Best Areas to Live in Calgary

[mots]

Have been living in the inner city SW for a few years.

Downtown/Beltline:

- Victoria Park/Cliff Bungalow/Ramsay: although the location is awesome and a lot things seem to be on the up and up and its on the verge of becoming the place, the drug/prostitution/homeless problem is still quite visible. Not sure how you/your gf feel about passing crackheads coming home late at night.

-Mission/Upper Mt Royal - Fairly trendy and urban and expensive. Super cool place if you like being out. The trade off is that its becoming concrete jungle/noise/cost.

- Bankview. The best blend of both worlds. Close enough to walk to 17th (or a $5 cab), and not as much noise and hussle. No homeless people living in the neighbourhood, but a lot of them still go around with shopping carts.

- Madra loop (south calgary/altadore/killarney). More of a 'settling down' place while still being inner city and enjoying some of the perks like location and being able to walk to the store and bike to work. Fairly quiet and a place were some kids are present. Lots more green space/trees. Dont get me wrong, not only families live here, but a lot of late 20's/early 30's who just dont want to put up with the negative side of living 'right downtown'.

Anything outside the core really depends on your price range. Obviously the further you move out, your conveniance to getting to the core decreases (as does the price), and the peace and quiet increases.

[shermanator]

I've owned a 2 bedroom condo in Sunalta for the last 2 years, and will have to throw the area into the mix. It is close to downtown, yet not clustered with highrises.
You can basically walk anywhere if you want. If you want to go to 17th, I’m a 10 minute walk to Morgan’s Pub, 30 min walk to the Ship. Want to go to Kensington, I’m a 20 min walk to Julio’s Barrio. The Bow River pathway is a 7 minute walk away. Liquor stores every 3 blocks if you need one (as opposed to none in Hillhurst, with Sunnyside Liqour closing down). Starbucks, Tim Hortons, Co-op, Safeway, A&W, Pizza Joints, multiple convenience stores, ethnic restaurants are all within 15 minutes walking distance. There is a train station being built with the west leg to open in 18 months, so that will add a tonne of convenience.
If you want to drive, traffic can be iffy sometimes, but that’s a part of inner city living.
And prices are much better than in Hillhurst / Sunnyside, if you’re owning anyways.

[Igottago]

Originally Posted by Jiggy

I was staying in Kits when I was going to UBC. I've never seen sooo many hot women during the summer time any where else .

Trust me that's one thing making it very difficult to leave.

[mykalberta]

I have lived in Sunnyside and now live in Crescent Heights.

Sunnyside was great, mostly because of FATS. Alot of weed smoke though if you try to walk to 10th Street, Kensington Ave etc. Very easy to get to off Memorial - I only rented but its crazy expensive to buy. I didnt notice alot of homeless and the CTrain access is great. You also get the sketchy transients that seem to infest 10th street durring the summer.

Crescent Heights is good to own in - 30 minute walk to work, 5 minute drive. The only downside is unless you really enjoy Asian cuisine (as its pretty much China Town north) there isnt much to walk to. Even though I am only a few blocks from the Safeway I will tend to drive to the North Hill or Sunnyside Safeway just to avoid the homelessness near the liquor store after crossing 16th Ave as they arent the friendliest homeless in the world. The other issue is parking, no street parking and if you live in a condo you cannot get street parking passes. Since they re-did 16th Ave its a much nicer drive, again its easy for people to find and get to.

[North East Goon]

What about the Capitol Hill area, that always seems like a nice area to live in. Access to some interesting markets like Edelweiss and close to C-Train access.

[North East Goon]

Hey dont knock Forest Lawn et. al, I see they are putting up a new chicken on the way on 17th Ave. and I dont mean the wussy/hipster 17th Ave. I mean the man's man 17th Ave. S.E. where you carry a sword to and from shops! Where you can still purchase a confederate flag out of a truckvendor on the side of the street!!!

[Igottago]

Thanks for all the replies. While I know its going to be tough to replicate some of the great things that Kits has going for it, its going to be kind of cool to re-explore some of the character communities that Calgary has to offer. I don't need a place right away so I'll take a couple of months to figure out exactly where I want to be.

[Jordan!]

I could only live West of Sarcee in Calgary.. anywhere there is the best in town.. which is why I re-located as prices there sky rocketed.

My Studio Loft in Scottsdale would cost me 3X as much in West Springs which to me is ridiculous.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

I could only live West of Sarcee in Calgary.. anywhere there is the best in town.. which is why I re-located as prices there sky rocketed.

My Studio Loft in Scottsdale would cost me 3X as much in West Springs which to me is ridiculous.

Thanks for contributing absolutely nothing to the topic. I enjoyed hearing about your day big guy

[Addick]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

I've lived in the NE for 31 years, and I can tell you that the NE is a great place to live.

Close to shopping and other amenities, relatively quick to get downtown, and to many different parts of the city, diverse population, close to Airport, etc. I can't think of any other area of town that I would rather have lived.

By FAR, the most underrated part of town.

I have absolutely no love for the typical Post-WWII suburb but the diversity and inclusive nature of the NE (centred around Rundle) made suburbia almost bearable for me. I would have left Calgary a lot sooner than I have if my father decided to buy a house in a different quadrant. The cultural experience of walking through an apartment complex on my way to the train station is unrivalled by those found in other similarly designed Calgary suburbs outside of the NE.

That being said, if I were to move back to Calgary I'd definitely live in the inner-city. I'd be on a different timeline so my choices would be The Bridges, East Village, and Garrison Woods, but if it were in the near future I'd fancy Bunk's hood of Lower Mount Royal.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

I could only live West of Sarcee in Calgary.. anywhere there is the best in town.. which is why I re-located as prices there sky rocketed.

My Studio Loft in Scottsdale would cost me 3X as much in West Springs which to me is ridiculous.

To live there now and work downtown means at least a 30-40 minute commute. Access to the rest of the city is still an issue.

Having lived in that area for 20 or so years, then downtown, now Inglewood, and soon Renfrew, I can't say enough about living near the core. Easy access to downtown, airport, deerfoot, etc..

The only thing that I find to be an issue is getting to the extreme NW or SW, because you still have to traverse most of the city to get there, and usually through choke points.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by troutman

You can judge a community by the people at the local Safeway.

For example,

Hillhurst/Sunnyside Safeway - the "singles safeway". Customers routinely check the ring fingers of other shoppers. Perhaps the most diverse collection of people at a Calgary safeway. Hippie bohemian kids, mods and punks lurk outside the main entrance. Yuppie women with young children, students, and seniors. Women in lulu lemon gear on their way to yoga or bootcamp. Artists. Hobos. All ethnicities. The store is staffed by many employees with special needs.

Aspen Safeway - "the trophy wife safeway". This is an affluent community, and it shows. Gorgeous women in their 40s, with stylish fashion and flashy jewelry. Most drive BMW SUVs.

Describe your Safeway . . .

Kitsilano West 4th Safeway: Drool.....

More gorgeous 20 somethings than any bar scene. Grocery shopping at it's best!

Originally Posted by Jiggy

I was staying in Kits when I was going to UBC. I've never seen sooo many hot women during the summer time any where else .

I spend many summer days sitting on my 2nd floor balcony on West 4th, just watching women walk by with a nice cold beer in hand and something good on the bbq. paradise!

[North East Goon]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Kitsilano West 4th Safeway: Drool.....

More gorgeous 20 somethings than any bar scene. Grocery shopping at it's best!


I spend many summer days sitting on my 2nd floor balcony on West 4th, just watching women walk by with a nice cold beer in hand and something good on the bbq. paradise!

One hand on a cold beer and the other on a weiner!

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Kitsilano West 4th Safeway: Drool.....

More gorgeous 20 somethings than any bar scene. Grocery shopping at it's best!


I spend many summer days sitting on my 2nd floor balcony on West 4th, just watching women walk by with a nice cold beer in hand and something good on the bbq. paradise!

[Otter and Mrs. Wormer are in the supermarket vegetable section]
Eric 'Otter' Stratton: Mine's bigger.
[Marion looks questioningly at him]
Eric 'Otter' Stratton: My cucumber. It's bigger. I think vegetables can be very sensuous, don't you?
Marion Wormer: No, vegetables are sensual. People are sensuous.
Eric 'Otter' Stratton: Right. Sensual. That's what I meant. My name's Eric Stratton. People call me Otter.
Marion Wormer: My name's Marion. People call me Mrs. Wormer.
Eric 'Otter' Stratton: Oh, we have a Dean Wormer at Faber.
Marion Wormer: How interesting. I have a husband named Dean Wormer at Faber. Still want to show me your cucumber?