Lloydminster, Alberta, is a unique city in Canada that straddles the provincial border between Alberta and Saskatchewan. This city is incorporated by both provinces as a single city with a single municipal administration. Located in the heart of Treaty 6, Lloydminster is the traditional homeland of the Plains Cree, Wood Cree, Dene, Saulteaux, and Metis.
Lloydminster was founded in 1903 by the Barr Colonists, who came directly from the United Kingdom. The city was intended to be an exclusively British utopian settlement centered on the idea of sobriety. At the time of its founding, the area was still part of the North-West Territories, and the town was located astride the Fourth Meridian of the Dominion Land Survey.
The town was named after George Lloyd, an Anglican priest who would become Bishop of Saskatchewan in 1922. Lloyd was a strong opponent of non-British immigration to Canada. He distinguished himself with the colonists during a nearly disastrous immigration journey, which was badly planned and conducted. He replaced the Barr Colony's leader and namesake Isaac Montgomery Barr during the colonists' journey to the eventual townsite.
The town developed rapidly: by 1904, there was a telegraph office as well as a log church; in 1905, the Lloydminster Daily Times started publication and the first train arrived on July 28. Its main north–south street, today named Meridian Avenue (or 50th Avenue), along which stores, businesses, and the post office began locating, was situated right on the Fourth Meridian.
The provincial border runs north to south, falling directly on 50th Avenue (Meridian Avenue) in the center of Lloydminster. Addresses east of 50th Avenue are considered to be in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, and addresses west of 50th Avenue are considered to be in Lloydminster, Alberta. The city is bordered by the County of Vermilion River, Alberta, on the west, the Rural Municipality (R.M.) of Britannia No. 502, Saskatchewan, on the northeast, and the R.M. of Wilton No. 472, Saskatchewan, on the southeast.
Lloydminster experiences a humid continental climate, which approaches a subarctic climate due to May and September being only marginally above 10 °C (50 °F). Winters are long, cold, and dry, while summers are short, warm, and moderately wet. Year-round precipitation is fairly low, with an average of 408 mm (16.06 in), while the dry winters restrict snowfall to 98 cm (38.6 in).
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Alberta portion of the City of Lloydminster had a population of 19,739 living in 7,636 of its 8,530 total private dwellings, a change of 0.5% from its 2016 population of 19,645. The Saskatchewan portion of Lloydminster had a population of 11,843 living in 4,443 of its 5,002 total private dwellings, a change of 0.7% from its 2016 population of 11,765.
About 94% of residents identified English as their first language. More than 1.4% of the population identified French as their first language, while 0.8% identified German, 0.7% identified Ukrainian, and 0.5% identified Cree as their first language learned. More than 8% of residents identified themselves as aboriginal at the time of the 2006 census.
The city is served by Lloydminster Airport. The Yellowhead Highway, (Alberta Highway 16 and Saskatchewan Highway 16) passes through the city from west to east, and Highway 17 (which is considered part of both Alberta's and Saskatchewan's highway system and is maintained by both provinces) travels along the provincial border from south to north. There is no local public transport serving the city.
