Name one thing you like about Calgary

[fusili]

Originally Posted by Wooster

^ I don't know about other cities, but I know Toronto is constantly comparing itself and measuring itself against other cities - Chicago, New York, San Francisco even Vancouver. In my line of work, living in Toronto I hear it all the time. In certain contexts that can get annoying, but I don't think it's necessarily unhealthy for a city like Calgary to look at other cities and what they do well, recognize the city's deficiencies and strive to close the gap. That's not to say we should emulate them, but it's good to learn from what cities like Vancouver have done, learn from it and apply that knowledge to our own city-building.

Good point. I think there is a healthy level of comparison and measurement that can improve a city. I think that people's knowledge of places like Vancouver and Portland (the two I hear the most in this city) is a good thing, because it raises the bar for us.

[McPaul]

Originally Posted by Ramsayfarian

Compared to Winnipeg, Calgary is an alpine city.

Now that I think we can all agree with. Some might even go so far to argue that compared to Saskatoon, and Regina that we are an alpine city as well.

And you're right, you get out of it what you put in. If you take a look at what I said, you'll see that I'm not bitching about anything. I like the fact that I have a well paying job, and I like the fact that I have the pathways to enjoy every day that are only a few blocks walk away, and that the ctrain gets me where I need to go.

[Wooster]

Originally Posted by Ramsayfarian

Tell that to the thousands of people from this city who spend their weekends in the mountains. As someone else mentioned here, distance is relevant. Compared to Winnipeg, Calgary is an alpine city.

The one thing I don't like about this city is people such as yourself who live here, but yet do nothing but bitch about how much living in Calgary sucks, but yet you continue to live here because you can't find employment else where. A city is much like life, you get out of it what you put into it.

There's no question that the rockies will always be a dominant component of many people's lives living in Calgary. It is basically the city's recreational backyard. In some ways no matter how great the city becomes something as magnificant as the rockies will always be probably the best, or near the best aspects of living in the region. However, we would all love to see many more people-magnet destinations develop in Calgary to be truly proud of. It will be nice to see areas like Eau Claire, Stampede Park, East Village, The new Library, and a number of commercial main streets evolve and become true city-wide destinations.

[Calgarian]

I can be in the mountains within an hour and I live downtown, I definitely consider the mountains to be a feature of Calgary, I just spent the long weekend in SE Alberta and SW Saskatchewan and seeing the way people flock to the Cypress Hills makes me appreciate the mountains even more. The fact that I can make a day trip to some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet is absolutely something I love about Calgary.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by McPaul

The mountains are nowhere near here. This city is flat, not mountainous. You have to drive two hours to even get to the mountains. If you want mountains, go live in Golden, or Squamish, or Denver, or Park City. The mountains have nothing - nothing at all to do with Calgary. The people in this city have to wake up and realize this.

Err.. I have to assume you either are a) very young and not well travelled, b) have never lived in another large Canadian city before, or c) hate outdoor recreation.

Here's how it works: every decent sized city, and I mean EVERY city, has a nearby "recreational playground". This area is never in the city itself. It's what those who do it call "going to the cottage", "getting out of the city for the weekend", "going camping", or something similar. It's basically where the majority of the city goes on weekends in the summer (and maybe winter). Every single city in Canada has something comparable. Key points: it's nowhere near the city, usually an hour or two's drive, and it's often in a very different geographical area than the city itself (part of the point of "getting away" is to see something different).

In Winnipeg it's the Whiteshell/Lake of the Woods area. In Montreal it's the mountains/resorts to the NW of the city. In Toronto it's the huge cottage and lake country centred on Barrie and such. In Vancouver it's more spread out, but Whistler is a good analogue. In Edmonton it's the largish lakes south of the city, and Jasper.

And in Calgary, it's what everyone here calls "the mountains". It's Banff. It's Kananaskis. It's Waterton. It's all the areas, all in the Rocky Mountains, that are an hour or three's drive away.

Go to Winnipeg, and ask someone over 30 who owns a car what the best thing about Winnipeg is. Half the people will tell you "cottage country" - which is an hour (minimum) outside the city. Go to Toronto, and people there talk constantly about their cottages. Go to Vancouver, and the surrounding mountains (that are not in the city) are the big thing.

You might want to take some time away from "trying to get out of this city ever since you came here" and look at what we've got here. We have exactly what every other city has, a great vacation destination within a short drive from home - except ours is visited by several million tourists from all over the world each year.

Again, if you hate the outdoors, I can see a big sigh when people talk about the mountains. But Calgary, for those that love the outdoors, is like living in Paris if you're an art fanatic. It's freaking heaven.

PS: I can be in "the mountains" in under 40 minutes' drive from my house. It's actually just about the same time to drive to the closest mountain as it is to drive to the south end of Calgary. So unless you're going to claim that people in Copperfield aren't in the city... the mountains might as well be in the city for me.

[Western Spaghetti]

What are you talking about?? You're way, way off base. I'm looking at the mountains out of window from my office. They aren't far.

Just yesterday my girlfriend and I took a drive up to Elbow Falls, which is in the mountains. We didn't even plan the trip there it was just something we planned wjile out for a drive, and it took us a whole 30 minutes to get there. People who live in the southwest part of the city can be in the mountains in little over 20 minutes. The mountains are a huge part of this city's culture.

You mention places like Denver. Denver is certainly considered a mountain city, but depending on where you live in Denver, the mountains take longer to get to then parts of Calgary. My question to you is; do you own a car? If not then the mountains will seem like a long ways away, but if you own a car, then they aren't.

Originally Posted by McPaul

I don't understand all the comments about the mountains.

The mountains are nowhere near here. This city is flat, not mountainous. You have to drive two hours to even get to the mountains. If you want mountains, go live in Golden, or Squamish, or Denver, or Park City. The mountains have nothing - nothing at all to do with Calgary. The people in this city have to wake up and realize this.

I have to agree with the first poster. The only thing that attracted me to this city was jobs. And the fact that I've been trying to get out of this city ever since I came here, but can't as there are no comparable jobs where I want to be proves this.

The fact that there is lots of growth and development is of course a very pleasant feature about this city, and I do like keeping up with it all, but fact is, I don't use new architecture. I don't control where I work, and can't just decide to work in Jameson, or Bankers Court, or the Bow when complete. I live in the beltline, but my work has relocated out of the downtown. Perhaps if I worked downtown every day, I would be able to appreciate it more. I can follow the growth of new construction in other cities if need be.

No, what I do enjoy about this city is the extensive parks and pathways system extending all around the city. I actually use the parks system regularly and enjoy and appreciate the fact that it's there for me whenever I want it, and is not usually too crowded. The c-train is nice to have as well.

That's what I enjoy about this city.

[freeweed]

I also have to take issue with the comment that Calgary is in any way "flat".

There is a 220m elevation difference between my house and downtown. No, I don't scale near-vertical cliffs to come into work every day, but considering that my driveway is actually higher than the tallest skyscraper in Canada outside of Toronto...

I actually have to gear down in my car unless I want to ride the brakes for several minutes at a time. And this is on some pretty major roads here. Cars don't just accelerate on a "flat" surface.

Hmm. Now I want to see a list of large North American cities, ordered by "max elevation difference". I bet Calgary would rank pretty highly on that one.

[Stang]

Originally Posted by freeweed

There is a 220m elevation difference between my house and downtown. No, I don't scale near-vertical cliffs to come into work every day, but considering that my driveway is actually higher than the tallest skyscraper in Canada outside of Toronto...

My ears will occasionally pop if I'm driving E-W in the city. On the weekend I was out of the city on Glenmore to the East, and drove home to Tuscany. Sure enough, as I got close to home, my ears popped.

Not sure what I'm contributing to the thread, but I can't be the only one, can I?

And... I do think that the mountains are part of Calgary. Not physically, of course. But they are certainly part of our culture and history.

[Surrealplaces]

Everybody is going to like different aspects of Calgary, and I respect that. I do take issue with the one comment from your post;

"The mountains have nothing - nothing at all to do with Calgary. The people in this city have to wake up and realize this."

Nobody needs to wake up and realize this. The fact is, people in this city have been using and enjoying the mountains for a long time. The mountains are Calgary's playground, and a part of its culture.

No matter where you live in Calgary you can be in the mountains in an hour or less. Heck, I've gone up into the mountains many times just for an afternoon, and all on a whim.

Originally Posted by McPaul

I don't understand all the comments about the mountains.

The mountains are nowhere near here. This city is flat, not mountainous. You have to drive two hours to even get to the mountains. If you want mountains, go live in Golden, or Squamish, or Denver, or Park City. The mountains have nothing - nothing at all to do with Calgary. The people in this city have to wake up and realize this.

I have to agree with the first poster. The only thing that attracted me to this city was jobs. And the fact that I've been trying to get out of this city ever since I came here, but can't as there are no comparable jobs where I want to be proves this.

The fact that there is lots of growth and development is of course a very pleasant feature about this city, and I do like keeping up with it all, but fact is, I don't use new architecture. I don't control where I work, and can't just decide to work in Jameson, or Bankers Court, or the Bow when complete. I live in the beltline, but my work has relocated out of the downtown. Perhaps if I worked downtown every day, I would be able to appreciate it more. I can follow the growth of new construction in other cities if need be.

No, what I do enjoy about this city is the extensive parks and pathways system extending all around the city. I actually use the parks system regularly and enjoy and appreciate the fact that it's there for me whenever I want it, and is not usually too crowded. The c-train is nice to have as well.

That's what I enjoy about this city.

[shreddog]

I first moved to Calgary in February of '94 because of the mountains (sorry McPaul) HOWEVER I have moved away a couple times and always moved back for the same reason - and it wasn't the mountains. Rather, I have continued to call Calgary home because unlike Toronto, London or LA - Calgary is still a work in progress.

What I most like about Calgary is that if you don't like something about, just wait a day because we're building a new city and it's bound to get better and you can join in.

I grew up in Toronto in the 70's and 80's when it was changing from a "WASPy dowager of a city where you could barely buy a drink on Sunday" to the exciting place it is today. Calgary reminds me a lot of that. And echoing Furry - er, Rusty's post, unlike other cities I've had the joy to live in, Calgary allows anyone - and welcomes everyone - to partake in that change.

"Step in, roll up your sleeves and get to work - we've got a city/future to build!"

[kap384]

Originally Posted by shreddog

I first moved to Calgary in February of '94 because of the mountains (sorry McPaul) HOWEVER I have moved away a couple times and always moved back for the same reason - and it wasn't the mountains. Rather, I have continued to call Calgary home because unlike Toronto, London or LA - Calgary is still a work in progress.

What I most like about Calgary is that if you don't like something about, just wait a day because we're building a new city and it's bound to get better and you can join in.

I grew up in Toronto in the 70's and 80's when it was changing from a "WASPy dowager of a city where you could barely buy a drink on Sunday" to the exciting place it is today. Calgary reminds me a lot of that. And echoing Furry - er, Rusty's post unlike so other cities I've had the joy to live in Calgary allows anyone - and welcomes everyone - to partake in that change.

"Step in, roll up your sleves and get to work - we've got a city/future to build!"

Great post/perspective

[LFRENCH]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

^Welcome to Calgary LFRENCH. Have you moved here for the forseeable future?

I'm here for a couple years while i finish up my degree at UofC

thanks for the warm welcome

[Vascilli]

Originally Posted by Stang

My ears will occasionally pop if I'm driving E-W in the city. On the weekend I was out of the city on Glenmore to the East, and drove home to Tuscany. Sure enough, as I got close to home, my ears popped.

Not sure what I'm contributing to the thread, but I can't be the only one, can I?

And... I do think that the mountains are part of Calgary. Not physically, of course. But they are certainly part of our culture and history.

My ears pop on Bow Trail alone now and then. I can look out from my second floor window and see the entire city. Not flat.

[Tarsus]

It's tough to pick one single thing about Calgary, but having the mountains at the doorstep is nice. If I had to single to one thing, it would be the case of having the best of both worlds, beautiful nature/outdoor life a nearby playground, and a modern bustling metropolis for a city.

[glam]

I grew up in Winnipeg - I loved the city then and I still do now - and I never actually had been to the mountains until 1993, at the end of my first year of university. I was instantly hooked. I 'worked' in Calgary in the summer of 95 just so that I could be close to the mountains, and spent the remainder of my university years drooling over guidebooks and doing the drive out with buddies just to bag some peaks (we were so ignorant back then about the mountains and avalanche danger, etc. that I am just glad we survived) and camp and what not.

I moved out here right after my last exam and haven't looked back, and the mountains were my biggest draw. Other more distant reasons included the pathways, job market, c-train and the city centre - always have been a skyscraper geek.

As for the city being flat, I think I'm well aquainted with what flat is. I have a similar height differential as Freeweed does, and I feel every metre of them on the bike home!

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by glam

I have a similar height differential as Freeweed does, and I feel every metre of them on the bike home!

I'm also from Winnipeg, so believe me, that's why I went off on the whole "Calgary is flat" thing. Flat is 10' of elevation over 25km. Flat is where you can watch your dog run away for 2 hours. Flat is where it's possible (once outside the city) to actually witness the effect of the curvature of the Earth - maximum 24km visibility, ever.

People who've never lived in the actual prairies have no idea what flat is.

[Danma]

I live in Coventry Hills and I timed it -- it took 35 minutes from the front door of my house to the K-Country gate. And we aren't a mountain city? Pfft, whatever. (note: this is since Stoney Trail arrived. Taking CHB west would have made the trip 55-60 minutes)

[Fernando]

Bow River Pathways, Neighbourhoods like Kensington, Mission, 17th and Inglewood. THE BOW!

[Dr Nevergold]

Originally Posted by shreddog

I first moved to Calgary in February of '94 because of the mountains (sorry McPaul) HOWEVER I have moved away a couple times and always moved back for the same reason - and it wasn't the mountains. Rather, I have continued to call Calgary home because unlike Toronto, London or LA - Calgary is still a work in progress.

What I most like about Calgary is that if you don't like something about, just wait a day because we're building a new city and it's bound to get better and you can join in.

I grew up in Toronto in the 70's and 80's when it was changing from a "WASPy dowager of a city where you could barely buy a drink on Sunday" to the exciting place it is today. Calgary reminds me a lot of that. And echoing Furry - er, Rusty's post, unlike other cities I've had the joy to live in, Calgary allows anyone - and welcomes everyone - to partake in that change.

"Step in, roll up your sleeves and get to work - we've got a city/future to build!"

Toronto is changing more today than it ever has before, IMO. Its transforming from simply the largest city in Canada to the newest, one of the most legally open (save for bars shutting at 2am) societies in the modern world with lots of boom left in it. Its burst onto the world scene in the past 20-30 years with vivid intensity.

Calgary I think benefits from being in Canada because it too is part of a society that has one of the best, freest, most respectful legal systems in the world. There is work to be done, but you cannot find many nations more civil and free than Canada. But I also don't see Calgary being the center of where that spirit comes from, its spearheaded in many regions instead of one. Quebec, for example, is an important part of the mosaic. Despite the Bloc being separatist, they did support gay marriage back in the day along with other forces in other regions. Calgary benefited from being part of the mosaic.

Gay marriage doesn't mean a lot to the average person, but it is more about the system in which Canada has and the respect for each other's personal freedom that not every nation has progressed on.

The list can go on and on. Calgary is lucky to be part of a greater nation that helps give it room to build on.

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by Brandon412

Toronto is changing more today than it ever has before, IMO. Its transforming from simply the largest city in Canada to the newest, one of the most legally open (save for bars shutting at 2am) societies in the modern world with lots of boom left in it. Its burst onto the world scene in the past 20-30 years with vivid intensity.

Calgary I think benefits from being in Canada because it too is part of a society that has one of the best, freest, most respectful legal systems in the world. There is work to be done, but you cannot find many nations more civil and free than Canada. But I also don't see Calgary being the center of where that spirit comes from, its spearheaded in many regions instead of one. Quebec, for example, is an important part of the mosaic. Despite the Bloc being separatist, they did support gay marriage back in the day along with other forces in other regions. Calgary benefited from being part of the mosaic.

Gay marriage doesn't mean a lot to the average person, but it is more about the system in which Canada has and the respect for each other's personal freedom that not every nation has progressed on.

The list can go on and on. Calgary is lucky to be part of a greater nation that helps give it room to build on.

Great post