Photos courtesy of City of Red Deer
147 km north of Calgary and 154 km south of Edmonton
Construction, education, oil & gas, and retail
Approximately 112,917 residents
Kindergarten to grade 12 and post-secondary
Red Deer is located in Central Alberta near the midpoint of the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor amid rolling hills and aspen parkland, arranged along the banks of the Red Deer River. Indigenous people named the river for herds of elk that migrated through the area, which European settlers called “red deer,” after the elk’s overseas cousins.
Consistently ranked as an excellent place to do business, Red Deer is a growing community and the third most populous city in the province. Previously named a “Cultural Capital of Canada,” Red Deer offers a wide variety of visual and performing arts, cultural groups, sports and recreation for an outstanding lifestyle. Home to unique cultural facilities such as the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, Red Deer residents love having a full range of urban amenities, shops, and services combined with a small-town, friendly feel.
Newcomers receive a warm welcome in a community that is easy to get around and a great place to live, raise a family, work, or play. Red Deer transit connects people with most parts of the city with regular and school routes. There’s a full calendar of events, including the annual Oktoberfest, Shakespeare festival, Central Alberta Film Festival, and Afro-Caribbean festival.
Nature lovers can enjoy over 110 kilometres of multi-use trails or explore one of several provincial parks and protected areas within an easy day-trip distance from the city – some as little as a half hour out of town. There are beautiful parks and green spaces, as well as off-leash areas for four-legged family members. Summer invites fishing, paddling, or a leisurely float down the Red Deer River.
Discover Red Deer and area’s rich local history and culture at one of five local museums, historic sites, galleries, and interpretive centres, all with family-friendly things to do and learn. Cheer on the Red Deer Rebels hockey team, see a live performance, dine at local restaurants or upgrade your skills at one of several post-secondary institutions. Red Deer has all the amenities you need: great school systems, well-equipped hospitals and health centres.
To learn more about this vibrant community, visit the City of Red Deer’s website or Facebook page.
Red Deer Regional Hospital (RDRH) is a Level 3 trauma centre which allows care for most severe trauma patients. This facility provides a range of healthcare services, including a 24/7 emergency department, and supports patients throughout their healthcare journey, from laboratory and diagnostic imaging services used in initial diagnosis through active treatment, including various levels of care and pharmacy, and rehabilitative services, such as physical and occupational therapy. RDRH serves patients of all ages and life stages, including obstetric and maternity, pediatric, and surgical suites. The Central Alberta Cancer Centre is housed within this facility.
The hospital serves as a training centre for multiple professions. The University of Alberta trains residents in their Rural Alberta North family medicine program and rotates medical students on elective. It is also a site for pharmacy resident training and nursing student training from the Red Deer College.
This facility has a current expansion and redevelopment project in place that will add 200 new beds, six new operating rooms, two new cardiac catheterization labs, an enhanced medical device reprocessing department, a new central power plant and an expanded parking lot. This project is anticipated to be completed by 2031.
The Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre’s Ambulatory Annex houses bariatric medicine services, while the South Complex houses kidney care and dialysis clinics, a circumcision clinic, and intake services for the rehabilitation and restorative care services.
Community health centres throughout the community, including 49th Street, Bremner Ave, and Johnstone Crossing Community Health Centres provide a variety of outpatient services, community health services, environmental health services, home care, immunization services, educational programs, including prenatal, perinatal, and parent and child programs as well as outpatient rehabilitative services including audiology, speech language pathology, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.
There are other facilities throughout the community providing long term care, including Type A and Type B long term care facilities, dementia care, and more. Addiction and Mental Health Services are available for children, youth, adults, and families at various facilities, including RDRH, through Recovery Alberta.
