Strathmore is a town located in southern Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by Wheatland County. It is along the Trans-Canada Highway approximately east of Calgary. History The town began as a hamlet for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) lines that were built in the area in 1883. The CPR named the town after one of its benefactors: Claude Bowes-Lyon, the Earl of Strathmore. The Earl's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth – as consort to King George VI – later passed through the community on the "Royal Train" in late May 1939. A track-laying record was made between Strathmore and Cheadle when the railway was built. In one hour one mile (1.6 km) of steel was laid and – at the end of the ten-hour working day – the rails were laid to Cheadle, for a record. The passing of the Canadian government's Dominion Lands Act in 1872, encouraging settlement, led to increases in Strathmore's population and its importance as a rail supply stop. In 1905 the CPR moved the Hamlet of Strathmore north to its current location. The first school opened in 1908. The CPR railway tracks are now gone, the land having been subdivided. In 2011, the Town of Strathmore celebrated its centennial – and released the book 100 Years of Memories: Celebrating Strathmore’s Centennial through Polished Publishing Group in early 2012. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Strathmore had a population of 14,339 living in 5,517 of its 5,754 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 13,756. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Strathmore recorded a population of 13,756 living in 5,148 of its 5,358 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 12,305. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. The Town of Strathmore's 2015 municipal census counted a population of 13,327, a change of from its 2012 municipal census population of 12,352. At its current population, Strathmore is one of the largest towns in the province and is eligible for city status. According to Alberta's Municipal Government Act, a town is eligible for city status when it reaches 10,000 residents. Economy Today, the town is an important agricultural community. Oil and gas exploration is also