Calgary to redneck it up for Imperial Oilers

[Cowperson]

I disagree. Redneck all the way.

Why pretend to be just another bland North American city when you have a unique brand? Its worth its weight in gold.

"It's the stereotype that in Calgary, they're all a bunch of yahoos who walk around wearing Stetsons," said Sullivan, whose father worked for Imperial Oil.

And y'all wanna be one too don't ya?!!

The Canadian Pacific move proved there's no real danger in it.

Cowperson

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Blech. Not a big fan of cowboy attire unless we're in early July. Poor idea.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

It's a pretty cool thing for Calgary to have such a big company move it's HQ here (not that we don't have a bunch already). The only problem I can see is that Imperial is essentially moving 2000 Leafs fans to Calgary. DAMNIT.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally posted by Bring_Back_Shantz@Nov 25 2004, 11:40 AM
It's a pretty cool thing for Calgary to have such a big company move it's HQ here (not that we don't have a bunch already). The only problem I can see is that Imperial is essentially moving 2000 Leafs fans to Calgary. DAMNIT.

Don't worry.. working at CP Rail taught me that they can be converted!

Former leafs fan-> <- me "Leafs bad, Flames good... Leafs bad, Flames good ..."

[transplant99]

Originally posted by Flames Draft Watcher@Nov 25 2004, 01:22 PM
Blech. Not a big fan of cowboy attire unless we're in early July. Poor idea.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Im just not sure why so many people have a hard time with the western/cowboy image.

I embrace it and was always proud of it, even though I was niether a farmer/rancher nor a cowboy. Its unique and exemplifies the ideals that all cultures would embrace. Hard work, living off the land, strong families born from working/living together in open spaces, etc.

Of course everything is no longer like that, but the heritage of the idea, indeed the tradionality of it, should be nothing to be shunned.

To each there own, I just think it's very cool for a large metropolitan city to have such a unique identity, that is truly known world wide.

[Calgary Flames]

Personally, I think Calgary has an identity of it's own aside from the Cowboy junk... Sure embrace the country lifestyle, but you rarely see Farmers in Cowboy attire...

[northernflame]

Of course everything is no longer like that, but the heritage of the idea, indeed the tradionality of it, should be nothing to be shunned.

To each there own, I just think it's very cool for a large metropolitan city to have such a unique identity, that is truly known world wide.

The wild west heritage to primarily a myth when it comes to Calgary. But, what the hay, too late to turn back now. :P

Besides, it does provide a slight economic boost for ten days every year.

I wouldn't call Calgary a large metropolitan centre, though. It's a mid-size prarie City that has the good fortune to be situated next to the Rockies and that is economically blessed.

By the way, when I travel abroad it has been my experience that people associate Calgary with being an Winter Olympic City ... rarely has anybody mentioned the Stampede when I tell them where my home town is.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally posted by northernflame@Nov 25 2004, 06:18 PM
I wouldn't call Calgary a large metropolitan centre, though.

Where does it rank in terms of metro population compared to the rest of North America?

You must have a high standard for "large".

[RougeUnderoos]

Cowboy Shmowboy. Dave Bronconnier and a bunch of suits wearing just-out-of-the-box white Stetsons isn't going to look anything but goofy.

Like fotze said, send a real cowboy. Hell, have him ride a horse into the convention center if you want to play it up, but this half-assed hat-wearing doesn't do it.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally posted by transplant99@Nov 25 2004, 06:05 PM
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Im just not sure why so many people have a hard time with the western/cowboy image.

I embrace it and was always proud of it, even though I was niether a farmer/rancher nor a cowboy. Its unique and exemplifies the ideals that all cultures would embrace. Hard work, living off the land, strong families born from working/living together in open spaces, etc.

Of course everything is no longer like that, but the heritage of the idea, indeed the tradionality of it, should be nothing to be shunned.

To each there own, I just think it's very cool for a large metropolitan city to have such a unique identity, that is truly known world wide.

Well it appears you have some positive associations with the style.

I tend to associate it with redneck, ignorance, backwardness, etc. And of course we live in a city. That means there's little to no ranches, farming, cows, etc inside the city limits. So obviously there aren't a lot of legitimate cowboys actually living IN the city, so everybody who dresses up like one is obviously fake and basically wearing a costume. Also I despise and detest country music which is associated with this image as well.

So basically I have no positive associations with it and I can see why a lot of people in Toronto would feel the same way. The only positive I really see out of it is an increased tolerance for blue jeans in our city. But I hate going to bars and hearing country rubbish played and I personally don't like being associated with a country/western image. Calgary's country/western image is defintely a negative in my book and I know I'm not alone in thinking it.

[Oxygen-Supply]

Originally posted by Flames Draft Watcher+Nov 25 2004, 06:22 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Flames Draft Watcher @ Nov 25 2004, 06:22 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-northernflame@Nov 25 2004, 06:18 PM
I wouldn't call Calgary a large metropolitan centre, though.

Where does it rank in terms of metro population compared to the rest of North America?

You must have a high standard for "large". [/b][/quote]
Toronto (Ont.) 5,202.3
Montréal (Que.) 3,607.2
Vancouver (B.C.) 2,173.1
Ottawa–Gatineau (Ont.–Que.) 1,145.5
Calgary (Alta.) 1,037.1
Edmonton (Alta.) 1,001.6

2004

http://www4.statcan.ca/survey/2004WES_Invi...n.ca/start.html

Name Adm. A E 2003-07-01
1 New York NY 18,640,775
2 Los Angeles CA 12,829,272
3 Chicago IL 9,333,511
4 Philadelphia PA 5,772,947
5 Dallas TX 5,589,670
6 Miami FL 5,288,796
7 Washington DC 5,090,435
8 Houston TX 5,075,733
9 Atlanta GA 4,610,032
10 Detroit MI 4,483,853
11 Boston MA 4,439,971
12 San Francisco CA 4,157,377
13 Riverside CA 3,642,328
14 Phoenix AZ 3,593,408
15 Seattle WA 3,141,777
16 Minneapolis MN 3,083,637
17 San Diego CA 2,930,886
18 St. Louis MO 2,739,000
19 Baltimore MD 2,616,229
20 Tampa FL 2,531,908
21 Pittsburgh PA 2,410,330
22 Denver CO 2,301,116
23 Cleveland OH 2,139,512
24 Cincinnati OH 2,047,333
25 Portland OR 2,040,258
26 Sacramento CA 1,974,810
27 Kansas City MO 1,904,908
28 San Antonio TX 1,820,719
29 Orlando FL 1,802,986
30 San Jose CA 1,734,721
31 Columbus OH 1,674,589
32 Virginia Beach VA 1,637,251
33 Providence RI 1,623,172
34 Indianapolis IN 1,595,377
35 Las Vegas NV 1,576,541
36 Milwaukee WI 1,514,313

http://www.citypopulation.de/USA-Metro.html#Stadt_gross

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally posted by fotze+Nov 25 2004, 12:11 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (fotze @ Nov 25 2004, 12:11 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Im just not sure why so many people have a hard time with the western/cowboy image.

I embrace it and was always proud of it, even though I was niether a farmer/rancher nor a cowboy. Its unique and exemplifies the ideals that all cultures would embrace. Hard work, living off the land, strong families born from working/living together in open spaces, etc.

Of course everything is no longer like that, but the heritage of the idea, indeed the tradionality of it, should be nothing to be shunned.

To each there own, I just think it's very cool for a large metropolitan city to have such a unique identity, that is truly known world wide.

I don't think it's all that unique. There is cowboy regions in every country, it's just ours that use the most typical cliche's of it. There are parts of germany where they have their own type of rural cowboy farm worker look. Montana is pretty cowboyish. Most of small town Alberta is cowboyee. Texas has a lot of yeehaww to it.

I don't mind the cowboy so much as the cheesy lame parts of cowboy culture that calgary seems to choose to display. [/b][/quote]
I dont' quite see why you think we display the cheesy images. Seems to me that we live in a city of 1 Million people, where the vast majority of us know the rules at the rodeo. If you think Chuckwagon races and Bull riding are the cheesy stereotypes, that's fine, but I think those are the types of things that are real. Not huge stupid texas style hats chicks in frilly dresses (al la texas as well). Seems to me we have a pretty down to earth cowboy image in this town, cause most of the people at the stampede (except the obvious tourists and out of towners with their jeans tucked into their boots) look an awful lot like my uncles do when they're riding and branding (and trust me, those guys are real cowboys).

[northernflame]

In terms of a North American metro area, it doesn't even rank in the top 36.

http://www.citypopulation.de/USA-Metro.html#Stadt_alpha

Two things. First, a simple ranking doesn't tell us much. If one had the time we could do a frequency distribution which would give us a better idea of where Calgary sits population wise in North America. Second, if you are talking about the city proper, then I believe Calgary would rank a lot higher.

Edited for content: Sorry for the Fata!

[Bingo]

Put me down as pro-Cowboy theme ... not many urban centers in North America have a handle or a gimmick to walk out when needed.

I'm all for it.

[browna]

I'm with T99 and CP.

If some jeans and a cowboy hat are going to scare supposedly well educated senior managers at an oil company, in such an "open minded and liberal city" like Toronto, then Imperial has some bigger problems.

If it "scares" the Imperial worker bees from the same liberal town that forced us to watch Mike Bullard and his Toronto-centric talk show, or the ghastly people on MuchMusic's Electric Circus, then good...Imperial can save the transfer costs and roll it into their salary offer to me

Western heritage is something that the city can proudly display, IMO..anytime, anywhere. If people can't handle that way the city is marketed, and can't put up with seeing the odd cowboy boot, they can leave (or in this case stay home).

Like anywhere, if they're serving free food, Torontonians won't care what they're wearing. Tell them the longest commute from the furtherst suburb to downtown is 45 mins and many of them will don some chaps themselves.

[northernflame]

Put me down as pro-Cowboy theme ... not many urban centers in North America have a handle or a gimmick to walk out when needed.

I'm all for it.

Speaking of pro-Cowboy themes, I think Ft. Worth does a much better job of it.

Have you ever been to the Old Stockyards there? It's literally like a year around Stampede.

I think Calgary should maybe try to enhance its image as the Stampede City. Make the Stampede truly the greatest outdoor show on Earth. I don't even think it's the biggest money rodeo anymore.

[lucid]

Pro-cowboy theme for me Maybe not an all-out cowboy affair, but a little bit would do nicely. I think Calgary pulls off the whole urban-cowboy thing quite well.

Do we really want to project Calgary as a year-round Stampede city? I'd say no, because this city can be (and is) much more than that.
And I believe the Stampede is still the biggest money rodeo around.

[northernflame]

And I believe the Stampede is still the biggest money rodeo around.

Not according to the promoters of the Cheyenne Frontier Days:


http://www.cfdrodeo.com/

[the_only_turek_fan]

The Cowboy look is a part of calgary's heritige.

I dont see why something like this is a bad idea. No one ever dresses like that 355 days of the year but its still something that symbolizes the city.

The one thing that is interesting is the misconception that Calgary has.

Some ppl out east think that Calgary is just a town with a bunch of redneck's that wear that kind of stuff all day, when in fact Calgary is the business capital of Western Canada, and percapita could be the business capital of Canada.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

They should mention that Calgary has more millionaires per capita than any other city in Canada.