Cities of Canada
Calgary
Martynyuk Sergiy
Slukovska Inna
Symbols
History
Before the Calgary area was settled by
Europeans, it was inhabited by Pre-Clovis people
whose presence has been traced back at least 11,000
years. In 1787, cartographer David Thompson spent
the winter with a band of Peigan encamped along
the Bow River. He was the first recorded European
to visit the area, and John Glenn was the first
documented European settler in the Calgary area, in
1873. The native way of life remained relatively
unchanged until the late 1870s, when Europeans
hunted the buffalo to near-extinction. Between 1896
and 1914 settlers from all over the world poured
into the area in response to the offer of free
"homestead" land. Agriculture and ranching became
key components of the local economy, shaping the
future of Calgary for years to come. The world
famous Calgary Stampede, still held annually in July,
grew from a small agricultural show and rodeo
started in 1912 by four wealthy ranchers to "the
greatest outdoor show on earth".
City of Calgary



Calgary is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. The Calgary census metropolitan area
(CMA) is the third most diverse in Canada in terms of visible minorities after Toronto and Vancouver
when considering only CMAs with population greater than 200,000. It is located in the south of the
province, in an area of foothills and high plains, approximately 80 km (50 mi) east of the front ranges
of the Canadian Rockies. The city is located in the Grassland region of Alberta. Calgary is the third
largest civic municipality, by population in Canada, and is also an emerging global city. In the Canada
2006 Census, the city had a population of 988,193 and the CMA had a population of 1,079,310. As of the
2009 civic census, Calgary's population was 1,065,455 and the CMA had a population of 1,182,446.
Greater Calgary is the fifth largest CMA in the country after Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Ottawa.
Located 300 km (200 mi) due south of Edmonton, statisticians define the narrow populated area
between these cities as the "Calgary-Edmonton Corridor." Calgary is the largest Canadian
metropolitan area between Toronto and Vancouver.
Calgary is well-known as a destination for winter sports and ecotourism with a number of major
mountain resorts near the city and metropolitan area. Economic activity in Calgary is mostly centred on
the petroleum industry; however, agriculture, tourism, and high-tech industries also contribute to the
city's economic growth. Calgary holds many major annual festivals which include the Calgary
Stampede, the Folk Music Festival, the Lilac Festival, One Yellow Rabbit High Performance Rodeo —
Calgary's International Festival of the Arts, Wordfest: Banff-Calgary International Writers Festival,
Calgary International Spoken Word Festival, One World Festival (GlobalFest), and the fourth largest
Caribbean festival in the country (Carifest). In 1988, Calgary became the first Canadian city to host the
Olympic Winter Games, and one of the fastest long track speed skating ice rinks in the world was built
at the University of Calgary to accommodate these Games. In September 2009, it hosted the 40th
edition of the World Skills international competition.
Geography
Coordinates:



51°02′42″N 114°03′26″W
Calgary is located at the transition zone between the
Canadian Rockies foothills and the Canadian Prairies, and is relatively
hilly as a result. Calgary's elevation is approximately 1,048 m
(3,440 ft) above sea level downtown, and 1,083 m (3,550 ft) at the
airport. The city proper covers a land area of 726.5 km2
(280.5 sq mi) (as of 2006) and as such exceeds the land area of the
City of Toronto.
There are two major rivers that run through the city. The Bow River
is the largest and flows from the west to the south. The Elbow River
flows northwards from the south until it converges with the Bow
River near downtown. Since the climate of the region is generally dry,
dense vegetation occurs naturally only in the river valleys, on some
north-facing slopes, and within Fish Creek Provincial Park.
The city is large in physical area, consisting of an inner city
surrounded by various communities of decreasing density. Unlike
most cities with a sizable metropolitan area, most of Calgary's
suburbs are incorporated into the city proper, with the notable
exceptions of the city of Airdrie to the north, Cochrane to the
northwest, Strathmore to the east, and the Springbank and Bearspaw
acreages to the west. Though it is not technically within Calgary's
metropolitan area, the town of Okotoks is only a short distance to
the south and is considered a suburb as well. The Calgary Economic
Region includes slightly more area than the CMA and has a
population of 1,251,600 in 2008.
Population
70
60
50
40
30
20
Japanese
Korean
Southeast Asian
Latin American
Arabs
West Asian
South Asian
Filipino
0
Black
10
Chinese
Calgary CMA is the
third most diverse
in Canada in terms
of visible minorities
after Toronto and
Vancouver when
considering only
CMAs with
population greater
than 200,000.
Places of interest
Calgary's downtown features an eclectic mix of restaurants and
bars, cultural venues, shopping (most notably, TD Square, Calgary
Eaton Centre, Stephen Avenue and Eau Claire Market), and public
squares such as Olympic Plaza. Downtown tourist attractions
include the Calgary Zoo, the Telus World of Science, the Telus
Convention Centre, the Chinatown district, the Glenbow
Museum, the Calgary Tower, the Art Gallery of Calgary (AGC)
and the EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts. At 2.5 acres
(1.01 ha), the Devonian Gardens is one of the largest urban
indoor gardens in the world,[45] and it is located on the 4th floor
of TD Square (above the shopping). Located here is The Core
Shopping center, resident to many popular stores including Urban,
Henry Singer, Holt Renfrew and Harry Rosen. The downtown
region is also home to Prince's Island Park, an urban park located
just north of the Eau Claire district. Directly to the south of
downtown is Midtown and the Beltline. This area is quickly
becoming one of the city's densest and most active mixed use
areas. At the district's core is the popular "17 Avenue", which is
known for its many bars and nightclubs, restaurants, and shopping
venues. Attractions on the west side of the city include the
Heritage Park Historical Village historical park, depicting life in
pre-1914 Alberta and featuring working historic vehicles such as a
steam train, paddlewheel boat and electric streetcar. The village
itself comprises a mixture of replica buildings and historic
structures relocated from southern Alberta. Other major city
attractions include Canada Olympic Park, and Spruce Meadows.
In addition to the many shopping areas in the city centre, there are
a number of large suburban shopping complexes in Calgary.
Among the largest are Chinook Centre and Southcentre Mall in
the south, WestHills and Signal Hill in the southwest, South Trail
Crossing and Deerfoot Meadows in the southeast, Market Mall in
the northwest, Sunridge Mall and the newly built CrossIron Mills
just north of the city limits in the northeast.
Education





In the year 2005 roughly 97,000 students attended K-12 in about 215
schools in the English language public school system run by the Calgary
Board of Education. Another 43,000 attend about 95 schools in the separate
English language Calgary Catholic School District board. The much smaller
Francophone community has their own French language school boards
(public and Catholic), which are both based in Calgary, but serve a larger
regional district. There are also several public charter schools in the city.
Calgary has a number of unique schools, including the country's first high
school exclusively designed for Olympic-calibre athletes, the National Sport
School. Calgary is also home to many private schools including Rundle
College, Rundle Academy, Clear Water Academy, Chinook Winds Adventist
Academy, Webber Academy,Delta West Academy, Masters Academy, Menno
Simons Christian School, West Island College and Edge School.
Calgary is also home to Western Canada's largest public high school, Lord
Beaverbrook High School, with 2241 students enrolled in the 2005-2006
school year.
Calgary is the site of five major public post-secondary institutions. The
University of Calgary is Calgary's primary large degree-granting facility, and
enrolled 28,807 students in 2006.
Other post-secondary institutions include Mount Royal University, with
13,000 students, granting degrees in a number of fields; and SAIT
Polytechnic, with over 14,000 students, provides polytechnic and apprentice
education, granting certificates, diplomas and applied degrees. SAIT's main
campus is in the Northwest quadrant, just north of downtown.
Smaller post-secondary institutions include Bow Valley College and Alberta
College of Art and Design.
There are also several private liberal arts institutions including Ambrose
University College, official Canadian university college of the Church of the
Nazarene and the Christian and Missionary Alliance and St. Mary's
University College. As well, Calgary is home to DeVry Career College's only
Canadian campus.