Why Calgary Is a Model City for Canada

I have been to all of the major cities in Canada, from Victoria to Halifax. They all have their own unique charms to offer. But as a guy who has lived in Ontario his whole life, I had formed an unfair opinion of Calgary, Alberta in my head. That opinion was shattered in five short days during a recent trip.

Perhaps my negative outlook was from the fact that politically, Alberta as a whole has been quite regressive (especially in recent years). I pictured lots of big-talking conservative types with loud trucks. What I actually saw there was quite the opposite: sure, there are lots of pick-up trucks and other big vehicles all over the place. However, I did not see any “F*ck Trudeau” signs on any of them, like I routinely do in my own city of Hamilton, Ontario. To be honest, the only obnoxious drivers I saw were younger people in sports cars.

In fact, the drivers were surprisingly courteous compared to my own city, and even came to a complete stop at intersections (which are wide and offer good visibility for those walking.) They even have mid-road crosswalks in Calgary that drivers seem to obey.

A well-trained city

Those who choose to use transit are also in luck in Calgary. While there are rapid transit buses, there’s also a well-established LRT system that is well-used from what I observed. (My city has plans to build an LRT line, but I’ll believe it when I see it as it keeps getting kyboshed due to political nonsense.)

While the roads were noticeably more tame than in my part of the country, the walkways are also a delight. I noticed immediately how many people were out walking around on foot, late into the evening.

The design of the city — at least the East Village, where we stayed at an ultra-modern hotel for four nights — is pedestrian-friendly, with wide, unobstructed sidewalks. The multi-use pathways along the adjacent Bow River are divided between foot and wheel traffic, offering magnificent views. Many people were getting around the city on rental scooters and bikes, including businesspeople.

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I was also happy to see that a downtown corridor, the Stephen Avenue Walk, is closed to cars — allowing people to shop and enjoy the restaurants along the way. I only walked a small part of it, but I enjoyed not having to look over my shoulder for cars bearing down on me. It’s not only convenient, but research shows walkable cities are healthier both physically and financially.

A public spectacle

Another point to note is the abundance of public art. Everywhere I looked, there was a mural or a beautiful sculpture. One of note is the Wonderland wire sculpture by Jaume Plensa. It is a 40-foot tall representation of a girl’s head, that definitely turns heads. You can even walk around inside of it and look up at the equally impressive BOW tower plaza. In fact, most of the downtown architecture I saw was interesting — not just cookie-cutter designs like some other cities.

There’s definitely plenty more to see in this Canadian city. As soon as I posted that I had been there, friends asked if I went to the National Music Centre (StudioBell) or the Devonian Gardens, an indoor greenspace. While we missed those spots this time around (we really only had three full days, including a wedding), we did venture outside Calgary’s borders a bit to explore.

More specifically, we used the Communauto carshare with vehicles near our hotel to visit the “Alberta Badlands” (Drumheller), a long-time desire of mine. The 1.5-hour drive included the amazing Royal Tyrrell Museum, filled with one-of-a-kind dinosaur fossils and other interesting displays. While the museum was incredible, the surrounding rocky landscape was breathtaking. There are winding paths that easily allow you to tour on foot.

About 1.5 hours in the other direction, we hit up the Kananaskis area where we took in an eyeful of the glorious surrounding mountains. There’s an upscale lodge there that you can stay in, which offers peak access (ahem) to the surrounding trails and views.

It’s not perfect, but…

While I really only saw one part of the city, it’s apparent it has its problems like any other: the homeless community was quite visible, and was comprised largely of indigenous people from what I could tell. Police were out bothering some of them, although the homeless population did not bother anyone during my experience.

It’s also not the cheapest city: the food is great (try Soleil Bistro or CharCut as suggestions) and so are the attractions, but you’ll need a wad of cash to spare. Meanwhile, our cabby told us average rent for a 2-bedroom condo in the city is under $2,500, although he says prices are shooting up as more people from Toronto and Vancouver move there. Apparently, it’s also getting tougher for students to find affordable lodging in Calgary.

I also didn’t try to find employment during my five days there, so I don’t know what the job situation is like in Calgary. However, a recent report states that the province’s unemployment rate is at its lowest since 2015.

Overall, I was very impressed with Calgary — from its smart urban design to its warm people to its delicious craft beer. It’s also one of the cleanest cities I’ve ever been to domestically or internationally.

It’s clear that Calgarians take pride in their city, and don’t mind interlopers from Ontario dropping by. If you’ve never considered visiting, put it on your list.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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