Caroline, Alberta
The community is named after Caroline Langley, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Langley. The family opened the community's original post office in 1908.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Village of Caroline had a population of 470 living in 219 of its 246 total private dwellings, a change of -8.2% from its 2016 population of 512. With a land area of 2.04 km (0.79 sq mi), it had a population density of 230.4/km (596.7/sq mi) in 2021.
In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Village of Caroline recorded a population of 512 living in 233 of its 259 total private dwellings, a 2.2% change from its 2011 population of 501. With a land area of 2.04 km (0.79 sq mi), it had a population density of 251.0/km (650.0/sq mi) in 2016.
Notable people
- Kurt Browning, world champion figure skater
- Kris Russell, professional ice hockey player
- Ryan Russell, professional ice hockey player
- Jim Vandermeer, professional ice hockey player
- Pete Vandermeer, former professional ice hockey player
Gas discovery
In the mid-1980s a large natural gas field valued at 10 billion dollars was discovered nearby. It was named Caroline for the village, and subsequently developed by Shell. The gas is sour with about 35% hydrogen sulfide. The sulfur is extracted from the gas and piped in liquid form to a plant at Shantz, about 40 km (25 mi) south-east, where is it made into solid pellets and exported via a spur line of the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 2019 Shell sold the field and processing plant to Pieridae Energy.