Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainAround Olds, 22 historic places within 100 km
Only 9.1% of its homes were built before 1961, against 18% in the typical Canadian town. For the highest designations, the closest town is Clearwater County, 72 km off.
9 places of the highest rank within 100 km of Olds
The registers hold 22 within 100 km. Markerville Lutheran Church in Red Deer County is the nearest, 37 km away. Rocky Mountain House, 86 km off, is the oldest: 1799.
The 12 nearest, within 100 km
| Markerville Lutheran ChurchMunicipal historic resource · 37 km away, in Red Deer County |
| Stephansson HouseProvincial historic resource · 41 km away, in Red Deer County |
| Former Calgary and Edmonton Railway Station, Red Deer, AlbertaHeritage Railway Station · 1910–1911 · 57 km away, in Red Deer |
| Wood's Douglas Fir Tree SanctuaryProvincial historic resource · 78 km away, in Bowness |
| Flatiron BuildingMunicipal historic resource · 1904 · 79 km away, in Lacombe |
| Lacombe Blacksmith Shop MuseumMunicipal historic resource · 79 km away, in Lacombe |
| Heritage Hall - Southern Alberta Institute of TechnologyNational Historic Site · 1921–1923 · 81 km away, in Hillhurst |
| Centre Street BridgeMunicipal historic resource · 82 km away, in Sunnyside |
| Knox United ChurchMunicipal historic resource · 83 km away, in Downtown Commercial Core |
| Cathedral Church of the RedeemerMunicipal historic resource · 1905 · 83 km away, in Downtown Commercial Core |
| Mewata Drill Hall / Calgary Drill HallNational Historic Site · 1917–1919 · 83 km away, in Beltline |
| Calgary City HallNational Historic Site · 1907–1912 · 83 km away, in Downtown East Village |
Near Olds (100 km around), the dated heritage is mostly from the decades after Confederation
Places as far as 100 km from Olds, not in it, dated by the first construction year on their records.
First by date comes Rocky Mountain House in Clearwater County, from 1799. Dated places within 100 km: 15. Before Confederation: one.
Olds’s building boom came from 2001 to 2015: 31% of its homes
More than half of Olds’s housing predates 2001. Homes built from 2016 to 2021 are 4.9% of Olds’s, about the typical 4.1%. 29% of Olds’s homes were built from 1981 to 2000, more than the typical town’s 23%.
2021 Census, private dwellings by period of construction (Statistics Canada); the typical town is the middle Canadian town of 2,500 or more.
Olds and its neighbours
| Town | People | Places | Highest | Oldest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olds | 9,653 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Didsbury | 5,185 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Bowden | 1,315 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Mountain View County | 14,802 | 0 | 0 | — |
Olds in brief
Its housing is young: only 9.1% predates 1961, against 18% in the typical town. The other figures are unremarkable: like most towns its size, it has no historic place.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Provincial and municipal lists. Provincial and municipal listings here come from Wikidata alone, since the provinces’ own registers can’t be reused; a listing needs an encyclopedia article to get a page.
- The federal register. The federal list is complete and open: Parks Canada’s directory for the designations, the Canadian Register of Historic Places for what each one is and why it matters.
- People and events. National historic persons carry no place in the open file. They appear on a town’s page when born there (same name, same birth and death years) or when a historic place inside it carries their name and its record names them with their dates; national historic events don’t appear.
- Protection. National historic designation honours a place but binds only federal owners; a private building’s protection depends on its province or municipality.
- The tiers. National Historic Sites and the most protected buildings form the top tier; recognized federal buildings, stations and lighthouses the second; provincial and municipal listings the third.
- The grade. History isn’t one of Canada’s graded pillars, so this page describes and compares without a letter.
Questions about Olds’s history
How many historic places does Olds have on the registers?
Inside Olds, none so far; Markerville Lutheran Church, 37 km away in Red Deer County, is the closest.
How old are the homes in Olds?
9.1% of its homes were built before 1961, against 18% in the typical Canadian town.
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Parks Canada).
Sources: Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations · Canadian Register of Historic Places (federal extract) · Wikidata (CC0) for map points, other names and articles · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (homes by period of construction). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).