Living in Calgary
A big city with the mountains next door
History, culture, green space and getting around: a local's guide to life in Calgary.
History
Where the Bow meets the Elbow
Calgary sits on the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, including the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai and Piikani), the Tsuut'ina and the Stoney Nakoda First Nations, and is home to the Métis Nation within Alberta, Region 3.
The North-West Mounted Police built Fort Calgary at the meeting of the Bow and Elbow rivers in 1875. The railway arrived in 1883, ranching and later oil shaped the city, and today it is home to well over a million people.
Heritage Park, on the shore of Glenmore Reservoir, brings that story to life with a working steam train, historic buildings and costumed interpreters.
Arts and culture
More than the Stampede
Every July the Calgary Stampede fills the city with rodeo, chuckwagon races and pancake breakfasts. The rest of the year there is plenty more to see.
Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, is an architectural landmark in East Village, steps from the striking Central Library. Spruce Meadows, on the city's southern edge, hosts world-class show jumping each summer.
The outdoors
Green space in every direction
Calgary has one of the largest urban pathway networks in North America, and the Rockies are about an hour's drive west.
Fish Creek Provincial Park
One of Canada's largest urban parks, stretching across the south of the city.
Glenmore and the Weaselhead
Sailing, paddling and wooded trails around Glenmore Reservoir.
Kananaskis and Banff
Hiking, skiing and lakes, close enough for a day trip.
Getting around
Trains, ring roads and Chinooks
The CTrain light rail runs on two lines through downtown, with free travel along the 7 Avenue transit mall. Stoney Trail rings the city, so the southwest and southeast are well connected by road.
Winters are cold but sunny, and warm Chinook winds can lift the temperature dramatically in a few hours. Summers are warm and dry, with long evenings made for the pathways.
