from "Sylvan Lake Visitors Choice 2002"
Residents of Sylvan Lake claim the area as their small corner of paradise. And for good reason: It's a place of crystal-clear water, abundant natural beauty and plentiful pastimes, one where the community is a treasured asset.
The cool water of Sylvan Lake is a magnet for vacationers, who flock here in the summer months to frolic, fish, boat and sail on the purest and most beautiful of Alberta's lakes, cavorting on the 20 square miles of open water. They taste but a sample of Sylvan Lake's bounty, one relished year-round by the 7,000 or so residents who call this community home.
The first to settle here, some few thousand years ago, were Native peoples who named the lake Kanaypokosahigan for its snake-like shape. At the turn of the 20th century, white settlers moved to the region, removing the many trees surrounding the shoreline in order to build their homes. So densely forested was the area, they renamed the lake Sylvan, meaning wooded.
As more people discover Sylvan Lake's charm and serenity, the town's population has grown by close to 30 percent in the past five years, earning it a place as one of Canada's 50 fastest growing communities. While tourism is an important part of Sylvan Lake's economy, the town is kept alive by the oil and gas industries, while wheat, oats, barley, alfalfa and canola flourish in the fertile soil of the County of Red Deer.
One of Sylvan Lake's attractions is its central location in Alberta, equidistant between Edmonton and Calgary and a 15 minute drive west of Red Deer. It's well known as a perfect daytrip or week-long destination among the 1.8 million residents of these surrounding areas, who venture there frequently. Though summer is the most popular time for visiting, Sylvan Lake buzzes year round; its cozy restaurants and pubs bustling with patrons and its motels filled with travelling business people and hockey enthusiasts.
Winter brings the beauty of crisp snow and the resumption of sports such as hockey, curling, skating and skiing. Enjoy sleigh rides and fireworks, blazing bonfires and, for the brave, the famous Polar Bear Dip.
Sylvan Lake is truly a town for all seasons, and one that's in the midst of a rapid and exciting expansion. No matter what time of year you visit, you won't be disappointed.