Nicest/Worst Places In Alberta

[Berger_4_]

You're a wise one flameswin.

Or you just stay in a cheap hotel/friend's place.

[NBC]

Far be it for me to defend Brooks, AB from its apparently many critics here on CP, but I would have to say that there are many 'uglier' towns/places in Alberta than this one. The one thing that place had going for it over other areas in Southern Alberta was its irrigation capacity. This created an area of relative green inside a larger area of dry, brown, desert-like landscape. There are lots of nice trees and green spaces within the 'city' limits as well.

Having said that I don't like that place much at all. Outside of the few decent, well-irrigated green spaces and the like, lies a much more sinister presence. There's been a bad vibe with Brooks for years, and it is only getting worse. Lots of social problems there.

In terms of physically ugly places (towns) I'm surprised no one has mentioned Slave Lake, High Prairie, Oyen, Edson, Whitecourt, Hanna and my personal least favourite town - Drumheller. The area around Drum is OK but the town is an absolute pit - a real shambles.

If this thread was started to pinpoint the worst cities/towns in Alberta in terms of physical unattractiveness, then to narrow it down to just 3 is a very difficult task. In my experience there are many ugly, ugly towns in AB - more than nice ones. And the best AB has to offer (like many places) lies not in urban areas but in rural/outdoor settings. For what it's worth:

Worst:
1. City of Drumheller
2. Town of High Prairie
3. Refinery Row - NE Edmonton

Best:
1. Banff National Park
2. Dinosaur Provincial Park
3. Waterton Lakes National Park

[Hevishot]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

Do you camp in porcupine hills? We take the horses up every year. Best place to camp ever.

Yes we used to camp there during the cross country race season. Great riding great views.

[CokeMachineGlow]

1. crowsnest pass
2. banff
3. jasper

worst:
1. edmonton
2. fort mac
3. marlbrough

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by NBC

Far be it for me to defend Brooks, AB from its apparently many critics here on CP, but I would have to say that there are many 'uglier' towns/places in Alberta than this one.

While this is true, other than some areas of Edmonton and one part of the industrial area in Lethbridge, no place in Alberta smells as bad. You can smell Brooks coming from 20km in any direction.

You are right about Slave Lake though. It's a lot like Peace River - an ugly scar on otherwise wonderful scenery.

[Temporary_User]

Best:
Waterton
Banff
Lethbridge
Calgary

Worst:
The Rest

[NBC]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

While this is true, other than some areas of Edmonton and one part of the industrial area in Lethbridge, no place in Alberta smells as bad. You can smell Brooks coming from 20km in any direction.

You are right about Slave Lake though. It's a lot like Peace River - an ugly scar on otherwise wonderful scenery.

Hinton is really bad for smell. That rotten cabbage, pulp mill smell.

Don't know who decided to build Lakeside (former name) packing plant and feedlot west of a town that has predominately westerly winds. If you'd believe it, there used to be a chicken farm in the middle of town that housed upwards of 10,000 hens at any one time. Plus the milling plant about .5km from the chicken farm. Pretty bad urban design.

Yeah, Slave Lake is terrible. The town of Peace River is a miserable place too. Many terrible towns in AB that is for sure.

[frinkprof]

Worst:
Swan Hills
Valleyview
High Level
Brooks (smell)
Hinton (smell)
Edson (town itself, surrounding area is good)

Best:
Everything other than the few places mentioned above is in my good books, but if I have to pick just a few:

Calgary
Drumheller
Lethbridge
Peace River (other than the townsite itself)

[Azure]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

If you come in from the south into the forest reserve, just before you go over the cattle guard you will see an old ranch house that is half fallen down. My grandpa owned that house and a quarter section just out side the reserve.

I think I know what you're talking about. Been a while though.

I know that some rich lady from Calgary owns most of the land where we had our cows. There is a newer log-house there too.

[Azure]

Outside of the smell, Brooks and the surrounding area is really nice.

Further north towards Medicine Hat its very nice too. If you're heading north on the #3 and know the road around Medicine Hat that gets you onto the #1 heading East, that half-hour drive is very nice. A lot of nice houses/farms down that way.

Then again, Medicine Hat is a rich town.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Azure

Outside of the smell, Brooks and the surrounding area is really nice.

Besides the smell? It's awful. That's like saying "I have this little pub that's just awesome. I mean, there is a 300 pound a-hole who's there everyday, and punches me in the face everytime I show up. But other than that it's just so much fun to be there".

[valo403]

Originally Posted by flameswin

Besides the smell? It's awful. That's like saying "I have this little pub that's just awesome. I mean, there is a 300 pound a-hole who's there everyday, and punches me in the face everytime I show up. But other than that it's just so much fun to be there".

Do they have bubble hockey?

[NBC]

To be fair the smell is worse along the highway. You don't get that rotten stench wafting into the town on a daily basis. But you always drive through it when you are on the Number 1, regardless of the direction of travel.

Did no one check weather patterns and wind directions back then?

Idiots.

[PyramidsofMars]

does anyone else think they would rather stick it out and hope things get better in the Sudan than move to Brooks?

[flip]

Originally Posted by fotze

Thats a pretty blatant shot over the bow at the mods.

Do they ban a person for blatant racism or encourage the resultant feeding frenzy and the hits it would provide.

Originally Posted by flameswin

Immigrants are fine if they just blend in....

Apu: (Trying to blend in) Let's take a relaxed attitude toward work, and watch the baseball match. The Ny Mets are my favorite squadron

Originally Posted by PyramidsofMars

my god, you are such a prick.

No, no, no.

You guys are all just misunderstanding narbeZ.

He implied he only likes non-immigrants. Since everyone but native americans/aboriginals are non-immigrants he was merely pointing out how pissed off he is that all of us Europeans invaded his land 500 years ago and haven't left. You see, clearly he is just a frustrated member of our first nations community and is venting his frustrations.

He couldn't be stupid enough to come from European descent and then say that he hates immigrants. It would either mean he hates himself or it would imply that he actually just dislikes non-whites which would make him a racist ######.

/end rant



As for my list I'd say anything in or near the mountains is pretty close to the top of the list. Take your pick of any of the places listed already.

[PyramidsofMars]

Originally Posted by flip

He couldn't be stupid enough to come from European descent and then say that he hates immigrants. It would either mean he hates himself or it would imply that he actually just dislikes non-whites which would make him a racist ######.

oh boy, a whole other can of worms just opened.

A lot of white folk do not like the notion that they are immigrants. Understandable if you have a long and rich history in Canada. The reality, though, is that very few families do have a very long history in Canada. These 'real Canadians' are a small minority of the population.

but you gotta love when a second-generation Norwegian-Canadian or something rants about immgrunts TAKING OUR JAAABS!

[keratosis]

Originally Posted by PyramidsofMars

does anyone else think they would rather stick it out and hope things get better in the Sudan than move to Brooks?

Pained me to thank this but it seems true.
And no I'm not knocking the Sudanese, just Brooks.

[mykalberta]

I have never been to Brooks but to hear people talk about it wow. I wonder how worse it would be if the processing plant actually ran at capacity. My uncle ships 130 truckloads a year to that plant and the guy who owns it has asked if they could increase it to 5X that. With water rights a major stumbling block its difficult to increase the size of feedlots.

[Azure]

Picture Butte is home to Cor Van Ray's feedlots, so I'd imagine its even worse than the Brooks area.

[narbeZ]