Swan Hills is the nearest settlement to the geographical Centre of Alberta, with a population of 1,465.  A mere 30 km outside of the town site, along highway 33 is a short trail that leads to a cairn marking the Center of Alberta.

Swan Hills is nestled among virgin boreal and sub-forest; a combination made possible by the high elevation of the area, and one which provides Swan Hills with a rich legacy of rare flora and fauna not found anywhere else in the province.  This legacy has been preserved at the Goose Mountan Ecological Reserve located outside the town boundaries.