Valhalla Centre | |
Settlement Type: | Hamlet |
Pushpin Map: | Canada Alberta |
Pushpin Label Position: | none |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Valhalla Centre in Alberta |
Pushpin Mapsize: | 220 |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Canada |
Subdivision Type1: | Province |
Subdivision Name1: | Alberta |
Subdivision Type2: | Census division |
Subdivision Name2: | No. 19 |
Subdivision Type3: | Municipal district |
Subdivision Name3: | County of Grande Prairie No. 1 |
Government Type: | Unincorporated |
Leader Title: | Reeve |
Leader Title1: | Governing body |
Area Footnotes: | (2021) |
Area Land Km2: | 1.22 |
Population As Of: | 2021 |
Population Total: | 40 |
Population Density Km2: | 32.7 |
Timezone: | MST |
Utc Offset: | −7 |
Timezone Dst: | MDT |
Utc Offset Dst: | −6 |
Coordinates: | 55.4036°N -119.3819°W |
Elevation M: | 735 |
Valhalla Centre is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada within the County of Grande Prairie No. 1.
It is located in the Peace River Country at the junction of Highway 59 and Highway 723, northeast of the Village of Hythe and west of the Town of Sexsmith. It is approximately 40km (30miles) east of the British Columbia border and has an elevation of 735m (2,411feet).
The hamlet is located in Census Division No. 19 and in the federal riding of Peace River.
The hamlet was founded in 1912 by Scandinavians that moved north from Edson. It was named by Reverend Halvar N. Ronning after Valhalla, Odin's hall in Norse mythology. The first post office was established in 1916. The settlement grew around a creamery until 1945. The Melsness Mercantile building was built in 1925, and functioned as a store and post office until 1951.[1] Today it hosts a museum dedicated to the Scandinavian heritage of the area, and was declared a Provincial Historic Site.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Valhalla Centre had a population of 40 living in 19 of its 22 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 15. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.[2]
As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Valhalla Centre had a population of 15 living in 9 of its 9 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 45. With a land area of 1.22km2, it had a population density of in 2016.[3]
The economy is centred on farming and stock raising.
The hamlet has a church (Valhalla Lutheran Church), curling rink, skating rink, museum and K-8 school (Valhalla Community School). The school is one of 13 publicly funded Alberta Chartered Schools.