Calgary leaves cow town image in the dust

[CrzyCanuck]

http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/...-calgary_x.htm

Houston with better skiing is the way people here used to describe their city.

For energy producers, Calgary is the financing, administrative and engineering brains. Edmonton, the blue-collar Alberta capital 180 miles north, supplies the brawn: oilfield services, construction and tradesmen.

[Superfraggle]

I'm sorry...I could've sworn it said FEEL GOOD story when I clicked on the link. Maybe it's just 'cause I'm a simple country boy, but I like the cowtown image, and I don't want Calgary to become anything remotely like Houston. I hate all cities, but Calgary's definitely the best of the lot IMO, precisely because of its comparatively rural feel. We don't NEED more people. The only benefits outlined in this article are money and recognition, compared to the problems they admit:

Calgary isn't without growing pains. Residents complain that, in warmer months especially, a walk through downtown means dodging aggressive panhandlers, young drug users and large numbers of homeless alcoholics, particularly from Canada's indigenous tribes. Housing prices have shot up, and housing starts — numbering more than 12,000 a year — have led to a shortage of construction crews.

The city's infrastructure, particularly its road network, hasn't kept up with population growth. Nor has availability of medical treatment and higher education, says Allan Markin, chairman and co-founder of Canadian Natural Resources, one of the country's biggest oil companies. Suddenly, engineers and other highly skilled workers are in short supply.

[Lanny_MacDonald]

Sigh. I am sooooo homesick after reading that article. ;_;

[Neeper]

Originally posted by Lanny_MacDonald@Nov 10 2004, 05:09 PM
Sigh. I am sooooo homesick after reading that article. ;_;

I don't blame you!

Twenty percent of the city's population has arrived in the past five years. Half of Calgarians weren't here 10 years ago.

That's nuts. I was here in 1979.

[Savvy27]

Very nice article. I wish we could shake the American city label though... oh well.

Of the travelling I've done Calgary is still my all time favorite city. AND! we have the Flames.

[peter12]

I love this city alot. As Savvy said, out of about 20 or so major foreign cities I have been in, Calgary is the one place I would live in.

Just wish we could keep it more of a secret.

[Resolute 14]

Originally posted by peter12@Nov 10 2004, 04:37 PM
I love this city alot. As Savvy said, out of about 20 or so major foreign cities I have been in, Calgary is the one place I would live in.

Just wish we could keep it more of a secret.

Major cities I have been to where I would want to live: Calgary, Seattle.

Nice to visit, but never live: Edmonton, Winnipeg, Tampa Bay, Phoenix.

Unsure: Toronto, Vancouver.

[peter12]

I could have lived in Dublin or Edinburgh. Vancouver... yeah probably or Victoria.

[Thunderball]

Thats a great read... nice to get some international respect and come into our own.

Also very nice to hear someone say that our "rough around the edges" reputation is BS... just because we aren't heavily left wing.

Frankly, I don't mind the American city image... people tend to equate that with economic success.

[Table 5]

Originally posted by Superfraggle@Nov 10 2004, 05:41 PM
I hate all cities

well no wonder you want a rural feel!

but for anybody who actually lives in a city and enjoys, the past 10 years have a been a great boon to the city. the influx of people has brought along many changes, and most of them are for the positive, with additions to culture, atmosphere and a general cosmopolitan feel that we didnt have before. It is still a very friendly place, but the layers that have been added are much more interesting.

With the city just passing the million mark, it is in the midst of a jump from being a middle sized city like Winnipeg and Edmonton, and making its way towards bigger centers like Vancouer.

Personally, I think these are very exciting times for the city, and I would love to be there to experience it more!

[Kidder]

Lifestyle attractions are evident in Calgary, home to 1.1 million people

um... not yet.

They must be including the population of some surronding communities in that number, like perhaps Airdrie and Okotoks.

[The Goon]

As a 32-year Torontonian and now a 13-month Calgarian, I can say this city is better than anything I could have imagined.

[Resolute 14]

Originally posted by Kidder@Nov 10 2004, 08:23 PM
Lifestyle attractions are evident in Calgary, home to 1.1 million people

um... not yet.

They must be including the population of some surronding communities in that number, like perhaps Airdrie and Okotoks.

I believe the official metro population is around 1.1 million. Toss in the ridiculously excluded communities to the south and east, and the market area is about 1.15-1.20 million.

[Deelow]

73,000 Americans? That # seems really high no?

[Cowboy]

That sounds about right, we have the most Americans per capita


That article was unbelievably flattering to Alberta. I like it and when I e-mailed it to myself it said that it was the most viewed article along with 5 others. That is good press.

[Kidder]

Originally posted by Snakeeye+Nov 11 2004, 05:55 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Snakeeye @ Nov 11 2004, 05:55 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Kidder@Nov 10 2004, 08:23 PM
Lifestyle attractions are evident in Calgary, home to 1.1 million people

um... not yet.

They must be including the population of some surronding communities in that number, like perhaps Airdrie and Okotoks.

I believe the official metro population is around 1.1 million. Toss in the ridiculously excluded communities to the south and east, and the market area is about 1.15-1.20 million. [/b][/quote]
Really? The last I heard the city was about 950 000. Have we really surpassed a million already?

Although the rate this city grows, we could be closing in on 2 mil when I get a reply.

[Daradon]

Not sure if I like the 'American' parrallel, though I know they just mean economically. I was talking to one of my American friends today and we were talking about those little freedoms that mean so much in your life. For all their ballyhooed freedoms, we both agreed that people in Canada are 'more free' than their American counterparts.

I also wonder about the 'agressive panhandlers'. I find a lot of the panhandlers in this city are colorful people that I can usually spend some time with talking to.

I'd love to see our arts scene grow even more. It has gone by leaps and bounds in the past 10 years or so, but I think we still need have more work ahead of us in this respect to be a truly international city.

[Wolfwood]

Originally posted by Lanny_MacDonald@Nov 10 2004, 06:09 PM
Sigh. I am sooooo homesick after reading that article. ;_;

Me too.

[Cowperson]

Originally posted by Deelow@Nov 11 2004, 05:56 AM
73,000 Americans? That # seems really high no?

A front page article in the Calgary Herald last week said 80,000 Americans call Calgary home.

BBC News also did a big video piece on Alberta and the Fort McMurray oil sands earlier this week.

Cowperson

[HOZ]

Originally posted by Lanny_MacDonald@Nov 10 2004, 11:09 PM
Sigh. I am sooooo homesick after reading that article. ;_;

Why? Edmonton- Cowville corridor is like America... We appreciate freedom