Calgary, Alberta

:This page refers to the city of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. For other places with the name Calgary, see Calgary (disambiguation)

Layout and geography

Calgary is located within the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and is relatively hilly as a result. Calgary's elevation is approximately 1048 metres (3440 feet) above sea level downtown, and 1139 metres (3736 feet) at the airport. The city proper covers a land area of 721 km2 (as of 2001). There are two major rivers that run through the city. The Bow River is the largest and flows from the west to the south. The Elbow River flows northwards from the south until it converges with the Bow River near downtown. Since the climate of the region is generally dry, dense vegetation only occurs naturally in the river valleys and within Fish Creek Provincial Park, the largest Urban Park in Canada.

Related Topics:
Rocky Mountains - Bow River - Elbow River - Downtown - Fish Creek Provincial Park

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The city is quite large in physical area, consisting of an inner city surrounded by various communities of decreasing density. Unlike most cities with a sizable metropolitan area, most of Calgary's suburbs are incorporated into the city proper, with the notable exceptions of the city of Airdrie to the north, Cochrane to the northwest, Strathmore to the east, and the sprawling Springbank district to the west. Though it is not technically within Calgary's metropolitan area, the town of Okotoks is only a short distance to the south and could probably be considered a suburb as well. The Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP) includes slightly more area that the CMA and has a population of 1,146,900.

Related Topics:
Airdrie - Cochrane - Strathmore - Okotoks - Calgary Regional Partnership - CMA

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Because of the growth of the city, its southwest borders are now immediately adjacent to the Tsuu T’ina (Sarcee) Nation Native Indian reserve. Recent residential developments in the deep southwest of the city have created a need for a major roadway heading into the interior of the city, but because of complications in negotiations with the Sarcee about the construction, the much-needed construction has not yet begun.

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Calgary's neighbourhoods

The downtown region of the city consists of eight neighbourhoods: Eau Claire (including the Festival District), the Downtown West End, the Stephen Avenue Retail Core, the Downtown Commercial Core, the Entertainment District, the Government District, Chinatown, and the Downtown East Village (part of the Rivers District). Distinct from downtown and south of 9th Avenue is Calgary's densest neighbourhood, the Beltline. The area includes a number of communities such as Midtown, Victoria Crossing and a portion of the Rivers District. The Beltline is the focus of major planning and rejuvenation initiatives on the part of the municipal government to increase the density and liveliness of Calgary's centre.

Related Topics:
Downtown region - Eau Claire - Chinatown - Downtown East Village - Rivers District

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Adjacent to, or directly radiating from the downtown are the first of the inner-city communities. These include Crescent Heights, Sunnyside, Hounsfield Heights/Briar Hill, Hillhurst (including Kensington), Bridgeland, Renfrew, Mount Royal and Inglewood. The inner city is, in turn, surrounded by relatively dense and established neighbourhoods such as Rosedale and Mount Pleasant to the north, Bowness and Westgate to the west, Park Hill, South Calgary, Altadore and Killarney to the south, and Forest Lawn/International Avenue to the east. Lying beyond these, and usually separated from one another by freeways, are the suburban communities, often characterized as "commuter communities". The city's deep south is probably expanding the fastest and includes communities such as Heritage Pointe and McKenzie Lake. In all, there are over 180 distinct neighbourhoods within the city limits.

Related Topics:
Downtown - Kensington - Inglewood - Bowness - Forest Lawn/International Avenue - Heritage Pointe - McKenzie Lake

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