is comprised of all the polygons that represent Villages in Alberta. Village is a municipality type defined under the authority of the Municipal Government Act. The formation of a Village can occur when a majority of the buildings are on parcels of land smaller than 1850 square meters and there is a population of 300 or more.

The Town dataset is comprised of all the polygons that represent Towns in Alberta. Town is a municipality type defined under the authority of the Municipal Government Act. The formation of a Town can occur if a majority of buildings are on parcels of land smaller than 1850 square metres and there is a population of 1000 or more.

The Specialized Municipality dataset is comprised of all the polygons that represent Specialized Municipalities in Alberta. Specialized Municipality is a type of municipality which does not meet the needs of the residents of a proposed municipality such as City, Municipal District, Town or Village. but formed to provide for a form of local government that will provide for the orderly development of the municipality or by any other reason that is appropriate in the circumstances. Specialized municipalities are unique municipal structures that can be formed without resorting to special Acts of the legislature. Often, specialized municipalities allow urban and rural communities to coexist in a single municipal government.

The Urban Service Area dataset is comprised of all the polygons that represent Urban Service Areas in Alberta. Urban Service Area is a municipality type defined under the authority of the Municipal Government Act. The formation of an Urban Service Area can occur if there is a large unincorporated community within a Specialized Municipality that is recognized as an equivalent to a City by the Government of Alberta. It has a population, public utility services, and other characteristics.

This dataset is produced for the Government of Alberta and is available to the general public. Note that the distribution contact is different for the general public than for Government of Alberta ministries. Please consult the Distribution Information of this metadata for the appropriate contact to acquire this dataset. The Summer Village dataset is comprised of all the polygons that represent Summer Villages in Alberta. Summer Village is a municipality type defined under the authority of the Municipal government Act. The formation of a Summer Village can occur if a majority of the buildings are on parcels of land smaller than 1850 square metres and there is a population of 300 or more. Generally same provisions related to a Village apply to a Summer Village except that in the latter, elections and annual meetings are required to be held in the summer. A Summer Village is the only type of municipality where a person can vote twice in municipal elections: once in the Summer Village and once in the municipality where their permanent residence is located. Summer Villages can no longer be created in Alberta.