There are many other reasons why we love Calgary. But we've mapped out our top 10 reasons for living in Calgary and why we excited to call Calgary Home!
10. One of the Sunniest Major cities in Canada
Although the biggest topic that we often talk about, or the first thing we talk to strangers about, it's the weather. We often talk about how hot, or how cold (more often than not) it is outside. We do not factor into account that we are one the sunniest major cities in Canada - enjoying an average of just under 2,400 hours of bright sun each year, spread over 333 days, and over 52 percent of daylight hours that are sunny (source: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-sunniest-cities-in-canada.html). Not to brag, but I personally think we have the bluest of skies, we also often have weather fluctuations due to the Chinook Arches (which also can cause for very gusty days) http://www.albertawow.com/hikes/Chinook_Arch/Chinook%20Arch.htm . In the winter months, even if it is minus 30 degrees celcius out, it may still be sunny. Believe it or not, but sunshine may affect your mood - in a good way: http://time.com/collection/guide-to-happiness/4888327/why-sunlight-is-so-good-for-you/
9. A Great Place to Raise a Family
Calgary is a relatively young city. According to the Calgary Economic Development census Calgary has the youngest population of major cities in Canada with 70.2 per cent of the population between the ages of 15 to 64. There are a lot of things to do in the City of Calgary for families: Telus Spark (http://www.sparkscience.ca/), Calgary Zoo (https://www.calgaryzoo.com/), Heritage Park (https://www.heritagepark.ca/), Calaway Park (https://www.calawaypark.com/), Winsport (Formally known as COP - https://www.winsport.ca/ ), Fort Calgary (http://www.fortcalgary.com) plus all the mommy places to hang (Facebook/Meet Up Groups).
8. Art Attractions
Well the city of Calgary has been in controversy about the public art and their displays in Calgary as they tend to come with heavy price tags that most tax payers need to share the burden with. We tend to be setting the bar for what the city of Calgary classifies as art. Notable art include: Studio Bell, Calgary Central Public Library, the Peace Bridge, The Bow Head Mesh Wired Sculpture (AKA Wonderland Scuplture), Chinook Arch, The Flock, view a detailed list here: http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Recreation/Pages/Public-Art/What-is-Public-Art.aspx An annual event that happens in Calgary in September is Beakerhead where they celebrate Science and Art https://beakerhead.com/.
7. Great selection of foods
As you may have guessed, Canada, let alone Calgary is a "melting pot" of cultures; about 1/3rd of the population is a "visible minority" (non-caucasian). The food choices are endless as there is something to eat from all cultures of the world. We have some of the greatest collection of food for any time of the day: Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Late Night. Pick our brain of our favourite hot spots to eat in Calgary. Don't forget to save room for dessert!
https://www.avenuecalgary.com/calgarys-best-restaurants-2018/25-top-restaurants/
https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurants-g154913-Calgary_Alberta.html
https://www.narcity.com/ca/ab/calgary/best-of-yyc/43-bucket-list-restaurants-every-true-calgarian-needs-to-try
6. Vibrant communities
Calgary has vibrant communities that all have a flavour of their own. 17th Avenue aka Red Mile (when the Calgary Flames Hockey team is doing well and into the play-offs) is known as a Retail and Entertainment District. Other popular hot spots include: Marda Loop (https://www.visitmardaloop.com/), Kensington (http://kensingtonyyc.com/) , Mission (AKA 4th Street https://4streetcalgary.com/ ), Inglewood http://inglewoodyyc.ca/ , Stephen Avenue Walk/The Core Downtown (http://www.calgarydowntown.com/saw.html).
5. Major Sports Teams
Calgary has 3 Major professional sports teams that we support; this list doesn't include Juniors, Women's teams Curling, Golf, Tennis, Gymnastics or anything else that we cannot think of without discounting how important sports are to our city. a) The Calgary Flames is the professional Ice Hockey Team that is based in Calgary. They are members of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) https://www.nhl.com/flames . b) The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL) https://www.stampeders.com/ . c) The Calgary Roughnecks are a professional box lacrosse team, and members of the Western Division of the National Lacrosse League https://calgaryroughnecks.com/.
Other notable sports teams in Calgary include: Calgary Hitmen (Junior Hockey - http://hitmenhockey.com/ ), and Calgary Inferno (Women's Hockey http://calgary.thecwhl.com/ ). With citizens in Calgary being a fairly outdoorsy, we are sure that we can find a sport to participate in or even cheer for - and the Calgary Sports Club is another place where you can go to find your perfect sport: https://www.calgarysportsclub.com/
4. Shopping
We have a great variety of malls and shopping areas that you can spend your day at visiting: Chinook Centre https://www.cfshops.com/chinook-centre.html , Market Mall https://www.cfshops.com/market-mall.html , South Centre https://www.southcentremall.com/ , Cross Iron Mills https://www.crossironmills.com/en/ , Deerfoot City (once fully revitalized http://deerfootcity.com/ ), and Deerfoot Meadows http://www.deerfootmeadows.com/ - are some of the city's major shopping centres that support this city. Other indoor malls include: Marlborough Mall https://www.marlboroughmall.com/ , Sunridge Mall https://sunridgeshopping.com/ , Westbrook Mall https://www.westbrookmall.com/ , Northland Village https://northlandvillagemall.ca/ , Northhill Centre (http://northhillcentre.com/), Eau Claire Market Mall http://www.eauclairemarket.com/dir-shops-and-services.asp , Dragon City (Asian) Mall, Landmark (Asian) Mall, Pacific Place (Asian) Mall, New Horizon (Multi-cultural) Mall.
3. Vast Amount of Green Space (parks, pathways and greenspace)
As mentioned before, Calgarians love their outdoor space. Without needing to go very far, we have a ton of pathways, off-leash dog parks, parks, and green space (that may or may not back along a river or creek). Some of the notable green space in the city of Calgary include: Nose Hill Park, Bowness Park, Shouldice Park, Prairie Winds Park, Confederation Park, Prince's Island Park, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Sandy Beach Park, Weaselhead Flats, North Glenmore Park, Elliston Park, Carburn Park, Popular Island, Fish Creek Park, Ralph Klein Provincial Park. This vast list does not include areas outside of the city, Kananaskis, or other nearby provincial parks. Visit more information of the City of Calgary's Public Parks: http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Pages/home.aspx
2. Calgary Stampede: The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth
For over 100 years, the Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition, and festival held for 10 days at the beginning of July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Jammed pack into the 10 days, there is food, entertainment, shows, rodeo, amusement rides, exhibitions, shopping, concerts, nightly fireworks, and so much more to see for all ages. https://www.calgarystampede.com/stampede Look out for value days where you can head to the stampede grounds for Free and discounts throughout the city at various attractions. Did we mention the endless supply of free Stampede Breakfasts throughout the city, where you can find free food for those 10 days - whether it be Pancakes for breakfast, or Hotdogs and BBQ Burgers for lunch (http://flapjackfinder.com/)
1. Drumroll please... Our number one top reason why we love the city of Calgary is because we are neighbours with the Great Outdoors.
Canada is known for it's beautiful landscape, and we in Calgary get spoiled with the best views of the Rocky Mountains. We are the closest major city to Banff National Park and we get the privilege to see the Mountains from our beautiful city. Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885. https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/banff "Over three million visitors a year make the pilgrimage to the park for a variety of activities including hiking, biking, skiing (snowboarding too), hot springs, (shopping and dining destination) and camping in some of the world’s most breathtaking mountain scenery. Banff is part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks UNESCO World Heritage Site." We get to enjoy the four seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter in Banff, the views and activities never get old. Neighbouring to Banff the towns of Canmore, Lake Louise, and Jasper all interconnected and are known as the Canadian Rockies. The Canadian Rockies also continue in to British Columbia (BC), and enjoy the beautiful scenery along Highway 1 if you are on your way through BC.
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