Medicine Hat is a city of 128,478 people in southeast Alberta, Canada. It is approximately 105 miles (168.98 kilometers) east of Lethbridge and 183 miles (294.51 kilometers) southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff to the northwest are surrounded by Cypress County.
It is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1), the eastern terminus of the Crowsnest Highway, and the South Saskatchewan River. Nearby communities considered part of the Medicine Hat area include the Town of Redcliff (located immediately adjacent to the city's northwest boundary) and the hamlets of Desert Blume, Dunmore, Irvine, Seven Persons, and Veinerville. The Cypress Hills (including Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park) is a relatively short distance (by car) to the southeast of the city.
Historically, Medicine Hat has been known for its large natural gas fields, being immortalised by Rudyard Kipling as having "all hell for a basement". Because of these reserves, the city is known as The Gas City. It is Alberta's sixth largest city. In October 2008, Medicine Hat was named one of Alberta's Top Employers by Mediacorp Canada Inc., which was announced by the Calgary Herald and the Edmonton Journal