Introducing Calgary
From Calgarypedia
Calgary Overview
Calgary is the largest city in the Canadian province of Alberta. The Greater Calgary area, according to the 2007 civic census, had a population of 1,019,942 , making it the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Canada.
The city lies 80 kilometers (50 mi) from the eastern edge of the Canadian Rockies in an intersecting area of foothills and the Great Plains. Calgary is located approximately 300 kilometers (185 mi) south of Edmonton, the second largest city in Alberta and capital of the province. The region between these two centers is referred to as 'The Calgary-Edmonton Corridor'; nearly 75% of Alberta's population resides in this area.
Calgary has experienced a recent boom due primarily to the expansion of the petroleum industry. However, agriculture, tourism and high-tech industries have also contributed to the growth.
The city is home to the world-famous Calgary Stampede, as well as other annual cultural events throughout the year. Calgary was also the first Canadian city to host the Olympic Winter Games.
A resident of Calgary is known as a Calgarian. Most people who grew up in Calgary pronounce it with only two syllables, ie. Cal-gry.
History
Main article: History of Calgary
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. Cartographer David Thompson was the first recorded European to visit the area, and John Glenn was the first documented European settler in the Calgary area, in 1873.
The first building on the site that would become the city of Calgary was post-erected by North West Mounted Police. Originally dubbed Fort Brisebois, the site was renamed Fort Calgary in 1876. Seven years later, in 1883, the Canadian Pacific Railway reached Calgary and it quickly grew into an important agriculture and transport centre.
Calgary's first oil boom occurred shortly after large quantities of oil were discovered in Alberta in 1947, although smaller pockets had been unearthed as early as 1902. The economy continued to boom throughout the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973, during which time skyscrapers were built at an unprecedented rate. With the introduction of the National Energy Program in 1980, Calgary's economy suffered greatly and eventually led to a decade of decline. The resentment of Calgarians towards the perceived tampering of the central government further accentuated the concept of Western Alienation, which is still prevalent today.
The slowdown in the economy as a result of the National Energy Program would be short lived. The city took steps to ensure a diverse economy, while at the same time making Calgary a cultural hub. Today, tourism, light manufacturing, high-tech manufacturing, film, transportation and services, along with the resurgent energy sector, have vaulted Calgary to prominence once more.
Climate and Geography
Main article: Climate
Main article: Geographic Location
The geography of Calgary is influenced by the Canadian Prairies in the east and the Rocky Mountains in the west. Calgary is located in the transition zone between these two terrains.
The climate of Calgary is classified as being semi-arid and continental with long, dry winters and short, warm summers. Winter typically begins in November and lasts until April, while summer begins in May and lasts until September. The weather in Calgary is highly variable due to the city's proximity to the Rocky Mountains. In the winter, chinooks from the Pacific Ocean come over the mountains and can raise temperatures up to 10°C (18°F) in a matter of hours. During the summer, nighttime temperatures drop to as low as 5°C (40°F), which makes frost possible at any time during the year.
Demographics and Diversity
Main article: Calgary Demographics and Diversity
The recent influx of migrants and immigrants to Calgary has made the city one of the fastest growing and most diverse cities in North America. The earliest settlers of Calgary were of European origin and today comprise 77.8% of Calgary's population.
The city is host to a number of ethnic minority groups as well: 2.4% Aboriginal, 6.2% Chinese, 5.4% South Asian, 2.4% Filipino, 2% African Canadian, 1.3% Latin American and smaller percentages of people of other ethnic backgrounds residing in Calgary. These include people of Arab, West Asian, Korean and Japanese descent.
Calgary Communities
Main article: Calgary Communities
The city of Calgary is divided into four main quadrants: the northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest. The city is laid out on a grid system with many of the main routes being designated with numbers rather than names. Streets run from north to south, while avenues run from east to west. Each quadrant comprises many neighbourhoods – currently, there are over 180 separate neighbourhoods in Calgary. The quadrant borders are defined by:
Northwest Calgary – West of Centre Street and north of the Bow River
Northeast Calgary – East of Centre Street and north of Memorial Drive
Southwest Calgary – South of the Bow River and west of Centre Street/Macleod Trail
Southeast Calgary – South of downtown and east of Macleod Trail.
The inner city comprises all four quadrants. It includes the downtown core, as well as other densely-populated residential areas such as Renfrew and Hillhurst in the north and Mount Royal and Inglewood in the south. Beyond the inner city communities lie the suburban communities. Today, the majority of the city's expansion is taking place in the southern regions.
Calgary Culture
Main article: Calgary Culture
The face of Calgary is constantly changing. The recent growth has added to the traditional western culture of cowboys and saloons with ethnic restaurants, theatre and film productions.
Calgary is home to a thriving music scene that encompasses all genres from jazz and metal to electronic and folk. The Calgary Folk Music Festival is an annual event that brings folk musicians from all over the globe for three days in July.
The western culture is very much alive in Calgary, celebrated with the world-renowned Calgary Stampede and Exhibition. For 10 days in July, Calgary revives the old west in an urban setting with Canada's biggest outdoor show. The event regularly attracts visitors from all over Canada and the United States.
The increasing urban population in Calgary's downtown has led to major culture hubs. Areas such as 17th Avenue, Stephen Avenue, Kensington and Inglewood are peppered with coffee shops, ethnic restaurants and a wide variety of other shops, stores and night clubs.
The Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium is a performing arts facility in Calgary. It is home to the Alberta Ballet and the Calgary opera, among others, but continues to host productions based both in Calgary and abroad. The EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts is another institution for the arts community.
Sports and Recreation
Main article: Sports and Recreation
Calgary is renowned for its sporting culture, as well as the many recreational activities that are available both in the city and in the surrounding areas. Calgary's close proximity to the some of the best skiing conditions in the world makes it the gateway to the Rocky Mountains and their many resorts. There are over five world-class resorts within a two-hour drive of Calgary. During the summer, Calgarians flock to beautiful Kananaskis country to enjoy hiking and mountain biking. Numerous provincial and federal parks, such as Banff, offer idyllic camping sites for nature lovers.
Within the city of Calgary, there are a number of urban parks and green spaces. Calgary is also home to one of the most extensive multi-use pathways in North America that connects neighbourhoods and the urban parks together.
Calgary became the first Canadian city to host the Winter Olympic Games in 1988. The Canadian Olympic Park, as well as other facilities built for the event, continues to be used by Calgarians for leisure purposes.
Government of Calgary
Main article: Government of Calgary
Calgary is known as a conservative city at all levels of government. Federally, all eight of Calgary's Members of Parliament are aligned with the Conservative Party of Canada. The current Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, represents the Calgary riding Calgary Southwest.
At the provincial level, Calgary is assigned 23 of the 83 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Nineteen of these elected officials are from the Progressive Conservative Party, and four are members of the Alberta Liberals. The Progressive Conservatives have formed the government of Alberta continually since 1971.
Municipally, the mayor of Calgary is Dave Bronconnier, who was first elected in 2001. The Calgary City Council consists of the mayor and 14 ward aldermen. The last municipal election took place in October of 2007.
Calgary Economy
- Main Article: Industry in Calgary
The largest industry based in Calgary is oil and gas. BP, Imperial Oil and Petro-Canada are large energy companies that call Calgary home. The headquarters of the Canadian Pacific Railway is also in Calgary after their move from Toronto in 1996.
Other large employers in Calgary include Telus, Shaw Communications and Shell Canada. Calgary has a range of important industries, ranging from finance to transportation. These include technology, manufacturing, film and movie production, aerospace and creative services.
Calgary has the nation's lowest unemployment, which fluctuates between 3-4%. Of the over 1 million citizens, over 650,000 are in the labor force. This places an extreme demand on employers for skilled and unskilled workers. Calgary has faced a labor shortage for a number of years and continues to try and attract new workers to fill positions. Due to the labor shortage and the elevated cost of living, it is not uncommon for entry-level service jobs to offer employees signing bonuses and starting wages over $12/hr.
Education in Calgary
Main article: Education Overview
Primary Education
Calgary is home to four school boards that oversee the operation of over 230 elementary, junior high and senior high schools that have a collective student body of over 150,000 registered students. The four K-12 school boards are The Calgary Board of Education, The Calgary Catholic School District, the Greater Southern Public Francophone Education Region No.4 and the Greater Southern Separate Catholic Francophone Education Region No. 4.
Post-Secondary Education
Calgary is home to many publicly funded colleges, technical institutes and private colleges accredited to grant degrees1. The two largest colleges in Calgary are the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and Mount Royal College. Many other smaller colleges populate Calgary, including Bow Valley College and the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD).
The University of Calgary is the largest university in the city, with nearly 30,000 students enrolled annually. Of these students, 24,000 are in undergraduate programs and 5,500 are graduate students.
Media in Calgary
Main Article: Media in Calgary
Calgary is the media hub of southern Alberta and is home to a multitude of media outlets. This includes radio and television stations, daily and weekly newspapers, news magazines and monthly magazines.
The first media outlet in Calgary was The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate and General Advertiser (later shortened to The Calgary Herald). The Calgary Herald and Calgary Sun are the region's two major newspapers. There are also many specialty newspapers such as FFWD, a weekly music and pop culture paper, and local magazines including Avenue Magazine.
Calgary's media history continued with the 1927 launch of CKUA, the first public radio station in Canada, which operates from the University of Calgary campus. Today, Calgary has numerous radio stations ranging from talk and news to pop and rock music. These include CBC Radio One Calgary, Country 105 FM, Vibe 98.5 FM, Lite 96 FM, X92.9 FM and CJAY 92 FM.
The first television station in Calgary (and all of Alberta) was CHCT (now CICT-TV, Global Calgary), which first went to air in 1954. Prominent television stations in Calgary today are Global TV, CTV, Citytv Calgary and CBC TV Calgary.
For a full list of media outlets in Calgary, see Wikipedia's page on Media of Calgary.
Infrastructure in Calgary
Main article: Transportation in Calgary
Calgary is serviced by the Calgary International Airport (YYC), located in the city's northeast. It is used as a major cargo hub for distribution to both eastern and western Canada. Calgary International currently services flights to North American, Central America, Europe and Asia . The Canadian Pacific Railway uses Calgary as a freight shipping hub because of the city's proximity to the Trans-Canada Highway, as well as the abundance of rail lines.
Calgary has a well-developed freeway and street system, mostly based around numbers on a grid system. Major arteries such as the Deerfoot Trail and Macleod Trail do not conform to the grid system and therefore are not numbered.
Calgary Transit provides transportation in the city by way of bus and the light-rail C-Train system. There is over 800 land vehicles in operation that service over 160 routes. The C-Train consists of three lines on 42.1 kilometers (26.2 mi) of track and has 30 stations where passengers board. The city plans to extend the western leg of the track in the near future to accommodate more communities. The C-Train has over 270,000 weekly boardings.
Calgary Hospitals
Main article: Health Care in Calgary
Calgary is served by three major hospitals: the Foothills Medical Centre, the Rockyview General Hospital and the Peter Lougheed Centre . These hospitals were overseen by the Calgary Health Region until May 15th, 2008, when the nine Alberta health regions were replaced by a single "super board" called the Alberta Health Services board. This new health board is based in Edmonton.
Green Living in Calgary
Main article: Living Green in Calgary
Reducing our impact on the environment is important to Calgarians. The City of Calgary has several programs in place to help citizens achieve their green goals. Recycling, household chemical drop-off programs, leaf and grass clipping disposal and rain water collection drums are just a few of the projects initiated by The City of Calgary to help Calgarians live a cleaner life, while at the same time protecting the environment.
Issues in Calgary
Main article: Calgary Issues
Due primarily to the rapid expansion of the city of Calgary, urban sprawl has become a big issue. The popularity of suburban communities has made Calgarians the population most reliant on their cars in Canada. This has lead to infrastructure problems with the major thoroughfares, traffic congestion, and vehicle emissions.
With rapid expansion, the cost of living in Calgary has skyrocketed in past years. What once were affordable houses for first-time buyers have now risen ten-fold in price. The average starter home in Calgary starts in the mid $400,000s while condos start in the low $200,000s. However, this trend has begun to decline and stagnate since the last half of 2007.
Homelessness in Calgary is a major issue, especially in the inner city . Upon taking office, Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach has made poverty a priority concern and is currently putting a 10-year plan in place to address homelessness in the province.
