Alberta rural addressing system: Difference between revisions
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The '''Alberta rural addressing system''' was created between 1979 and 1981 in [[Strathcona County]], Alberta to satisfy the demands of [[Canada Post]]. It improved rural [[wayfinding]] for residents, emergency services, and mail delivery. |
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[[File:Dominion-land-system-overview.png|thumb|right|300px|Townships in relation to meridians, baselines and correction lines]] |
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During the 1870s, the [[Dominion Land Survey]] had parceled much of [[western Canada]] into nearly square [[Alberta Township System|townships]], which are approximately {{convert|6|mi|km|abbr=on}} in both the north–south and east–west extents. Townships are designated by their "township number" and "range number", for example, "Township 52, Range 25". |
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The rural address pinpoints the access to the property near a [[range road]], which runs north–south, or a township road, which runs east–west. Township roads are numbered using the township number, the first road being 0 (zero) with increments increasing every {{convert|1|mi|km|abbr=on}}. Township 51's first township road would therefore be numbered 510, its second township road (2 miles north) is numbered 512, etc. Range roads are numbered from the east boundary of the range, and increase as one moves west in a similar fashion. Range 21's first range road would therefore be numbered 210, its second numbered 211, etc. |
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In 1979, Strathcona County Engineer Paul Steinhubl developed a rural address system to identify the |
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location of rural properties. This system aids emergency response personnel, such as fire, ambulance, and police, in finding homes. As well the simplicity of locating properties adds to the quality of life for rural residents. |
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A legal land description location indicates the property's location somewhere on a specific [[Dominion_Land_Survey#Sections|quarter section]]. A rural address pinpoints the access to the property off a [[range road]] or township road. Similar to an urban or city address which is based off the street and avenue road network. |
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Paul Steinhubl was born in Saskatchewan on May 11, 1935. He graduated in Civil Engineering at the |
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University of Saskatchewan in 1959. He held positions of project engineer, design engineer, and |
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district manager in the construction of highways, roads and streets for most of his career. |
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He was a District Engineer for Secondary Highways (Grid Roads) for 14 years; 7 years with the |
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Saskatchewan Government and 7 years at a consulting engineer firm: Keith Consulting Engineers. |
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During this period he was the Senior Design Engineer for the location and design of the MacKenzie |
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Highway, from Fort Simpson NWT to Inuvik NWT. From 1978 to 1983 Paul Steinhubl was the County |
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Engineer for Strathcona County in Alberta. He was responsible for the management of the County's |
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Public Works Department. He finished his distinguished career with the Sherwood Park Catholic |
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Separate School District as the Facilities Manager. |
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The property address is the access location onto a township road or a range road. Each mile is divided into 40 units that are {{convert|132|ft|m|abbr=on}} wide. These units are odd-numbered from 1 to 79 on the south side of township roads and on the east side of range roads. The opposite side of the roads are even-numbered |
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== Background == |
== Background == |
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| ⚫ | By 1979, the growing number of rural residences in Strathcona County, Alberta, had made it too cumbersome for Canada Post to accurately deliver the mail using the existing rural route system. Faced with interrupted mail delivery the county's reeve, JD Morrow, directed a County engineer, Paul Steinhubl, to solve this pressing problem. Earlier in his career, Steinhubl had presented versions of the concept to local authorities in [[Saskatchewan]], but they had been dismissed as irrelevant or too costly. So with the concept already established, Steinhubl was able to present a rural addressing system proposal almost immediately. The simplicity of the concept and its continuous adaptability to all of Alberta and western Canada convinced the Strathcona County Council to endorse the concept. By the end of 1981, the implementation of the rural addressing system was complete. All residences had their addresses and the road signs were installed. |
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At the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties annual convention in 1989, a resolution was passed endorsing The Township Road and Range Road Concept. To date, Alberta's rural addressing system continues to be implemented across the province. |
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As a roads and highways engineer in Saskatchewan Paul Steinhubl recognized that rural residents, the traveling public and the public service sector were in need of a road identification system in the rural areas. As a junior engineer he had presented earlier versions of the concept to local authorities. These presentations were dismissed as being not relevant or too costly. At the time in Saskatchewan the rural population density perhaps may have warranted such a position. But in the late 1970s Alberta was developing a burgeoning rural population and the need for a rural addressing system became paramount. |
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== Non-unique addresses == |
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In 1979 Paul Steinhubl as County Engineer of Strathcona County was directed by the County Council |
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Range Roads are numbered westward from prime meridians. The fourth meridian runs along the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, the fifth, at 114° West longitude (Stony Plain, Calgary), and the sixth at 118° (Grande Prairie) This means that there are up to 3 each of lower numbered range roads, and two each of the rest. E.g. Range road 22 west of the fourth, Range road 22 west of the fifth, and Range road 22 west of the 6th meridian. At Edmonton's latitude, the westernmost range road west of the 4th is Range Road 280—the first road in the 28th township block west of the Saskatchewan border. At 6 miles per block, that's 168 miles. This is sufficient so that there isn't local confusion. |
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to develop a rural addressing system to satisfy the demands of the Canada Post Postmaster Roy |
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Campbell. The growing number of rural residences had made it too cumbersome for Canada Post to |
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| ⚫ | accurately deliver the mail using the existing rural route system. Faced with interrupted mail delivery |
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Township roads are numbered north from the US Border and are unique, but the numerical part is numbered from the meridians. So instead of there being duplicate roads, there are duplicate numbers on a road. |
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At the 1989 Annual Convention of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties a |
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resolution was passed endorsing the The Township Road and Range Road Concept. To date the Alberta |
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Rural Addressing System continues to be implemented across the province. |
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== The Township Road and Range Road Concept == |
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The Paul Steinhubl developed rural addressing system is as simplistic as the coordinate street and |
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avenue system used in urban addressing. This new concept is an ingenious incorporation of the Dominion Land Survey system which was laid out in Western Canada to identify farmland prior to the arrival of settlers in the 1800s. The Steinhubl Township Road and Range Road Concept designates east-west roads as Township Roads, and north-south roads as Range Roads. Township Roads |
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are numbered using the actual Dominion Land Survey Township number. The first road being 0 (zero),. |
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Township 51 would have its first road as Twp Rd 510, then Twp Rd 512, etc. Range Roads are |
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numbered off of the meridian, in a similar fashion. Range 21 would have its first road as Range Road 210, then Range Road 211 etc. |
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The property address is the access location onto a Township Road or Range Road. Each mile is |
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divided in 40 units (132 feet) wide, These units are numbered from 1 to 79 on the south side of |
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Township Roads and on the east side of Range Roads. The opposite side of the roads are numbered |
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apartments in a city, with a street address and a unit number. |
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In common use, either the county or the town where you get mail is appended onto the address. This helps mere humans to have a feel for where the address is. |
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== References == |
== References == |
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Government of Alberta |
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* {{Cite web |title=County of St. Paul No. 19: Rural Addressing |url=http://www.woodlands.ab.ca/association.aspx?p=new_rural_emergency_addresses| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821032817/http://www.woodlands.ab.ca/association.aspx?p=new_rural_emergency_addresses | archive-date=2010-08-21 }} |
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| ⚫ | * {{Cite web |title=Lacomb County February 2011 Rural Addressing Planning and Development FAQ |url=http://www.lacombecounty.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=413:february-2011-rural-addressing&catid=187:planning-a-development-faq&Itemid=268}}{{Dead link|date=September 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} |
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County of Grande Prairie |
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Lacombe County |
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Woodlands County |
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* http://www.woodlands.ab.ca/association.aspx?p=new_rural_emergency_addresses |
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County of St. Paul No. 19 |
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* http://www.county.stpaul.ab.ca/Rural-Addressing |
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[[Category:Communications in Alberta]] |
[[Category:Communications in Alberta]] |
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[[Category:Addressing systems in Canada]] |
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Latest revision as of 06:37, 30 November 2023
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The Alberta rural addressing system was created between 1979 and 1981 in Strathcona County, Alberta to satisfy the demands of Canada Post. It improved rural wayfinding for residents, emergency services, and mail delivery.
The system
[edit]
During the 1870s, the Dominion Land Survey had parceled much of western Canada into nearly square townships, which are approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) in both the north–south and east–west extents. Townships are designated by their "township number" and "range number", for example, "Township 52, Range 25".
The rural address pinpoints the access to the property near a range road, which runs north–south, or a township road, which runs east–west. Township roads are numbered using the township number, the first road being 0 (zero) with increments increasing every 1 mi (1.6 km). Township 51's first township road would therefore be numbered 510, its second township road (2 miles north) is numbered 512, etc. Range roads are numbered from the east boundary of the range, and increase as one moves west in a similar fashion. Range 21's first range road would therefore be numbered 210, its second numbered 211, etc.
The property address is the access location onto a township road or a range road. Each mile is divided into 40 units that are 132 ft (40 m) wide. These units are odd-numbered from 1 to 79 on the south side of township roads and on the east side of range roads. The opposite side of the roads are even-numbered 2 to 80. An example address of the property on Township Road 512, 1,320 ft (400 m) east of the intersection with Range Road 211, would be 21133 Township Road 512. Multi-lot subdivisions are addressed similarly to apartments in a city, with a street address and a unit number.
Background
[edit]By 1979, the growing number of rural residences in Strathcona County, Alberta, had made it too cumbersome for Canada Post to accurately deliver the mail using the existing rural route system. Faced with interrupted mail delivery the county's reeve, JD Morrow, directed a County engineer, Paul Steinhubl, to solve this pressing problem. Earlier in his career, Steinhubl had presented versions of the concept to local authorities in Saskatchewan, but they had been dismissed as irrelevant or too costly. So with the concept already established, Steinhubl was able to present a rural addressing system proposal almost immediately. The simplicity of the concept and its continuous adaptability to all of Alberta and western Canada convinced the Strathcona County Council to endorse the concept. By the end of 1981, the implementation of the rural addressing system was complete. All residences had their addresses and the road signs were installed.
At the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties annual convention in 1989, a resolution was passed endorsing The Township Road and Range Road Concept. To date, Alberta's rural addressing system continues to be implemented across the province.
Non-unique addresses
[edit]Range Roads are numbered westward from prime meridians. The fourth meridian runs along the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, the fifth, at 114° West longitude (Stony Plain, Calgary), and the sixth at 118° (Grande Prairie) This means that there are up to 3 each of lower numbered range roads, and two each of the rest. E.g. Range road 22 west of the fourth, Range road 22 west of the fifth, and Range road 22 west of the 6th meridian. At Edmonton's latitude, the westernmost range road west of the 4th is Range Road 280—the first road in the 28th township block west of the Saskatchewan border. At 6 miles per block, that's 168 miles. This is sufficient so that there isn't local confusion.
Township roads are numbered north from the US Border and are unique, but the numerical part is numbered from the meridians. So instead of there being duplicate roads, there are duplicate numbers on a road.
In common use, either the county or the town where you get mail is appended onto the address. This helps mere humans to have a feel for where the address is.
References
[edit]- "Addressing". 30 March 2022.
- "12 Rural Address Signs" (PDF).
- "County of St. Paul No. 19: Rural Addressing". Archived from the original on 2010-08-21.
- "Lacomb County February 2011 Rural Addressing Planning and Development FAQ".[permanent dead link]