Calgary's bedroom communities... where would you want to live? - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Rerun · 06-22-2009, 04:09 PM

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?

Dion · 06-22-2009, 04:12 PM

Quote:

High River?.... IMO it doesn't have the redeeming features that Okotoks has and its too far from Calgary (if you work in Calgary)

Too far?

20 minutes from my door to the city limits.

Rerun · 06-22-2009, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dion

Too far?

20 minutes from my door to the city limits.

I think 20 minutes is stretching it a bit because technically the Calgary's city limits are pretty far south (I forget exactly what avenue)

Anyways its 30 kms from where I will be living in Okotoks to where I work (near Princess Auto in the SE)

I agree though, that High River really isn't that much further (17 kms further to be exact)... it just seems a lot futher...

Dion · 06-22-2009, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rerun

I think 20 minutes is stretching it a bit because technically the Calgary's city limits are pretty far south (I forget exactly what avenue)

I'm talking from my place to the set of lights opposite Safeway and the big box stores

4X4 · 06-22-2009, 04:25 PM

Turner Valley has got to be one of the ugliest little towns I've ever seen.

Dion · 06-22-2009, 04:28 PM

Nanton might be a bit too far but it has a great golf course and the Lancaster Air Society Museum.

Rerun · 06-22-2009, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dion

I'm talking from my place to the set of lights opposite Safeway and the big box stores

Was in High River 3 weeks ago. Thought it was a so so type of town... not bad but not terrific. Didn't think its as nice looking as Okotoks.
What is the appeal that it has to you?

troutman · 06-22-2009, 04:32 PM

Metro Millarville.

Table 5 · 06-22-2009, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dion

Too far?

20 minutes from my door to the city limits.

Which is only significant if you work in the southern city limits! Which last time I checked were bordering on Montana...

Fozzie_DeBear · 06-22-2009, 04:34 PM

Redwood Meadows...the poor mans Bragg Creek

If not there then Water Valley? Exshaw?

troutman · 06-22-2009, 04:38 PM

Once the ring-road is punched through Weaselhead, travel time to Millarville/Turner Valley/Black Diamond, could be reduced by about 10 - 20 mins from SW Calgary.

Dion · 06-22-2009, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rerun

Was in High River 3 weeks ago. Thought it was a so so type of town... not bad but not terrific. Didn't think its as nice looking as Okotoks.
What is the appeal that it has to you?

Having a hospital was a huge appeal to me. No more trips to Calgary hospitals and massive waiting times should there be an emergency. Flameswin will attest to the very short waiting time for emerg here.

No big box retailers was an added bonus too. That and the slower pace of life. A good mixture of retirees and families.

Recreation facilities are cheap. I pay $90 for 3 months at the local gym here.

Dion · 06-22-2009, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Table 5

Which is only significant if you work in the southern city limits! Which last time I checked were bordering on Montana...

Or you use the southern end of the LRT to get downtown.

4X4 · 06-22-2009, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fotze

Definitely Bragg Crack, Cochring would be second. All the others would be never. Possibly an acreage but that doesn''t interest me very much.

I don't know how some of you guys do it. From one of these towns to DT Calgary in rush hour? I'd rather get waterboarded. Now if you work in one of the little business centers on the edge of town, or if you work different hours, that's a different story, but still not a lifestyle that would ever work for me personally.
But if I ever had a change of heart, I'd agree with fotze. Bragg Creek or Cochrane are about the only places I'd consider. Possibly Chestermere. No way in hell to the other options.

Antithesis · 06-22-2009, 04:55 PM

I'd love to live in the Millarville area, to own some land out there. Unfortunately, I'm sure that would require lottery-type resources ... but a guy can dream.

photon · 06-22-2009, 04:58 PM

No Chestermere?

Chestermere is a true bedroom community, in that we don't even have pretensions of being an actual separate town

But I like it out here. The only reason I wanted out of the city was the quiet and be away from the hustle. But I still wanted to be close enough to go shopping, entertainment, etc..

Chestermere is 5 minutes from Calgary, already very accessable to Calgary. When the ring road is done it'll be even better. Close enough to Strathmore to go there for WalMart and the Hospital and other stuff to avoid the crush of Calgary.

Only fault is it's on the wrong side of Calgary to drive to the mountains, have to add a half hour to get across Calgary, but that's the case for half of Calgary already.

And there's the lake.. not a very big one, but it's still a lake.

Resolute 14 · 06-22-2009, 05:49 PM

Chestermere is going to get annexed within a half decade, imo.

Langdon is a town that doesn't even pretend to be a town. It's just a housing subdivision in the middle of nowhere.

I like Airdrie and Cochrane, but wouldn't want to live in either if I was working downtown or in the south half of the city - Calgary's transportation system is inferior in the north.

Suzles · 06-22-2009, 05:52 PM

I want to live in de Winton - sadly because that is part of my surname and I would like to be Queen of all I survey (well, in my dreams) and I want to be on an acreage with lots of rescued animals and de Winton looks very nice!

troutman · 06-22-2009, 06:31 PM

Canmore is 45 minutes to the city limits in good weather.

Madman · 06-22-2009, 06:45 PM

Good analysis of all those towns.

My wife and I did the same thing 3 years ago and chose Okotoks, and have never regretted it.

I agree with the comment on High River - it may not technically be that much further, but even driving down there from Okotoks seems really far, (either way)....its hard to explain. Plus, the town seems really split into areas and not really one town to me.

We built a house in Langdon right on Boulder Creek golf course a couple years ago and after it was built, we just couldn't justify moving out there. Brutal roads and really zero amenities.

There are some nice new locations in Turner Valley or even some stuff in the south of Black Diamond, but driving time comes in to play if you are commuting.