Where to Live in Calgary

As Calgary has boomed, migrants have flooded in from Europe, Asia and other Canadian cities. 

Suburban development has boomed too. 

Calgary's house prices are still affordable compared with Vancouver but are almost as expensive as Toronto's. 

The city's preferred residential areas lie in the North West and South West suburbs. These are closest to the Rockies with attractive mountain views. 

The North East, where the airport is situated, and some rather industrial parts of the South East are often thought of as less favored locations. 

North West: we'd recommend Tuscany, Edgemont, Country Hills, Dalhousie and Rosedale as good places to begin your search for a home. 

South West: we'd recommend West Hillhurst, Westgate and Springbank Hill as good places to begin your search for a home.

South East: we'd recommend McKenzie Lake and Midnapore as good places to begin your search for a home. 

Each of these areas has lower than average crime rates and offer residents an above average quality of life. 


Summing Up 
To some migrants, Calgary feels isolated - an island city in the middle of a vast prairie. Unlike Toronto, there are no other sizeable towns and cities nearby. It's also a long way from the sea or sizeable lakes. 

Most migrants, provided they can cope with the cool climate, find Calgary offers an extremely attractive lifestyle. 


Calgary's Negatives 

 The long, cold winter. 

 The rapid thaw and slush when the warm Chinook wind blows in winter

 The short summer. 

A lack of history, historical buildings, and culture. 

 Expensive housing compared with most other Canadian cities. 


Calgary's Positives 

Low taxes

Low unemployment. 

 Salaries above the Canadian average. 

Clean and beautiful, with a modern, attractive downtown, a good-sized meandering river, and the rocky mountain backdrop

 The Rockies are easily accessible by car from Calgary. 

 Clean air. 

 A sunny climate - one of the sunniest in Canada - with low rainfall

Chinook winds bringing mild days in winter. 

Fantastic winter sports - with Canada Olympic Park 

Friendly people

 It's easy to "get away from it all" into a huge province with a small population. 

Living in Edmonton, Alberta

Guide to Living in Edmonton 
Edmonton is the capital of Alberta. Its population is 780,000, somewhat less than Calgary. Metropolitan Edmonton's population is 1.1 million. 

Like Calgary, Edmonton is a river city, lying on both sides of the North Saskatchewan River. 

Edmonton has earned the title of "The Festival City" of Canada and is a centre for many world class gatherings and celebrations, particularly in summer. 

The city is also the home of West Edmonton Mall, the largest shopping mall, not just in Canada, but in North America. 

Character 

Edmonton is located in Alberta, Canada's low tax province. Its residents pay significantly lower taxes than residents of other Canadian provinces. 

Most people who move to Edmonton are impressed by the friendliness of Edmontonians. Money Sense magazine ranks Edmonton as the 31st most livable location in Canada in terms of its economy, amenities, real estate market, weather, and attractions. While this figure is hardly flattering, Edmonton enjoys its status as a "green city". 

The landscape around Edmonton is flat. The Rocky mountains, although available for recreation, are too far away to see. The town of Jasper, in Jasper National Park, is a four hour drive from Edmonton. Edmonton's river valley is home to the longest stretch of connected urban parkland anywhere in North America. There is over ninety-seven kilometers (61 miles) of biking, hiking, skiing, walking and snow-shoeing trails. 

Edmonton's "Ribbon of Green" is reinforced by neighborhood parks throughout the city yielding 27,400 acres of parkland. Edmonton has Canada's highest area of parkland per resident. 

The city has an advanced bus network and light rail system that stops frequently in major central and downtown points of interest. 

Edmonton is a major oil and gas centre, attracting many migrant workers. As a result of this, the city is ethnically diverse with about one-quarter of the local population belonging to a "visible minority" - mainly Chinese and other Asian ethnicities. 
First Nations aboriginal people account for just over 5% of the population. 

Nearly 90% of Canadian-born residents report that English is their primary language and 88% of the immigrant population report conversational knowledge of the English language, which includes 60% speaking English as their at-home language.