nice areas to live in calgary and surrounding area??

[riccosuabe]

me and my family are crossing the pond within the next 2 years and we want to know what areas to look at real estate. everyone weve spoke too said nw and sw only,but they also said "south" south east but we dont know how far down people mean?the main areas we have looked at are okotoks,airdrie and cochrane but if the right area and property arose in calgary (at least 25 mins away from the downtown core)we'd look into that.i have 3 kids so we want a safe family area,and one where we dont have to worry about break ins and stuff.any input would be great thanks

[Danger]

Edmonton LOL!

[riccosuabe]

we were there last year,not my cup of tea at all

[vakker]

we were there last year,not my cup of tea at all

but Calgary is?

a redneck brit?

[riccosuabe]

but Calgary is?

a redneck brit?

nah,just didnt really feel for it.we visit calgary about twice a year and i spent 2 years in wainwright with the army and calgary was my weekend of choice and its always been the place we like the most.from what ive experienced of calgary i would hardly say it was "redneck". to me its just a nice city close to the rockies

[CMoney]

Lake Sundance. Close to Okotoks. Established lake community with houses in every price range, close to Fish Creek Park, close to 22X so you can nip out to Bragg Creek, Kananaskis Country, Banff in no time flat. Down to earth, unpretentious community. I love it!!! :D

[GYMBRAT]

Sylvan Lake!!! booooyeah awesome place to raise kids!!

[BIGABOY]

I liked SE calgary, Mckenzie town or mckenzie lake lots of good bars, school parks, close to down town, but i just moved to cochrane and i love small town everything is in 15 min drive

BIGA

[riccosuabe]

thanks you guys will look into them,what about airdrie?we like cochranes appeal as its not to far from calgary but is far enough away to be out of the city if you know what i mean,but airdrie seems the same but the houses are way cheaper?

[CMoney]

thanks you guys will look into them,what about airdrie?we like cochranes appeal as its not to far from calgary but is far enough away to be out of the city if you know what i mean,but airdrie seems the same but the houses are way cheaper?

Airdrie is okay, but wouldn't be my first choice. I've lived in just about every surrounding area (one of the exes was a ranch hand, so we moved around a lot): Cochrane (out in the Wildcat Hills), great but has grown LOTS, just like Okotoks and Airdrie; Dewinton, nice but pricey; Strathmore, nice but flat and a ways off the beaten track. If you like hills and trees, stick to west of the city. As you go east, it's much flatter and more prairie-like.

Can be pricey, but the most gorgeous spots are anything along the Cowboy Trail, if you're wanting the country lifestyle (this is the best of Alberta in IMO):
http://www.thecowboytrail.com/map.html

[Houstonbc]

prittace is very nice

[cog]

prittace is very nice

You must mean Priddis.Yes.Far SE is good ricco.Nothing north of Glenmore on the east side.Airdrie is a fair bit cooler and more snow.Same for the NW,higher elevations really are much colder in Calgary in the winter.Strathmore is incredibly dull.Cochrane colder as well.Okotoks is ok.Lots of nice places if money is no problem.:)

[riccosuabe]

Airdrie is okay, but wouldn't be my first choice. I've lived in just about every surrounding area (one of the exes was a ranch hand, so we moved around a lot): Cochrane (out in the Wildcat Hills), great but has grown LOTS, just like Okotoks and Airdrie; Dewinton, nice but pricey; Strathmore, nice but flat and a ways off the beaten track. If you like hills and trees, stick to west of the city. As you go east, it's much flatter and more prairie-like.

Can be pricey, but the most gorgeous spots are anything along the Cowboy Trail, if you're wanting the country lifestyle (this is the best of Alberta in IMO):
http://www.thecowboytrail.com/map.html

dont wanna be right out there but close to both,i was just wondering why not airdrie?

[riccosuabe]

You must mean Priddis.Yes.Far SE is good ricco.Nothing north of Glenmore on the east side.Airdrie is a fair bit cooler and more snow.Same for the NW,higher elevations really are much colder in Calgary in the winter.Strathmore is incredibly dull.Cochrane colder as well.Okotoks is ok.Lots of nice places if money is no problem.:)

thanks cog,i was wondering where the line was where it got rubbish

[cog]

dont wanna be right out there but close to both,i was just wondering why not airdrie?

Airdrie is ok,just expect a lot more snow.Seems to be the dividing line.A little colder.

[CMoney]

As far as Airdrie, it's just "okay." LOL. Nobody raves about it because it's like so many other towns built adjacent to the QE2 (the major north/south hwy in Alta.).

It's just not my favorite place. There have been a number of teen suicides there over the years. That probably means NOTHING, but I tend to like or dislike the "vibe" of a place, and Airdrie's, while not awful, just isn't at the top of my list.

Sorry for being such a girl!! LOL

[Memo]

i live in bridgeland, and its not safe, its filled with crackhead and people drinking mouthwash

[riccosuabe]

As far as Airdrie, it's just "okay." LOL. Nobody raves about it because it's like so many other towns built adjacent to the QE2 (the major north/south hwy in Alta.).

It's just not my favorite place. There have been a number of teen suicides there over the years. That probably means NOTHING, but I tend to like or dislike the "vibe" of a place, and Airdrie's, while not awful, just isn't at the top of my list.

Sorry for being such a girl!! LOL


what about crime etc,is it a safe community?

[cog]

what about crime etc,is it a safe community?

Crime could happen anywhere.NE Calgary is where your kids might have to toughen up.

[riccosuabe]

Crime could happen anywhere.NE Calgary is where your kids might have to toughen up.

i just meant is it notorious for break ins,drugs etc or as a whole is it quite a quiet community?as you see on the news all that sort of stuff happens in the same kinds of areas but ive never heard airdrie get mentioned?and isnt it far enough away from ne calgary to not have to worry about the deadbeats of ne?im not expecting to live in a place where crime never happens as your gonna get that everywhere,hell where i live now is rough as dogs,but preferably we want to be somewhere where crime isnt that much of a concern

[cog]

Airdrie I would say is a fairly quiet bedroom community.Most "crime" will be teenagers doing something.

[riccosuabe]

cheers cog that sounds ok to me then

[Damonic]

I was raised in ne Calgary. Most shootings were asian drug dealers killing each other. Im not asian or a drug dealer so I never worried. I moved to Edmonton but if I were to move back to Calgary Id go NW. Country Hills or Panorama Hills. reasonable prices, nice homes. Edgemont is nice but more $$$. Airdrie is alright I have a few friends that live there. Theres 2 SE. Ghetto forest lawn SE and MacKenzie, Douglasdale SE. Stay away from Forest Lawn lol. Any neighborhood that has a pawn shop next to a liquor store is hurting.

[riccosuabe]

I was raised in ne Calgary. Most shootings were asian drug dealers killing each other. Im not asian or a drug dealer so I never worried. I moved to Edmonton but if I were to move back to Calgary Id go NW. Country Hills or Panorama Hills. reasonable prices, nice homes. Edgemont is nice but more $$$. Airdrie is alright I have a few friends that live there. Theres 2 SE. Ghetto forest lawn SE and MacKenzie, Douglasdale SE. Stay away from Forest Lawn lol. Any neighborhood that has a pawn shop next to a liquor store is hurting.


cheers damonic,just had a quick look at some of the real estate in pan and country and looks good,are those areas known for being good "family communities"?they look quite close to NE ghettos?

[macka]

I spent a few weeks in high river about a month and a half ago. Nice area, not far from cowtown and the okotoks.

on a side note were you with the green jackets?

[cog]

I was raised in ne Calgary. Most shootings were asian drug dealers killing each other. Im not asian or a drug dealer so I never worried. I moved to Edmonton but if I were to move back to Calgary Id go NW. Country Hills or Panorama Hills. reasonable prices, nice homes. Edgemont is nice but more $$$. Airdrie is alright I have a few friends that live there. Theres 2 SE. Ghetto forest lawn SE and MacKenzie, Douglasdale SE. Stay away from Forest Lawn lol. Any neighborhood that has a pawn shop next to a liquor store is hurting.

Panorama Hills has had it's share of grow-ops and home invasions,iirc.I would never include McKenzie Towne and Douglasdale? of all places with Forest Lawn.

[cog]

If it means anything I have noticed quite a few Brits in the Okotoks-High River area.Your kids can actually swim in the rivers there.

[Danger]

I lived literally next door to Chinook mall and thought the area was awesome aside from idiots getting hit by the LRT on a daily basis over there.

[cog]

I lived literally next door to Chinook mall and thought the area was awesome aside from idiots getting hit by the LRT on a daily basis over there.

Likely that drop-in center for men behind the Home Depot.

[riccosuabe]

I spent a few weeks in high river about a month and a half ago. Nice area, not far from cowtown and the okotoks.

on a side note were you with the green jackets?

nah,royal marines mate

[ironwill]

Lots of brits in Cochrane, they even have their own store for brit treats and foods......
IMO, cochrane is the best bang for buck, and easy access to anywhere, either city or mountains....Virtually no crime there at all, and some good old fashioned values and lots of farm folk in the area...I have some friends living there, and it is a great little community, it has grown in the last while, but still great folks and great locatioon.....Good sports and schools!!!

[riccosuabe]

Lots of brits in Cochrane, they even have their own store for brit treats and foods......


f**k that,im trying to get away from the british crap(and the people haha),its terrible!!give me a 7 eleven and taco bell anyday and im good to go haha!!

oh and.........tony romas,wendys,red lobster,joey tomatoes and moxies too!!!mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[natenator]

I love moxies. But not because of the food lol

[Damonic]

Every area in calgary has grow houses. Everyones growing weed lol. Panorama and country hills is across the number 2 highway from the ne ghettos. Forest lawn is bad se, douglasdale is good se.

[riccosuabe]

I love moxies. But not because of the food lol

is it because of the poon??lol

[Clay]

me and my family are crossing the pond within the next 2 years and we want to know what areas to look at real estate. everyone weve spoke too said nw and sw only,but they also said "south" south east but we dont know how far down people mean?the main areas we have looked at are okotoks,airdrie and cochrane but if the right area and property arose in calgary (at least 25 mins away from the downtown core)we'd look into that.i have 3 kids so we want a safe family area,and one where we dont have to worry about break ins and stuff.any input would be great thanks

I have lived in Calgary for some time (+20 years) so I can give you an honest and rather descriptive understanding of pretty much every neighborhood in the city.

First you should understand the separate sectors. Calgary is basically in four quadrants: NE, NW, SE, SW. A very general opinion on these neighborhoods is as follows:

NE- Generally, older part of the city, with new outlying suburbs. Lots of people actually call this the “ghetto” of the Calgary, which is funny because while it is rougher than most other parts of town it is far from it. I grew up here, went to elementary – high school. Higher than average ethnic population. Didn’t think much of it at the time because I thought it was the norm, but since I moved, I can say that the level of violence in the area is higher than average. Since you mentioned you are moving with your family, while it’s not that bad, you do have better options.

NW- Split up in the older part (closer to downtown), and newer suburbs (Country Hills, Panorama Hills etc.). Both areas are nice. The closer you move towards downtown the higher the price goes, and the older/smaller the house gets. These houses are nice, and for the most part is a good place to live.

SE- This area is tricky. Basically, stay away from the areas that just cross over from the NE into the SE (Dover, Forest Lawn etc.) If you wanted to peg a real “ghetto” of Calgary, this is it. High gang and wanna-be thug population here. If I was moving with a family, I would not move here.
Now, in comparison, the newer part of the SE (Mackenzie Town, Mackenzie Lake, Cranston etc.) is very nice, and not logistically near to the sketchy part of SE. Trade off here is it is extremely far from downtown, so I guess it depends on if you are working downtown, driving etc. I would move here if I either was not working downtown, or if I could drive everyday.

SW- Pretty much your SW option you can’t go wrong. SW closer to the east you have Evergreen, Lake Chaparral, Silverado etc. All newer communities and great for a newer family. Once again, far from the downtown core, so transit sucks, except if you’re close to the c-train line. As you move more to the west the higher the house price gets basically. Examples of further west areas, surrounding West Hills (Richmond, Springbank, Cougar ridge etc.), all are nice houses, close to schools stores etc. This area is good for transit, and actually has a new c-train line being installed.

Like I said, that is a very general description of the areas without being too biased. If I were to move, I would move to SW, newer NW communities, newer SE communities. I would not move to the NE, nor inner SE. So remaining questions to refine your search is: newer house? Close to downtown? Close to schools, and MOST important is price point. If you can let me know those I can suggest more.

I don’t have any affiliation with the following site, but I know Calgary MLS is extremely user unfriendly. I found this guy who links MLS to his site by area. Each area you can see his description, average hour price etc.

http://www.jimsparrow.com/


Hope that helps.

-Clay

[macka]

I love moxies. But not because of the food lol

I always get the fat waitress ask Short Dave