Olds deputy mayor Harvey Walsh is pleased with statistics that show that the town's population grew by 11.5 per cent to 9,184 in 2016 from 8,235 in 2011.
Those figures are contained in a report by Statistics Canada, released last Wednesday.
He's especially pleased that the community grew at a modest rate because he says that's much easier for the town to manage, compared to double-digit increases some Alberta communities like Cochrane have faced. That town's population rose by 47.1 per cent between 2011 and 2016.
"Olds has consistently grown about 2.5 per cent year after year for decades and most of our projections usually include that number, so it is comforting to know that we are not dealing with any surprises," he says.
Walsh says at that rate, the town is able to provide things like more roads as well as sewer and water facilities for new subdivisions and not break the bank.
"If you face 40 per cent growth you've got major resource problems. It depends whether it's residential growth. It's more expensive for a municipality than business growth. So if we could maintain a nice balance like we have over the years so you can keep taxes down," he says.
"But when you're stuck with hiring more road crews, more equipment, more all that to maintain a high growth rate, tax rates go up pretty quickly."
Walsh says Olds is a "community of choice" because it offers many of the services people want, like health care, banking, education and a strong retail sector.
As a result, it's the hub of a trading centre for a population of about 40,000 people.
"Plus we have developed a reputation as a progressive community with social enterprises such as Mountain View Power and O-NET," he says.
According to the Statistics Canada report, Bowden's population in 2016 was 1,240, down just one person from the 2011 census count.
Bowden mayor Robb Stuart says despite the stagnant census growth figures the town will keep "pulling ahead."
"No change is good, I guess, and with growth comes its own problems," he says.
"Overall I think it is good to be consistent. It would be nice to get more businesses. We are still a bedroom community. I had some minor hockey people tell me last night they are really happy with our recreational facilities. There is a lot going for the town."
- With files from Johnnie Bachusky/MVP staff.
