[Rerun]

If you didn't want to live in the big city (Calgary) anymore, where would you prefer to live?

Airdrie?
Strathmore?
Cochrane?
Langdon?
Okotoks?
High River?
Turner Valley/Black Diamond?
Bragg Creek?
Chestermere?



I've never liked Airdrie since I first moved to Calgary in 1978. There just anything that appeals to me about the town. Doesn't have much character. Just one big industrialized strip along Hwy 2. Soon you won't be able to tell where Calgary ends and Airdrie starts.. Only redeeming feature I can think of is housing prices are cheaper than Calgary and if you work in the North East end of Calgary, commuting time is reasonable. Work anywhere else and prepare for Rush Hour Hell on the Deerfoot.

Strathmore is even less appealing than Airdrie... same with Langdon. Farther from the mountains than Calgary. Just towns stuck in the middle of the prairie with no redeaming features, as far as I can see, other than cheaper housing than just about anywhere else, close to Calgary.

Cochrane is nice since its closer to the mountains. The only problem is that it has a huge rail yard running right through the center of town as well as a saw mill smack dab in the center too. The main street is quaint... but the rest of the town?.... meh. House prices here are also the most expensive of any of the bedroom communities.

Okotoks works for me. The town looks nice when you enter it from any direction. Its small enough (23,000) to have that small town feel, yet big enough to have all the major stores for convenient shopping. Its just as close to the mountains as Calgary. Very easy access to Calgary via either McLeod Trail or Deerfoot. I like the fact that Hwy 2 or any other major hwy doesn't go through the middle of town, as is the case in some other communities.

High River?.... IMO it doesn't have the redeeming features that Okotoks has and its too far from Calgary (if you work in Calgary). Quieter than Okotoks. Older demographics. Retail areas seem to be disjointed. Slower population growth than other bedroom communities? More agricultural orientation.

Black Diamond/ Turner Valley? ... Turner Valley has a great little golf course and Black Diamond has a terrific bar. Black Diamond is a nice looking little town... Turner Valley ... meh... not that great looking. Great location(s). ... but still a little too far from Calgary for my liking. Real small town feel to these two communities.

Bragg Creek... would love to live there if I could afford it ($$$)... even if its a fair distance from Calgary. Great scenery, a couple of nice bars, some good restaurants, nice golf courses... very nice all around.

Chestermere... lots of upscale housing. Not much retail that I know of. Located on the wrong side of Calgary... when entering Calgary from Chestermere, first thing you see is the NE or Forest Lawn. There's a lake (really a just a big slew by Ontario or BC standards) that is very popular for boating. Nice golf course. Easy commute to Calgary. As far as I know, not too much to do there if you're not into boating.

Did I miss any where else thats significant?