Looking at moving back into the city - community advice sought

[greyshep]

Hey guys,

Since we seem to have a pretty good cross section here I figured this would be an ok place to ask this. We have lived in one of the "scavenger" communities just outside the city for about 20 years. Our kids are leaving the nest and we are considering moving back into Calgary.

We have focused most of our home search in the following communities...

Canyon Meadows
Lake Bonavista
Lakeview
Varsity

Our youngest is likely to end up at either UofC or MRU and at this point intends to stay at home with us for his first couple of years to save some $$ and get free meals, lol. My wife works in the Kensington area and I primarily work from home but head office is in Highfield (just east of Blackfoot)

Any specific thoughts or rankings on the above spots?

At this point my ranking would be as follows...
1. Lakeview - close to lots of biking trails and decent proximity to both universities, good access to Glenmore and Stoney as well. House prices kinda getting ugly in there though for what you get.
2. Canyon Meadows - Fish creek park trails really close, lots of shopping nearby, drive to Universities not awesome, but tolerable. House pricing a bit more reasonable.
3. Lake Bonavista - Similar to Canyon Meadows but drive to work and school a bit furter. House pricing a bit higher. Bonus of Lake access.
4. Varsity - Different end of town altogether but cant beat convenience to UofC. We typically prefer the South over the North in general but this area could be an exception.

Sorry for the ramble but hoping to get a bit of insight from others. Is there any reason to avoid the areas I have listed?

[Slava]

Bayview. It’s Lakeview, only way better!

[Erick Estrada]

I'm going to say Varsity because Calgary south is generic prairie landscape (that may be a plus for you if you are used to it) and travel is generally worse. Much better access to University, downtown, mountains, and generally more scenic and clean. Only negatives really are the weather can be worse and the restaurant situation is better in the south.

[Northendzone]

+1 for airdrie. it is 10 minutes away from all those places you listed

[calgarygeologist]

Lakeview is great and was high on my list when buying a house but the one thing that kept me out was the access in and out of the community. Maybe it is better now on the west side but the east side is still a disaster some days. If there an issue on Crowchild or Glenmore it can be impossible to get in or out and you basically feel trapped.

I had a similar thought about buying in the south so my primary areas were Lakeview, Altadore, Garrison, Killarney, Wildwood, etc but then we crossed the river and started looking at Hillhurst and Parkdale and finally bought in Varsity. It is a great area with good homes and nice big lots. It is pretty quiet and offers lots of outdoor amenities. The new University District is great for the area for shops and restaurants. Obviously having the University and hospitals close by is a benefit. One of the only issues recently is pretty crime and theft because of the proximity to the c-train. Anytime you get close to a station it invites more people through the community. Access to downtown, or Kensington in your wife's case, is quick and easy and your work shouldn't be too bad. Getting in and out of the city is very fast and will be even better once all the ring road construction is done.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by greyshep

Hey guys,


We have focused most of our home search in the following communities...

Canyon Meadows
Lake Bonavista
Lakeview
Varsity


Sorry for the ramble but hoping to get a bit of insight from others. Is there any reason to avoid the areas I have listed?

If you say Lake Bonavista three times, Sliver will appear.

[Bigtime]

I was a NW kid growing up, so I'd lean towards Varsity (and it's better for your youngest and wife for proximity). After that I'd go Lakeview next.

[Mr.Coffee]

If you and your wife are swingers, Bonavista is definitely the place for you.

With kids the age you mention though, not sure the lake makes sense for the pricetag vs. can get similar / same home quality in Canyon Meadows for $100K less prob. I have lived in both, loved both areas (not swingers though lol). Plus then the Anderson / 14st access to MRU or U of C is better too.

[Cheese]

Varsity. Great area, great prox to the University, shopping and easy to get around.

[Jiri Hrdina]

If you are looking in LakeView, you may want to consider Garrison Woods. That's where I am and I absolutely love it.

[Table 5]

If you're considering Varsity, you may want to look at University Heights. It's a bit of a hidden neighborhood as nobody goes there unless they live there, but its perfect for UofC access, and I liked that it was walkable to the new University District, so you get easy access to some more urban elements as well. It's not a cheap neighborhood (I assume a lot of doctors live there because of hospital access) but a nice one.

Out of the other ones, my personal choice would be Lakeview for the access to the park alone.

[greyshep]

Thanks for all the replies so far. Seems Varsity is worth investigating further. I have always felt like NW roads and access are worse than the SW. Feels higher density and congested in general. Weather definitely not as mild which is a funny comment when talking about the same city.

I went to UofC and traffic always felt like a bit of a quagmire in that zone so it left a mark on me, lol. Have the roads been significantly improved over the last 20 years in that area? Also, is the pathway system as easily accessed and vast as it is in the South?

[Kybosh]

Whatever you do, don't come to Renfrew. Definitely not worth looking at.

[greyshep]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

If you and your wife are swingers, Bonavista is definitely the place for you.

With kids the age you mention though, not sure the lake makes sense for the pricetag vs. can get similar / same home quality in Canyon Meadows for $100K less prob. I have lived in both, loved both areas (not swingers though lol). Plus then the Anderson / 14st access to MRU or U of C is better too.

Ha, not swingers but to each their own I guess.

Lake access benefit would primarily be a longer future thing if our kids decide to have spawn of their own so yeah not a huge draw at this point.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by greyshep

Thanks for all the replies so far. Seems Varsity is worth investigating further. I have always felt like NW roads and access are worse than the SW. Feels higher density and congested in general. Weather definitely not as mild which is a funny comment when talking about the same city.

This rings true for me big time. Having lived in every quadrant now, until I move out of town again I'll be staying south of Glenmore and west of Deerfoot.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by btimbit

This rings true for me big time. Having lived in every quadrant now, until I move out of town again I'll be staying south of Glenmore and west of Deerfoot.

This is the way.

[Benched]

We're in the NW, and live near Varsity but couldn't afford Varsity proper. It's a nice area and for university access as others have said, it is hard to beat.

As far as roads go, I've worked down at Canyon Meadows for years, and I find the pain to get North-South (just like East-West) is awful. If you work South, live South. If you work North, live North. UNLESS you're ring road adjacent and enjoy burning fuel.

It's really pick your poison - MacLeod and Glenmore? John Laurie and Crowchild?


As others have said - NW = easier access to the mountains, but add 30-40min to go South/the States.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by greyshep

Thanks for all the replies so far. Seems Varsity is worth investigating further. I have always felt like NW roads and access are worse than the SW. Feels higher density and congested in general. Weather definitely not as mild which is a funny comment when talking about the same city.

I went to UofC and traffic always felt like a bit of a quagmire in that zone so it left a mark on me, lol. Have the roads been significantly improved over the last 20 years in that area? Also, is the pathway system as easily accessed and vast as it is in the South?

Roads have been improved over the last twenty years for sure. Crowchild is a bit better now and 16th is vastly improved between 14th Street and Bowness Road. Shaganappi has seen some improvements and so has John Laurie.

The pathway system is as accessible and extensive as any other part of the city. The only pain point is that if you leave Varsity and make your way to the river system you have a good climb to get home out of the valley.

[CliffFletcher]

Keep in mind that the SW ring road has changed the driving calculus for a lot of neighbourhoods south of the reservoir. MRU is now a 10 minute drive, and it’s much faster getting out to the mountains. Oakridge has lots of green-space, bike paths, etc and K-9 schools in walking distance.

[btimbit]

Is your kid going to be driving or taking transit to school?

I wouldn't overthink that part too much since school is just a few years and it sounds like you'll be living in this spot for quite a bit, but still another angle to think of