Home to just over one million people,
Calgary is the largest city in the province of Alberta. The city is located about eighty kilometers east of the Rocky Mountains, in a region of high plains and foothills in the southern part of Alberta. Calgary is a popular ecotourism destination, and a favorite location for winter sports. Residents of Calgary, Alberta homes enjoy access to a wide range of recreational facilities, as well as all the entertainment, shopping, and dining that the city can provide. Locations such as Eau Claire Market provide a wide assortment of specialty stores and boutiques, and with a dozen or more museums and galleries and an even larger number of performing arts centers and troupes, it’s easy to enjoy what
Calgary Alberta Real Estate has to offer. Other attractions such as Telus World of Science, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, and Calgary Zoo, Botanical Garden & Prehistoric Park provide families with fun and fascinating locations to visit time after time.
Getting to Know Calgary
The heart of Calgary is the Downtown district, made up of five neighborhoods—Eau Claire, the Downtown West End, the Commercial District, Chinatown, and the Downtown East Village. Owners of
Calgary Alberta Estate Homes in these locations enjoy easy access to the city’s entertainment, shopping, and commercial districts. Radiating outwards from the Downtown districts are inner city neighborhoods such as Crescent Heights, Bridgeland, Renfew and Inglewood. These in turn are surrounded by established neighborhoods, including South Calgary, Mount Pleasant, Ramsay, and Mission. Beyond these urban communities, the suburban neighborhoods comprise the outer edges of the city limits.
Like most big cities, there’s an enormous range of choice in terms of available
Calgary, Alberta real estate, including inner-city condos and apartments, investment properties, and single-family homes of all sizes. Calgary has experienced enormous growth in the past ten years, and as a result, older houses and homes of recent construction are plentiful. Working with a Calgary, Alberta Realtor is the ideal way of navigating the series of choices you’ll face in searching for a new property.
Calgary, Alberta Properties are round 74% owner-occupied, meaning that there are good opportunities for investors. Both rental and sale properties can be found in most of the cities urban and suburban neighborhoods, and a Calgary, Alberta Realtor can provide you with the important information you need to choose the best rental or sale property for your requirements.
Calgary’s education system includes more than 200 schools in the English language public school system, as well as nearly 100 schools in the Calgary Catholic School District, and a smaller number serving the Francophone community. Several public and private charter schools are also located in the city, including unique schools such as the National Sport School, designed for young Olympic-caliber athletes. If you’re interested in
Calgary, Alberta real estate, find out more about the large selection of schools available in the city by speaking with your Calgary, Alberta Realtor.
Calgary holds several major festivals each year, including a folk music festival, the day-long Lilac Festival which is typically attended by more than 100,000 people, and the Calgary Stampede, an enormous ten-day rodeo held each July. In keeping with the rodeo theme, Calgary’s International Festival of the Arts is also known as High Performance Rodeo. Other annual events and celebrations include film festivals, jazz festivals, cultural celebrations, and seasonal holiday events in December.
The Inner City Districts
Each of Calgary’s five Downtown districts has its own distinct character. Eau Claire is an eclectic mix of riverside condos, restaurants and hotels, shopping and markets, and urban parkland, as well as the city’s Festival Plaza. The Downtown West End is a predominantly residential region of the inner city.
Calgary, Alberta homes in this district are mainly apartment buildings and condominiums, interspersed with a small number of single-family homes. Downtown East Village is also a predominantly residential neighborhood with around 2,300 residents, and is currently undergoing redevelopment.
The Commercial District is, as its name suggests, a business and retail area, populated by department stores, restaurants, bars and nightclubs, galleries, performing arts centers, and other entertainment establishments. Although the main focus of the district is distinctly commercial, several thousand Calgarians live here, mainly in apartment buildings and condominiums. Calgary’s Chinatown is small, with just 1,300 residents, but includes such well-known city landmarks as the Chinese Cultural Centre and International Avenue.
If you’re interested in living in the inner city districts, ask your Calgary, Alberta Realtor for advice about the best locations for your needs. While the majority of
Calgary, Alberta real estate in the inner city is in the form of apartment or condo-style residences, there are some differences in the types of accommodation available in each district.
Urban and Suburban Living
Adjacent to the city’s innermost districts, a series of urban neighborhoods encircle the heart of the city. There are two main district types in this region of the city. Neighborhoods such as Crescent Heights and Renfew and are mainly residential areas, with the majority of homes comprised of single-family detached dwellings, while between 10% and 15% of Calgary, Alberta homes in these communities are apartments or condominiums. Other neighborhoods, such as Bridgeland and Inglewood, tend to have a higher percentage of multiple-family residences, and a higher concentration of mixed-use buildings, including commercial space.
Further afield, in communities such as South Calgary and Mount Pleasant, neighborhoods begin to feel less like city locations, with a more relaxed and suburban feel. The city is still conveniently close, however, even in outlying suburbs such as Montgomery and Lakeview, located around fifteen minutes’ drive from the inner districts.
Even further afield, but still within the city limits, are some of the newer suburbs stretching out to the outskirts of the city. Suburbs such as Tuscany in the NW, Saddleridge in the NE, Auburn Bay in the SE and Silverado in the SW. Many of these newer communities are often developed on a theme. For example, Auburn Bay has a man-made lake for all season use. Other communities may have water parks, tennis courts, and other recreational facilities. Generally, the further away from the downtown core properties tend to be newer and less expensive. Most parts of Calgary have good connection to the downtown area by way of a combination of bus and train links as well as a good road system for those traveling by car.
Whether you’re most interested in a condo in one of the inner city districts, or a large family house in the suburbs, there are Calgary, Alberta homes available to suit your individual requirements. Don’t forget that your Calgary, Alberta Realtor can provide you with all the assistance you’ll need to choose a home in the most appropriate location for your needs.
Please call 403.995.4200 today to speak with expert Realtors
Ian & Jayne Wisdom about Calgary, Alberta real estate.
