St. Albert

St. Albert, or Saint Albert, is a city of about 66,000 people (2016) in the Edmonton Capital Region. It was settled as a Métis community, and is known for its rich arts scene and Indigenous heritage.

Understand
St. Albert is Alberta’s oldest non-fortified community with roots going back to 1861. At this time, Father Lacombe convinced Bishop Taché that a mission be established on the Sturgeon River to serve the Aboriginals and the Metis of the district. The first building to be erected was a modest log chapel. Two years later, St. Albert became the site of the settlement’s first school with three Grey Nuns as its teachers.

In 1864, the Youville Asylum was opened and served as convent and a school. The asylum later functioned as an orphanage and as the first hospital in Central Alberta.

By 1870, St. Albert had become the largest settlement west of St. Boniface, Manitoba. It boasted a population of 1,000 including Metis and white settlers. Between 1870 and 1900, the area surrounding St. Albert attracted an increasing number of settlers, primarily French-Canadians. As a result, the community prospered and in 1904 was incorporated as a town.

By mid-century, St. Albert had begun to lose much of its rural appearance. Perron Street was home to a butcher shop, restaurants, hardware and general stores. In 1977, St. Albert became Alberta’s eleventh city.

Today, St. Albert continues to grow and prosper, offering its residents a high quality of life with abundant recreational opportunities and cultural and arts programs.

Get in
Edmonton is easily reached by air, train, or bus. St. Albert Transit offers bus service from Edmonton to St. Albert.

Public transit
St. Albert Public Transit (STAT) offers local routes within the neighbourhoods of St. Albert, and regular commutes into the city of Edmonton. To travel within St. Albert will cost you $2.75, while an adult fare into Edmonton will cost $5.50 ($4.50 for youth and seniors). Ticket packs and monthly passes are also available. The main bus hubs are Village Landing and St. Albert Centre.

In the evenings and on Sundays bus service is limited to the Dial-a-Bus. If you are going into Edmonton you must either catch the commuter bus from the bus hub (Village or St. Albert Centre) or call a dial-a-bus to pick you up at your nearest stop in order to connect with the commuter bus. Dial-a-Bus requires you to call about an hour before the departure of the commuter bus, so be sure to plan ahead since the commuter buses in the evenings only leave once an hour. If you are coming back into St. Albert from Edmonton in the evenings then, once your back at Village Station, you hop on to the Dial-a-Bus at and tell the driver where you need to go and they will take you as close as they can to your destination. Further information, including dial-a-bus numbers, can be found online.

Taxi
There are several options for taxi service within St. Albert and into Edmonton:
 * St. Albert Taxi (+1 780-459-5050),
 * Lime Taxi (+1 780-418-1111),
 * Blueflame Cabs (+1 780-459-9393),
 * Brinki's Airport Service (+1 780-918-3798)

It is sometimes difficult to find an Edmonton taxi to go into St. Albert on evenings and weekends, but if you ask enough drivers someone will usually do it for the right price.

Go next

 * Edmonton
 * Calgary
 * Wabamun
 * Sylvan Lake
 * Elk Island
 * Jasper
 * Drumheller