Officials in the fastest growing municipality in the Edmonton region in 2025 credit that growth to the appeal of regional life and economic opportunities, and the appeal to immigrants from specific communities looking to locate near those who share their backgrounds.
Beaumont's population is booming in part because of the lifestyle it offers residents, said Kendra Raymond, director of planning and development with the City of Beaumont.
"People move to Beaumont for a variety of different reasons. It's one of those rare places, I think, where you still see young children out walking without parents," Raymond said. "You can have that really high quality of life, you know your neighbors. You put something on social media, if you need something, and they reach out, you're just all taken care of."
The municipality is the eighth largest in the region, and the fastest growing in 2025. Its population grew by 22% between 2019 and 2024, outpacing Edmonton's growth rate of 12%.
Earlier this fall, the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce noted in its State of the Economy report that nearly two-thirds of households in Beaumont have children at home, and the city's median age of around 35.5 is one of the youngest in the region.
Beaumont has traditionally been perceived as a "bedroom town," where families can find large, suburban-style homes with backyards and child-friendly amenities, while commuting to a larger city nearby for work. But the chamber report indicated that pattern could be changing; Beaumont's job count grew by 52% in the past five years.
The surge in population has created pressure on development and permitting. The city had issued nearly 500 building permits so far in 2025 for new homes as of September, more than the 360 that were approved in 2024. Raymond said the city has overhauled its internal processes to keep pace.
"We've had to make changes in terms of how we're responding to the influx of permits," Raymond said. "We've definitely been changing our staffing and restructuring with an idea of continuous improvement and being able to support people in getting a permit easier and faster."
Beaumont also has the second-highest share of immigrants in the region outside of Edmonton, at 16.4%. Raymond said newcomers often choose communities where they're likely to find people who share a culture and background.
"If they already have family or friends that are here, then we're kind of continuing to build on that, and we've definitely noticed that," she said. She added that the city has also begun recognizing more cultural holidays and traditions as its population diversifies.
Beaumont has issued nearly 500 housing permits this year as of September. (City of Beaumont)
The city is also seeing commercial and industrial growth, Raymond said. Beaumont is making plans to develop its own innovation business park, and commercial parks are under construction on the north and south sides of the city. She added that officials are mindful not to compete with nearby municipalities.
"We're looking at, how do we not compete with, say, Nisku, because we're really within close proximity to that," Raymond said. "But what can we be for somebody that maybe wants that community feel, or they want to have more of that headquarters and that logistics stuff that locates here, because you could just go to Nisku and have any of that."
Raymond said it's also easy for people to "live regionally" while calling Beaumont home. "I think lots of us don't think anything of driving, say, 45 minutes to find our way to St. Albert for something, or go to a farmers' market," she said. "I think that that's what's really awesome, is that you can live in one community and still participate in a variety of different things in other communities, and that those opportunities do exist because it's easy to get around here for the most part."
The city is reevaluating its planning framework and comprehensive growth plan, Raymond said. The Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board had dictated regional growth patterns, including density targets, but the board dissolved in 2025.
"We're no longer needing to abide by the growth plan, but the growth plan still had really great principles for how municipalities would grow and for servicing," Raymond said. "So it's an opportunity for us to look at that and chart that path forward for Beaumont in a way that I think honors those things, but meets that vision of Beaumont residents moving forward."