Altona] Altona (2006 population 3,709) is a predominantly Mennonite community in southern Manitoba about 100 km south-west of Winnipeg and 133 km north of Grand Forks, North Dakota. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Rhineland. Much of the surrounding area is devoted to farming and agriculture-based business. Its sister city is Emerald, Australia. Ever year a Sunflower Festival is held in which a young women in the community is crowned the Sunflower Queen and gets a flight to Emerald for free to participate in the Sunflower Festival held there.