Living in Calgary Geography Calgary is a prairie city of around 1 million inhabitants. It sits in a vast, brown coloured plain in Southern Alberta. The Rocky Mountains rise dramatically to the west - about an hour away by car. It enjoys long days in summer but has long nights in winter. Calgary is semi-arid - hence the brown landscape. Sitting on the prairies, it enjoys plenty of sunshine with low rainfall. Character Alberta has cowboy boots, rodeos, cow festivals, and American spellings. Its government is to the right of Canada's other provinces. Alberta has a reputation for socially conservative attitudes - some describe them as "redneck" attitudes. Business and Jobs Alberta has the lion's share of Canada's oil industry. Its reserves - in the form of oil-sands - are estimated to be twice Saudi Arabia's. Projections in 2006 show a labour shortage of 100,000 workers in the next few years. Calgary is one of Canada's wealthiest cities. Calgary continues to grow rapidly. New housing developments and infrastructure projects abound. The city's building industry is healthy with a good supply of construction jobs. Calgary's unemployment rate is 4 percent, lower than other major Canadian centres. At the beginning of 2009 Calgary's unemployment rate has remained low, despite the credit crunch and lower oil prices. Whether this will change looking forward remains to be seen. Despite the low unemployment rate, getting well-paid work has proved difficult for many migrants when they first arrive in the city. Many of Calgary's employers seem to look first for a local employee. If they can't find a suitable local employee, employers will consider employing a migrant. If you have specialist, in-demand skills in the oil and gas industry, you are less likely to have difficulties. There is no sales tax in Alberta. Shoppers in most of Canada's provinces have to add sales tax to their purchases, ranging from 7 percent in British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan to 15 percent in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Alberta and Calgary's public finances are very healthy and the standard of healthcare compares favourably with other parts of Canada. Environment and Getting Around Calgary also has some wonderful, extensive parkland with unvandalised playgrounds. The parks have attractive paths and cycle routes - especially parks on the Bow River. Calgary's public transport is reasonably good. The c-train (a light railway) is reliable and runs from the suburbs into downtown Calgary. The c-train is powered by electricity generated by windfarms. Most Calgarians prefer using their cars to public transport. City officials estimate that more than forty percent of downtown workers use the c-train regularly though. Calgary's growth has outpaced the government's ability to cope. Infrastructure is falling behind population growth. This can lead to traffic jams during rush hour. People coming from larger cities in other countries will find the traffic relatively easy. Getting around is made harder by Calgary's many traffic lights. Some drivers' habit of tailgating can also be annoying. Suburban developments have outpaced school construction. This has led to lengthy journeys for some children and overcrowding of popular existing schools. Children living in a school's zone are entitled to free bus travel if they live more than 0.8 km from their school. Where to Live in Calgary Calgary's house prices are still affordable compared with Vancouver but are now more expensive than Toronto's. The city's preferred residential areas lie in the North West and South West suburbs. These are closest to the Rockies with attractive mountain views. The South East and North East, where the airport is situated, are quite industrialised and are less favoured locations. Calgary's Negatives The long, cold winter. The rapid thaw and slush when the warm Chinook wind blows in winter. The short summer. A lack of history, historical buildings, and culture. Expensive housing compared with most other Canadian cities. Calgary's Positives Low taxes. Low unemployment. Salaries above the Canadian average. Clean and beautiful, with a modern, attractive downtown, a good-sized meandering river, and the rocky mountain backdrop. Clean air. A sunny climate - one of the sunniest in Canada - with low rainfall. Chinook winds bringing mild days in winter. Fantastic winter sports - with Canada Olympic Park. Friendly people. It's easy to "get away from it all" into a huge province with a small population. |