Hay Lakes Hay Lake (1928–1932)
Village
Village of Hay Lakes
Hay Lakes Location of Hay Lakes in Alberta
Coordinates: 53°11′33″N 113°03′19″W / 53.19250°N 113.05528°W / 53.19250; -113.05528
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Central Alberta
Census division	10
Municipal district	Camrose County
Incorporated[1]
• Village	April 17, 1928 (as Hay Lake)
• Name change	January 1, 1932
Government [2]
• Mayor	Dawn Pauls
• Governing body	Hay Lakes Village Council
• MLA	Wes Taylor
Area  (2021)[3]
• Land	0.59 km2 (0.23 sq mi)
Elevation	770 m (2,530 ft)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	456
• Density	771.6/km2 (1,998/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−7 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Area code(s)	+1-780, +1-587
Highways	Highway 21 Highway 617
Waterway	Big Hay Lake, Bittern Lake
Website	Official website

Hay Lakes is a village in central Alberta, Canada. It is located along Highway 21, approximately 32 km (20 mi) north of Camrose and 50 km (31 mi) southeast of Edmonton. Hay Lakes was pioneered and settled primarily by immigrants from Sweden and Norway. Hay Lakes' founding pioneer was James McKernan who established a telegraph station in the area in 1876. In 1911 the Canadian National Railway began its Edmonton to Calgary line which ran through Hay Lakes.^[4] Hay Lakes was incorporated as a village in 1928. It was known as the Village of Hay Lake between 1928 and 1932.^[5]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Village of Hay Lakes had a population of 456 living in 176 of its 185 total private dwellings, a change of -7.9% from its 2016 population of 495. With a land area of 0.59 km² (0.23 sq mi), it had a population density of 772.9/km² (2,001.8/sq mi) in 2021.^[3]

In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Village of Hay Lakes recorded a population of 495 living in 191 of its 203 total private dwellings, a 16.5% change from its 2011 population of 425. With a land area of 0.59 km² (0.23 sq mi), it had a population density of 839.0/km² (2,173.0/sq mi) in 2016.^[6]