Settled next to the Milk River, this town’s future potential is as exciting as it’s colorful past.
Accessed by three highways: Highway 4, Interstate 15, and Secondary 501, Milk River is centrally located. The transport facilities also include an airport and Canadian PR rail service. Milk River is just 45 minutes south of Lethbridge.
Milk River QUICK FACTS
MilkRiver is a small town at the far southern end of Alberta. According to a 2011 municipal census, the Town of Milk River has a population of 892 residents.
Lying 86 km south of Lethbridge, and 16 km north of the Canada-United States border, MilkRiver serves primarily as a service centre for the many farms and ranches that surround it.
Acting as a service centre, its catchment area is considered to be larger; and therefore serving more Albertans, than merely the town’s population. Milk River has one of the lowest cost of living indexes in the province, as well as low housing costs and a strong local economy. Approximately 5.7% of Milk River’s total experienced labour force is engaged in a health-related occupation (Stats Can 2006 data).
Given its location and temperate climate, Milk River also has tourist services and amenities. Approximately 30 km from Milk River is the popular Writing on Stone Provincial Park. At the park, visitors can observe North America’s most extensive collection of native pictographs and petroglyphs. It is estimated that 30,0001 tourists visit the area annually, due to the natural beauty and recreational opportunities. The Visitor Information Centre is the second busiest in the province, exceeded only by the Visitor Information Centre in Canmore.
DEMOGRAPHIC MAKEUP OF MILK RIVER
Milk River’s population is somewhat older than the provincial average. The average age in Milk River is 40.0 years, with 17.6% of the population being 65 years of age or older. The average age in Alberta as a whole is 36.3 years, with 10.7% of the population being 65 years of age or older.