Brazeau County is a municipal district in central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Census Division 11. The municipal district was incorporated on July 1, 1988 from Improvement District No. 222. On October 1, 2002, the name was changed from Municipal District of Brazeau No. 77 to Brazeau County. It is named for the Brazeau River, in turn named for Joseph Brazeau, a linguist associated with the Palliser Expedition.

History

Brazeau County encompasses an area that was originally under the jurisdiction of three neighbouring municipalities. In the mid-1980s, residents of the southwest portion of Parkland County and the west portion of Leduc County were growing weary of perceived poor service provision as a result of being located significant distances from their municipal headquarters in Stony Plain and Leduc respectively. After much lobbying and petitions over approximately five years, lands were severed from Parkland County and Leduc County, as well as a small portion of Yellowhead County to the west, to create Improvement District No. 222 on December 31, 1987, which incorporated as the Municipal District of Brazeau No. 77 six months later on July 1, 1988. The municipality subsequently changed its name to Brazeau County on October 1, 2002.

Geography

Communities and localities

The following urban municipalities are surrounded by Brazeau County. The following hamlets are located within Brazeau County. The following localities are located within Brazeau County.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Brazeau County had a population of 7,179 living in 2,860 of its 3,167 total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of 7,771. With a land area of 3000.14 km2, it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Brazeau County had a population of 7,771 living in 2,930 of its 3,194 total private dwellings, a NaN% change from its 2011 population of 7,132. With a land area of 3005.35 km2, it had a population density of in 2016.