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Calgary - The Heart of the New West
Calgary - Canada's Sunshine Capital
Calgary is among the sunniest in Canada, with 2,400 hours of annual sunshine, on average. It is the largest city in the province of Alberta, Canada. Calgary is located at the transition zone between the Canadian Rockies foothills and the Canadian Prairies, and is relatively hilly as a result. Calgary is the third largest civic municipality, by population, in Canada. As of the 2008 civic census, Greater Calgary is the fifth largest census metropolitan area in the country. Calgary was ranked the world's cleanest city by Mercer Quality of Living in a survey published in 2007 by Forbes magazine. A resident of Calgary is known as a Calgarian.
Calgary - Weather
Calgary has a semi-arid, highland continental climate with long, dry, but highly variable, winters and short, moderately warm summers. The climate is greatly influenced by the city's elevation and close proximity to the Rocky Mountains. Calgary's winters can be uncomfortably cold; but warm, dry Chinook winds routinely blow into the city from the Pacific Ocean during the winter months, giving Calgarians a break from the cold. The chinooks are such a common feature of Calgary's winters that only one month (January 1950) has failed to witness a thaw over more than 100 years of weather observations. More than one half of all winter days see the daily maximum rise above 0°C (32°F). Some winter days even approach 20°C (68°F) on occasion.
Calgary - History
Before the Calgary area was settled by Europeans, it was inhabited by Pre-Clovis people whose presence has been traced back at least 11,000 years. John Glenn was the first documented European settler in the Calgary area, in 1873. Fort Calgary in 1876 became a post of the North-West Mounted Police (now the RCMP). The NWMP detachment was assigned to protect the western plains from U.S. whiskey traders.
The Canadian Pacific Railway reached the area in 1883 and a rail station was constructed, Calgary began to grow into an important commercial and agricultural centre. The Canadian Pacific Railway headquarters are located in Calgary today. Calgary was officially incorporated as a town in 1884 and elected its first mayor, George Murdoch. Then in 1894 it was incorporated as "The City of Calgary".
Calgary - Activities
Calgary is well-known as a destination for winter sports and ecotourism with a number of major mountain resorts near the city and metropolitan area. Economic activity in Calgary is mostly centred on the petroleum industry; however, agriculture, tourism, and high-tech industries also contribute to the city's fast economic growth. In 1988, Calgary became the first Canadian city to host the Olympic Winter Games, and one of the fastest long track speed skating ice rinks in the world was built at the University of Calgary to accommodate these Games. Calgary holds many major annual festivals which include the Calgary Stampede, the Folk Music Festival, the Lilac Festival, One Yellow Rabbit High Performance Rodeo - Calgary's International Festival of the Arts, Wordfest: Banff-Calgary International Writers Festival, Calgary International Spoken Word Festival, One World Festival (GlobalFest), and the fourth largest Caribbean festival in the country (Carifest).
Calgary - A Modern Cosmpolitan City
Calgary's urban scene has changed considerably since the beginning of the city's rapid growth. It is also starting to become recognized as one of Canada's most diverse cities. Today, Calgary is a modern cosmopolitan city that still retains much of its traditional culture of hotel saloons, western bars, night clubs, football and hockey. Following its revival in the 1990s, Calgary has also become a centre for country music in Canada. As such, it is referred to by some as the "Nashville of the North" and "The Heart of the New West".
We invite you to check out the following links to learn more about this wonderful city:
Calgary Maps
Calgary Communities Map (Calgary Real Estate Board)
Calgary Park Maps
Bicycle and Pathways Map - City of Calgary
Fish Creek Provincial Park Map
Calgary Resources
Calgary Facilities & Services - E-Maps (Recycling, Libraries, Golf, Schools, etc)
