a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Fort Macleod recorded a population of 2,967 living in 1,226 of its 1,426 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 3,117. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. Geography The town is located in the Municipal District of Willow Creek No. 26, at the intersection of Highway 2 and Highway 3, on the Oldman River. It lies west of the larger community of Lethbridge, near the reserves of the Peigan and Kainai First Nations. It is also located close to the Waterton Lakes National Park. The town is located north of the McBride Lake Wind Farm, one of the largest wind farms in Alberta. The wind farm has a capacity of 75 megawatts of electricity. Climate Fort Macleod experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb). The community enjoys frequent breaks from cold spells in winter when the Chinook wind blows down-slope from the Rocky Mountains. A Chinook on 27 February 1992 caused the temperature to rise to . The highest temperature ever recorded at Fort Macleod was on 7 July 1896, 18 July 1910, and 17 July 1919. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 2 February 1905, 17 December 1924, and 28 January 1929. Sports The town is home to the Fort Macleod Mustangs, Senior AA men's hockey team of the Ranchland Hockey League. Media Fort Macleod's local weekly newspaper is the Fort Macleod Gazette. Historical newspapers Macleod Advertiser — published May 25, 1909, through September 11, 1913 Macleod Chronicle — in print approximately July 1908 through June 1909 Macleod Gazette — early issues were entitled The Macleod Gazette and Alberta Stock Record Macleod News — ran from November 2, 1916, through to June 1919 Macleod Spectator — lasted from April 30, 1912, until October 26, 1916 A selection of historical newspapers from Fort Macleod have been digitized from microfilm and are available in the Southern Alberta Newspaper Collection from the University of Lethbridge Library digitized collections. Included are: Macleod Advertiser (1908–1913), Macleod Chronicle (1908–1909), Macleod Gazette (1897–1907), Macleod News (1916–1919), & Macleod Spectator (1912–1916). Notable people Henrietta Muir Edwards (1849–1931), women's rights activist Frederick Maurice Watson Harvey (1888–1980), Irish-Canadian soldier and rugby union athlete Sir Frederick Haultain (1857–1942), former premier of the North-West Territories Joni Mitchell (born