Looking at moving back into the city - community advice sought

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by Nyah

Exactly. I used to live in Airdrie and now I'm in the deep SE and going northbound on Deerfoot at rush hour (32nd & north) is vastly worse than going south. It also has less viable options to avoid Deerfoot if there are issues.

But "5 minutes to downtown".

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Speaking of all this quadrant talk, it still kinda blows my mind that COP is in the SW.

The 4 quadrants really don't define Calgary well anymore, it as grown so much.

Aspen Grove and Silverado both in the SW. Coventry Hills and Temple in the NE etc.

Traffic reporters in this city are a real pet peeve of mine. Drives me nuts when they go on about how bad traffic it is in the SW (for example) and then go on to mention three accidents - one DT, one in Coach Hill, and one in Evergreen.

Probable many ways to split the city but in my eyes there are 6 general geographic areas:

1. central - Mcknight/Glenmore/Deerfoot/Crowchild (ish)
2. NW
3 North - north of Mcknight, east of Shaganappi, west of Deefoot
4 SW (south of Glenmore, west of McLeod (or Deerfoot)
5 SE (south of Glenmore, east of McLeod (or Deerfoot)
6 NE ( north of Memorial, east of Deerfoot)

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by greyshep

I appreciate the suggestion but we like to still have some space, and moving into an infill neighborhood is pretty counter to that desire. We are trying to find a blend of convenience and not have to worry about hitting our neighbors house with our gate when I go into our yard. Its gonna be a bit of shock in lot size change in making this move to begin with.

Also, unrelated to your post...I am kinda blown away with how many people on this board have moved that many times. Is ADHD in home ownership an actual thing? Have you guys ever calculated your real estate fee costs or maybe these previous spots were short rentals?

A couple folks have mentioned it already but if you are going to consider Varsity and your budget is pretty high definitely consider University Heights and also Saint Andrews Heights. Both are great areas when it comes to convenience and lot size. Saint Andrews will have a good mix of older, original and modern, new builds but it is going to come with a hefty price.

[IamNotKenKing]

We just moved from Altadore to Bonavista, but my kids are faaaar from leaving the nest.
We LOVE the community. It is so nice and quiet, lake is wonderful, and being north of Fish Creek, access into town is actually pretty decent. Easy to get anywhere with Bow Bottom/Deerfoot, Macleod Trail (even though I hate that road with a passion), and 14th. Stony is even close off Anderson for getting west.

I really loved Altadore as well, as the access in and out is really good with Crow and Glenmore. The north part, closer to 33rd is getting more dense, but it is super close to downtown. I would walk to 17th on pre-kid nights out, and lots of pubs in the neighbourhood. I would have stayed there, but our 3-bedroom house did not really fit the 5 of us... Houses closer to the south end and dog park still have decent yards, and really easy access to the pathway, through Sandy Beach, to the Reservoir, even to Bow River is an easy 20 minute run.

Edit:
Also, for those debating, in the good ol' days (80s and early 90s), Glenmore was the N/S divide for Southies. "Downtown" was its own entity...

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

The 4 quadrants really don't define Calgary well anymore, it as grown so much.

Aspen Grove and Silverado both in the SW. Coventry Hills and Temple in the NE etc.

Traffic reporters in this city are a real pet peeve of mine. Drives me nuts when they go on about how bad traffic it is in the SW (for example) and then go on to mention three accidents - one DT, one in Coach Hill, and one in Evergreen.

Probable many ways to split the city but in my eyes there are 6 general geographic areas:

1. central - Mcknight/Glenmore/Deerfoot/Crowchild (ish)
2. NW
3 North - north of Mcknight, east of Shaganappi, west of Deefoot
4 SW (south of Glenmore, west of McLeod (or Deerfoot)
5 SE (south of Glenmore, east of McLeod (or Deerfoot)
6 NE ( north of Memorial, east of Deerfoot)

I've always liked how the city internally breaks up the city. 8 or 9 areas generally (police kinda do it differently than everyone else) but essentially they differentiate from Downtown, N, NW, NE, W, E, SE and SW

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

I just think everyone is looking at this entirely the wrong way. It's not about the quadrants, it's about how far into those quadrants you're going. Anything north of UofC or McKnight, south of Southland, east of Deerfoot or west of Sarcee is quite simply Narnia. There might be dragons or hippogriffs or Mr. Tumnus or... whatever the case may be out there, but since I'm not a wide-eyed ten-year-old with a Turkish delight addiction, I want no truck with any of it. I certainly have no interest in living in such remote, far flung areas, thoroughly unexplored by any civilized right-thinking people. I don't even want to be associated with such people. If you live out there and you're having a party or whatever, I'm not coming. If you're my friend and you move there, well, it's been nice knowing you but you're now dead to me (and possibly literally due to aforementioned dragons).

My advice is simple: don't become one of those people. Don't risk it.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

I just think everyone is looking at this entirely the wrong way. It's not about the quadrants, it's about how far into those quadrants you're going. Anything north of UofC or McKnight, south of Southland, east of Deerfoot or west of Sarcee is quite simply Narnia. There might be dragons or hippogriffs or Mr. Tumnus or... whatever the case may be out there, but since I'm not a wide-eyed ten-year-old with a Turkish delight addiction, I want no truck with any of it. I certainly have no interest in living in such remote, far flung areas, thoroughly unexplored by any civilized right-thinking people. I don't even want to be associated with such people. If you live out there and you're having a party or whatever, I'm not coming. If you're my friend and you move there, well, it's been nice knowing you but you're now dead to me (and possibly literally due to aforementioned dragons).

My advice is simple: don't become one of those people. Don't risk it.

Don’t you live on some nondescript plot of land? I thought I remembered a post about you and your Porsche digging out some trees or something.

[Matata]

We were choosing between the Northwest and the southwest and went with the Southwest because the Ring Road was going to lead to more development which makes us think it's a better long-term investment

[Cecil Terwilliger]

The real lesson here is don’t be poor. Poor people live in such undesirable places. We can debate physical boundaries all day long, the real boundary is a financial one.

That’s why I live in roxboro. In a van. Down by the river.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

The real lesson here is don’t be poor. Poor people live in such undesirable places. We can debate physical boundaries all day long, the real boundary is a financial one.

That’s why I live in roxboro. In a van. Down by the river.

I can never understand why people havent figured this out by now.

Poor people have been treated like crap for like thousands of years of recorded history! You'd think they'd have shaped up by now!

[malcolmk14]

I haven't read all the replies in this thread yet but I'm going to put a plug in for the best neighbourhood in Calgary - Wildwood!

Great walkability, amazing access to Edworthy Park, and it's right in between the NW/SW (technically it's SW).

Your kid can get on a bike and ride through Edworthy to get to the University, and you also have all the access you need to downtown, the south, the west, and wherever else you need to go, really.

Wildwood is the best neighbourhood in the city.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by kevman

Have you considered something closer or Kensington itself?

Kensington offers good transit access to school for university for your son and he'll appreciate being close to an additional set of bars.

As your kids move out and you and your wife get your social lives back you'll have great access to restaurants and coffee shops.

Your wife will get to walk to work and your drive to Highfield down memorial and through Inglewood/Ramsay is no longer than any of the other options. (~15mins)

Good access to the river pathway system.

You said you want to move to the city so why not consider moving to the actual city?

Sorry we’re full.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

I haven't read all the replies in this thread yet but I'm going to put a plug in for the best neighbourhood in Calgary - Wildwood!

Great walkability, amazing access to Edworthy Park, and it's right in between the NW/SW (technically it's SW).

Your kid can get on a bike and ride through Edworthy to get to the University, and you also have all the access you need to downtown, the south, the west, and wherever else you need to go, really.

Wildwood is the best neighbourhood in the city.

Never heard of this Wildwood, ergo it is not the best. To try and prove it’s real do something like flood every few years so the rest of the city pays attention to you.

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Never heard of this Wildwood, ergo it is not the best. To try and prove it’s real do something like flood every few years so the rest of the city pays attention to you.

We can see your flares from the ridge when you send them up after you flood.

[you&me]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Never heard of this Wildwood, ergo it is not the best. To try and prove it’s real do something like flood every few years so the rest of the city pays attention to you.

If Wildwood floods, better get the ark.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Don’t you live on some nondescript plot of land? I thought I remembered a post about you and your Porsche digging out some trees or something.

Yes, that's correct, I typically tie a cable to my 918 and use it to rip stumps out of the ground on my acreage in Bankview. The 4 wheel drive justifies it; it's basically a utility vehicle. I mean what do you want me to do, use my Gullwing?

[Sr. Mints]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Never heard of this Wildwood, ergo it is not the best. To try and prove it’s real do something like flood every few years so the rest of the city pays attention to you.

A condo was struck by lightning and burned down in ~2011. Does that count?

Edit: nope, I'm wrong; it was Spruce Cliff. Back to obscurity, Wildwood.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by greyshep

Also, unrelated to your post...I am kinda blown away with how many people on this board have moved that many times. Is ADHD in home ownership an actual thing? Have you guys ever calculated your real estate fee costs or maybe these previous spots were short rentals?

Couple of mine were rentals I was only at for 2-3 years each, and two being my parents place(s) when I was growing up

[greyshep]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

A couple folks have mentioned it already but if you are going to consider Varsity and your budget is pretty high definitely consider University Heights and also Saint Andrews Heights. Both are great areas when it comes to convenience and lot size. Saint Andrews will have a good mix of older, original and modern, new builds but it is going to come with a hefty price.

Yeah those areas are well over our budget. I just searched University Heights and Saint Andrews Heights and those areas are a million dollar plus.

We would like to keep it under 725k if at all possible.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by greyshep

Yeah those areas are well over our budget. I just searched University Heights and Saint Andrews Heights and those areas are a million dollar plus.

We would like to keep it under 725k if at all possible.

#### housing cost are crazy