Calgary Community Reviews & Ratings
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Calgary, Alberta City Overview
Discover Calgary, a vibrant and dynamic city nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. As the largest city in Alberta, Calgary offers an exceptional quality of life with a strong economy, diverse culture, world-class recreation, and a breathtaking natural setting. Explore everything you need to know about living, working, and playing in this remarkable city. Click any question below to expand the answer.
Calgary is a world-class city known for its stunning proximity to the Rocky Mountains, vibrant economy, and exceptional quality of life. It is a gathering place for Calgarians and visitors alike, with a dynamic downtown core and beautiful natural surroundings . The city is served by three levels of government that work together to support the community, with the City of Calgary overseeing municipal services including water, waste, recycling, fire and public safety, parks, public transportation, and infrastructure .
Key Links: City of Calgary Official Website | Our Local Government
The City of Calgary offers several ways to get in touch with the municipal government for information, services, and support .
Contact Information:
- Phone: 311 or 403-268-CITY (2489)
- TTY: 403-268-4889
- Fax: 403-538-6111
- Email: engage@calgary.ca
- Website: www.calgary.ca
- Address: City Hall and Municipal Complex, 800 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary, Alberta T2P 2M5
Key Links: City of Calgary Website
The City of Calgary provides web tools and resources to help property and business owners access and review annual assessment information through the Assessment Search portal .
Key Links: City Online - Assessment Search
Calgary offers an incredible range of parks, recreational facilities, and programs to support active, creative, and connected living . The City of Calgary offers registered programs, drop-in activities, facility rentals, and passes for a wide variety of interests .
Recreation Programs & Services:
- Registered Programs: Fitness, arts, dance, certifications, day camps, swimming lessons, and seasonal programs .
- Drop-in Activities: Flexible activities designed to fit your busy schedule at recreation facilities across the city .
- Adaptive Programs: Programs designed to create a sense of belonging for individuals of diverse abilities .
- Facility Rentals: Indoor and outdoor facilities available for rent at affordable rates .
Parks & Outdoor Spaces:
- Parks: Green spaces for relaxation and recreation in every community .
- Off-Leash Areas: Designated parks for dogs to exercise and socialize .
- Pathways: An extensive network providing scenic routes for biking, walking, and rolling amidst natural beauty .
- Devonian Gardens: An urban oasis with botanical gardens, a living wall, and a playground .
- Athletic Parks: 13 athletic parks for sports and competitions .
Key Links: Parks and Recreation Home | Live and Play - Register for Programs
The City of Calgary offers several online resources including an Open Data Portal to facilitate sharing of information, spark innovative ideas, and foster collaboration among citizens .
City Online Resources:
- Open Data Portal: Access to City of Calgary datasets .
- Assessment Search: Property and business assessment information .
- Live and Play: Recreation program registration, drop-in schedules, and facility bookings .
- City Online: B2B and other online city services .
Key Links: City Online
Calgary's City Council approved the 2026 Budget with a focus on affordability and essential services, reducing the proposed property tax increase while investing in public safety, transit, infrastructure, and housing .
Budget Highlights:
- Tax Increase: Reduced from proposed 3.6% to 1.6% for existing residential properties .
- Tax Shift: The previously approved 1% tax shift from non-residential to residential properties was cancelled for 2026 .
- Affordability Measures: Use of $50 million in investment income to lower tax revenue while keeping reserves strong .
- Typical Residential Tax Impact: Estimated increase of 1.6% or $4.50 per month .
- Utility Rates: 3.9% increase or $5.29 per month for typical metered residential customers .
- Targeted Spending: $514 million in public safety, transit, infrastructure, and housing .
Key Links: 2026 Budget News Release
Calgary offers a comprehensive network of community support services to assist residents with housing, food access, and other social needs .
Community Support Resources:
- Access to Food: A Calgary community food map and list of food resources across the city, including low and no-cost options .
- 211 Alberta: A 24/7 helpline to connect with community, health, social, and government services. Call or text 211, or visit ab.211.ca .
- Inform Alberta: A directory to find additional information about community, health, social, and government services across the province .
Key Links: Access to Food Resources | 211 Alberta
Calgary is committed to public safety through initiatives like Community Court, which connects vulnerable individuals with support services as an alternative to punitive sanctions for minor bylaw infractions .
Community Court:
- Purpose: A diversion-style court connecting people experiencing homelessness, poverty, addiction, or trauma to supports like healthcare, food banks, and identification .
- Partners: Calgary police, bylaw, transit, Alberta Justice, and the social services sector .
- Outcomes: Since launching in 2024, approximately 1,000 people have been connected to supports, with graduates sustaining housing, employment, and sobriety .
- Expansion: City council approved a $2.7-million addition to expand the program from monthly to weekly .
Key Links: City of Calgary Public Safety
Calgary Ratings
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Quick Calgary Answers
Safety: 4/5 - Active neighborhood watch, low crime rates
Schools: 5/5 - Highly-rated public and separate schools
Housing Market: 5/5 - Diverse options from entry-level to luxury
Commute: 5/5 - 25-35 min to downtown, multiple transit options
Family-Friendly: 4/5 - Parks, playgrounds, community events
Amenities: 5/5 - Shopping, dining, recreation facilities
Diversity: 4/5 - Mix of families, professionals, retirees
Jobs: 4/5 - Local employment centers nearby
The city of Calgary stands at the point where the vast Canadian prairie meets the jagged, snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Its young, glittering skyscrapers rise out of older suburban neighbourhoods and seem oddly superimposed on this breathtakingly diverse western landscape, as though dropped from the sky onto the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers. Accordingly, the land is never far from the minds of the people of Calgary. The oil that lies beneath it drives the citys vibrant economy; the distant mountains attract legions of skiers and snowboarders during the chilly winters; and, during balmy summers, cattle roam the flat expanse of grassland, marking this out as cowboy country. Before Calgary was settled by white Europeans, it was the domain of the Blackfoot natives, whose presence has been traced back 11,000 years. The first recorded European presence in the region around Calgary took place in 1787 and by 1860 settlers began arriving to hunt buffalo and sell illegal whisky. In response, Canadas first Prime Minister sent a troop of Mounties to impose the law and make the prairie suitable for immigration. As a result of this, the sleepy little trading post of Fort Calgary was born (it was named by Colonel James Macleod after Calgary Bay on the Isle of Mull, Scotland). The settlement did not experience much in the way of population growth until the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1883 and it was not until 1894 that Calgary became a city. However, 1914 was the year that Calgary experienced its most significant development: the discovery of oil in the Turner Valley, 35km (22 miles) southwest of the city. Overnight, Calgary became a boomtown, attracting settlers and investors and generating massive amounts of money. Additional oil discoveries throughout the century saw continued growth in the city that became the administrative centre for the Canadian oil industry. As well as being the gateway to the Rocky Mountains, Calgary also grew into a tourist destination in its own right. Visitors flocked to take in the citys burgeoning cowboy culture, expressed every year in the Calgary Stampede (held formally for the first time in 1912). The Rocky Mountains and, in particular, Banff National Park, attracted thousands more who were drawn by the parks stunning alpine beauty and its famous hotel. As the popularity of winter leisure sports (such as downhill skiing and bobsleighing) increased, so did Calgarys own popularity, all culminating in the citys hosting of the XV Olympic Winter Games in 1988. Many have likened the Calgary of today to a Canadian Dallas, a comparison that is not without merit. Like Dallas, Calgary is a confident, often-brash cowboy town that grew wealthy on oil, where they play country and western music in noisy taverns and eat thick and juicy steaks in the restaurants. As an image, however, this captures only a small part of what the city and its people are actually like. Calgary is also a city of diverse and vibrant neighbourhoods, where its citizens relax in cafés, stroll the scenic streets or take in the opera, although they are just as likely to head off to the great outdoors. Its technology industries have grown immensely, diversifying the economy and making it less of a one-horse cowboy town and more of a 21st-century city.