Calgary is the largest city in Alberta, Canada, located in the southern part of the province at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers. Nestled in an area of foothills and prairie, it lies approximately 80 km (50 mi) east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies.
Calgary had a population of 1.4 million in 2022. The population of Calgary increased 3.08% year-over-year, and increased 9.38% in the last five years thus making it the largest city in Alberta, the third-largest municipality, and the fifth-largest census metropolitan area (CMA) in Canada. Situated 300 kilometers (185 mi) directly south of Edmonton, the region between these cities is often referred to as the "Calgary-Edmonton Corridor."
Residents of Calgary are known as Calgarians. In 1988, Calgary made history by becoming the first Canadian city to host the Olympic Winter Games.
Quadrants
Calgary is divided into four quadrants:
- Northwest Calgary: Generally west of Center Street and north of the Bow River, including several neighborhoods south of the Bow River on the city's western edge.
- Northeast Calgary: East of Centre Street and north of Memorial Drive.
- Southwest Calgary: South of the Bow River and west of Centre Street/Macleod Trail, with some communities south of the Bow River considered part of the Northwest.
- Southeast Calgary: South of Downtown and Memorial Drive, and east of Macleod Trail.
Calgary Real Estate Districts
For real estate purposes, the Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB®) divides the city into eight districts:
- City Center
- East
- North
- North East
- North West
- South
- South East
- West
Geography and Climate
Calgary is positioned at the transition between the Canadian Rockies foothills and the Canadian Prairies, resulting in a relatively hilly landscape. The city's elevation is about 1,048 meters (3,440 ft) above sea level downtown and 1,083 meters (3,553 ft) at the airport. Covering a land area of 825.29 km² (318.65 sq mi) as of 2011, Calgary surpasses Toronto in land area.
Two major rivers traverse the city. The Bow River, the larger of the two, flows from the west to the south, while the Elbow River flows northward from the south, meeting the Bow River at Fort Calgary near downtown.
Calgary's urban area comprises an inner city surrounded by various communities of decreasing density. Unlike many cities with sizable metropolitan areas, most of Calgary's suburbs are part of the city proper, except for the bedroom communities of Airdrie to the north, Cochrane to the west, Chestermere to the east, and Okotoks to the south.
Calgary has a semi-arid, highland continental climate with long, dry, and highly variable winters, and short, moderately warm summers. The city's elevation and proximity to the Rocky Mountains significantly influence the climate.
Although Calgary's winters can be quite cold, warm, dry Chinook winds from the Pacific Ocean often bring relief, raising winter temperatures by up to 15°C (27°F) in a few hours and sometimes lasting several days. These winds are so common that only January 1950 failed to witness a thaw over more than 100 years of weather observations. More than half of winter days see temperatures rise above 0 °C (32 °F), occasionally approaching +20 °C (68 °F).
According to Environment Canada, Calgary's average temperatures range from a January daily average of −9 °C (15.8 °F) to a July daily average of +16 °C (60.8 °F). Calgary enjoys the most sunny days year-round among Canada's 100 largest cities, with over 332 days of sunshine and an average of 2,396 hours of sunshine annually.
Education Post-secondary
Calgary's largest degree-granting institution is the publicly funded University of Calgary (U of C). Mount Royal University also offers degrees in various fields, while SAIT Polytechnic provides polytechnic and apprentice education, granting certificates, diplomas, and applied degrees.
Other publicly funded post-secondary institutions in Calgary include the Alberta College of Art and Design, Ambrose University College, Bow Valley College, and St. Mary's University. Athabasca University, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), and the University of Lethbridge also have campuses in Calgary.
School System and K-12
Over 100,000 K-12 students are enrolled in more than 220 schools in the English language public school system run by the Calgary Board of Education (CBRE). Additionally, many students attend around 95 schools in the separate English language Calgary Catholic School District (CSSD).
The Francophone community has its own French language school boards (public and Catholic), which are based in Calgary but serve a larger regional district. The city also has several public charter schools, including the country's first high school exclusively for Olympic-calibre athletes, the National Sport School.
Calgary is home to many private schools, such as Mountain View Academy, Rundle College, Clear Water Academy, Calgary French and International School, Chinook Winds Adventist Academy, Webber Academy, Delta West Academy, Masters Academy, Calgary Islamic School, Menno Simons Christian School, West Island College, and Edge School.
Attractions
Calgary hosts numerous major annual festivals and events, including the Calgary Stampede, Folk Music Festival, Lilac Festival, Banff-Calgary International Writers Festival, One World Festival (GlobalFest), and Carifest, the second-largest Caribbean festival in the country.
Other festivals include the Calgary International Film Festival, FunnyFest Calgary Comedy Festival, Greek Festival, Calgary Fringe Festival, Summerstock, Expo Latino, Calgary Gay Pride, and various cultural and ethnic festivals.
Calgary boasts several contemporary and established theatre companies, such as One Yellow Rabbit, Theatre Calgary, and Alberta Theatre Projects, sharing the EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.
Downtown features a mix of restaurants, bars, cultural venues, public squares (including Olympic Plaza), and shopping areas such as The Core Shopping Centre, Stephen Avenue, and Eau Claire Market. Tourist attractions include the Calgary Zoo, Telus Spark, Telus Convention Centre, Chinatown, Glenbow Museum, Calgary Tower, Art Gallery of Calgary (AGC), Military Museum, and EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts. The Devonian Gardens, one of the world's largest urban indoor gardens, is located on the 4th floor of The Core Shopping Centre. Prince's Island Park, an urban park just north of the Eau Claire district, is also a downtown feature.
South of downtown is Midtown and the Beltline, one of the city's densest and most active mixed-use areas, with popular 17 Avenue offering numerous bars, nightclubs, restaurants, and shopping venues. The street's playoff moniker, the "Red Mile," emerged during the Calgary Flames' 2004 playoff run. Downtown is easily accessed via the city's C-Train light rail (LRT) transit system.
Additional attractions include Heritage Park Historical Village, showcasing life in pre-1914 Alberta with working historic vehicles like a steam train, paddle steamer, and electric streetcar. Other major attractions are Canada Olympic Park, featuring Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, and Spruce Meadows. Large suburban shopping complexes include Chinook Centre, Southcentre Mall, Westhills, South Trail Crossing, Deerfoot Meadows, Market Mall, Sunridge Mall, and CrossIron Mills north of Calgary.
Downtown Calgary is recognized by its skyscrapers, with notable structures like the Calgary Tower and Scotiabank Saddledome symbolizing the city. Office buildings are concentrated in the commercial core, while residential towers are common in the Downtown West End and the Beltline. Calgary has 14 office towers over 150 m (490 ft) tall, with The Bow being the tallest office tower in Canada outside Toronto. The Guardian twin towers in Victoria Park are the tallest residential towers at 44 floors each.
The city's extensive skyway network, the +15, connects many downtown office buildings, with bridges typically 15 ft (4.6 m) above grade.
Sports Teams Professional Sports Teams:
- Calgary Flames (NHL)
- Calgary Stampeders (CFL)
- Calgary Roughnecks (NLL)
