Calgary
Calgary 
/шkhæ)g(ш) expressed/ (?·i) is the largest city in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in a region of hills and highlands, approximately 80 km east of the Rocky Mountains. Third city of Canada in terms of population, according to the 2011 census, had 1 096 833 inhabitants. The estimated population of its metropolitan area was 1 214 839 inhabitants (see Calgary Region), making it the fifth largest in Canada. The Calgary-Edmonton Corridor is the most populous urban region after Toronto and Vancouver. The Gentile in English for the inhabitants of Calgary is «Calgarian».
Calgary's economy is largely centered on the oil industry, although agriculture, tourism, and high technology also contribute to the city's rapid economic development. It is also a well-known destination for being a place to practice ecotourism and winter sports: important vacation spots are located near the city and in 1988, Calgary became the first Canadian city to host the Winter Olympic Games. Calgary is also the host to several annual festivals, including the Calgary Stampede, Calgary Folk Music Festival, Lilac Festival, GlobalFest and the country's second largest Caribbean cultural festival, Carifest.
Calgary has ranked quite high in some quality of living surveys, such as the Mercer Quality of Living survey, which ranked Calgary 25th in 2006 and 32nd in 2012. More recently, The Economist Intelligence Unit's report for 2012 and 2013 noted that Calgary along with the Australian city of Adelaide tied for fifth place as the best place in the world to live. In addition, the study "Best Places to Live in Canada in 2013" conducted by Money Senses, ranks Calgary as the number one city overall. The city was also rated as the cleanest in the world in a survey conducted by Forbes magazine in 2007.
Toponymy
Its name comes from a beach located on the Isle of Mull, in Scotland. Also, the official name of the city in Scottish Gaelic is Calgarraidh.
Nicknames
- «Cowtown» (Vaquera City);
- «The Stampede City» (the city of stampede);
- «The Heart of The New West» (The Heart of the New West);
- «Gateway to the Rockies» (The Rocosa door).
History
Colonization
The Calgary area was inhabited by members of the pre-Clovis culture, whose presence dates back more than 11,000 years. Before the arrival of Europeans, the area was inhabited by native peoples such as the Blackfeet, the Kainai, the Peigan, and the Sarsi, peoples who were part of the Blackfoot Confederacy. In 1787, cartographer David Thompson wintered with a group of Peigan Indians who were camping along the Bow River; first European to visit the site. In 1873, John Glenn became the first European to settle in the region.
The site became a post for the North West Mounted Police (today the Royal Canadian Mounted Police). The Mounted Police establishment was tasked with protecting the western plains from the whiskey sellers from the United States. Originally called Fort Brisebois, after officer Éphrem-A. Brisebois of the Mounted Police, the town was renamed Fort Calgary in 1876, due to Brisebois's questionable behavior. But it was Colonel James Macleod who named the town after a beach on the Isle of Mull, Scotland (Cala-ghearraidh, Pasture Beach).
In 1883, the Canadian Pacific Railway arrived in Calgary. The Canadian government, seeking to populate the central region of the country, until then sparsely populated, offered free land to individuals and families who wanted it. This attracted immigrants from the United States and, to a lesser extent, Scots and Irish. Several Chinese workers, who made up much of the work force building the railroad, also settled in the settlement, and Calgary began to develop into an important commercial and agricultural center. Today, the official headquarters of the Canadian Pacific Railway is still in the city.
Calgary officially became a township in 1884 and elected its first mayor, George Murdoch. In 1894, Calgary became the first city in what was then the Northwest Territories.
The oil boom
In 1902 oil was discovered in Alberta, but it was not until 1947 that the oil industry began to acquire significant importance, when important reserves were discovered; consequently, Calgary became the center of an oil boom. Its economy grew when oil prices rose after the 1973 Arab oil embargo. The population increased by 272,000 in the eighteen years from 1971 (403,000) to 1989 (675,000), and by another 335,000. in the eighteen that followed (up to 992,000 in 2006). The city center, until then dominated by low-rise buildings, began to fill with skyscrapers, a trend that continues today.
Calgary's economy was so tied to the oil industry that the city's expansion peaked just as the price of oil also reached its record high in 1981. The subsequent decline in the price of oil and the introduction of National Energy Program by the liberal federal government of Pierre Elliott Trudeau are the reasons given by the oil industry for the collapse of the industry, and consequently, of the city's economy. The National Energy Program is abolished in the mid-1980s by the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney; however, relatively low oil prices prevented a full recovery of the local economy until the 1990s.
Contemporary history
Since the energy sector is responsible for most of Calgary's jobs, the consequences of the recession of the 1980s were enormous. The unemployment rate skyrocketed. Towards the end of the decade, however, the economy began to show signs of recovery. The city realized that it could not be dependent on the oil and gas industry and therefore, economically and culturally, has diversified ever since. The recession period marks Calgary's transition from a medium-sized city to a cosmopolitan and diversified urban center. This culminated in February 1988, when the city hosted the XV Winter Olympic Games. The success of these Games heralded Calgary's entry onto the world stage in terms of political, economic, and sporting events.
Calgary's and Alberta's economies are booming today, and the region, home to about 1.1 million people, is experiencing some of the fastest population expansion in the country. The gas and gas industry Oil accounts for most of the economy, but a lot has been invested in other sectors as well. Tourism is one of the economic activities that is experiencing the most development: nearly five million people visit the city a year, attracted by its many festivals and other attractions, such as the Calgary Stampede. The resort towns of Banff, Lake Louise and Canmore, located very close to the Rocky Mountains, have become very popular with tourists, bringing economic benefits to Calgary. Other important sectors include light industry, high technology, cinema, transport and services. The city has one of the highest living standards in the world: it was ranked 25th in 2006, 24th in 2007 and 25th in 2008 as the best city to reside. Calgary was also ranked the cleanest city in the world in a 2007 Forbes magazine survey.
Urban issues
Calgary's recent economic boom and rapid growth has led to issues such as urban sprawl and lagging infrastructure. With no geographical barriers to its growth, except for the territory of the Sarsi First Nation, the city has seen its suburbs spread farther and farther at a rapid pace. This has led to difficulties in providing the necessary transportation infrastructure for the population of Calgary.
With the redevelopment of the ring line and the center of the East Village, frontline, efforts are underway to significantly increase the density of the city center, but this has not impeded the pace of expansion. In 2003, the combined population of the downtown neighborhoods (Heart of Mall, Downtown East Village, Downtown West End, Eau Claire, and Chinatown) was just over 12,600. Additionally, the Beltline to the south of the city had a population of 17,200, for a total of around 30,000.
Due to the growth of the city, the borders to the southwest have been extended to become adjacent to the Indian reservation of the Sarsi. Recent residential developments in the far southwest of the city have created a demand for the creation of a main thoroughfare into the city, but due to complications in negotiations with the Tsuu T'ina tribe, construction has yet to take place. has started.
As in most large cities, there are many socioeconomic issues, including homelessness. According to the City of Calgary, "Starting in 1992 with the first Biennial Homeless Count , the city has focused its research efforts on issues such as poverty and housing. An affordable housing strategy was prepared in 2002, which advocates for a greater understanding of the housing need in Calgary. The Calgary Committee to End Homelessness was formed in 2007, made up of government representatives as well as business and community leaders. The result was the 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, which was launched in 2008 and is being implemented by the Calgary Homeless Foundation”.
Although Calgary and Alberta have traditionally been affordable places to live, substantial growth (in large part due to a thriving energy sector) has led to increasing demand for real estate. As a result, home prices in Calgary have risen sharply in recent years, but have stagnated during the last half of 2007 and into 2008. In November 2006, Calgary became Canada's most expensive city for space. of centrally located commercial offices, and the second most expensive city (after Vancouver) for residential real estate. The cost of living and inflation is now the highest in the country, recent figures show inflation running as high as six percent in April 2007.
Crime
Although the city has a relatively low crime rate compared to other North American cities, gangs and drug-related crime have increased along with the recent growth of the economy. In 2009, an additional 62 police officers were deployed as foot patrols in the city center.
In March 2008, the City Council approved a pilot project to test closed-circuit surveillance cameras. A total of sixteen closed-circuit cameras were to be installed at three locations in the center. They were also to be deployed in the East Village and along commercial Stephen Avenue. The project started at the beginning of 2009, which is mainly managed by the «Animal & Bylaw Services» (in Spanish, Calgary Animal and Municipal Regulation Services Directorate).
2013 floods
The city of Calgary was affected by significant flooding in 2013. The flooding was the result of a high pressure system in northern Alberta blocking access to a low pressure area in the south. This traffic blockage, added to the easterly winds, increased humidity on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains, causing heavy rainfall in the province. Thus, in several areas of Alberta, rainfall reached 100 millimeters of rain in less than two days, mainly west and southwest of Calgary. The rain quickly saturated the soil, which, in conjunction with the rugged basin in the mountains, resulted in a rapid increase in the size and flow of several rivers. In light of this, on June 21, tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate their homes following the rise of the Bow and Elbow rivers.
As a result, most of downtown Calgary was flooded, losing power for the next several days, while CBE (Calgary Commission on Education) schools remained closed for at least until June 27. As directly affected, there were at least 3 deaths, 75,000 residents affected in 26 neighborhoods (some sources reported up to 100,000 displaced ) and 350,000 workers in downtown Calgary who were he asked them not to approach the affected area. For its part, the provincial government stated that this was the worst flood in Alberta in its entire history.
Geography
Calgary lies between the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and the Canadian prairies and is therefore a mountainous area. The elevation of the city is approximately 1,048 meters above sea level in the center and 1,083 meters at the airport. The territory of the city itself covers an area of 721 km² (in 2001) and exceeds the area of Toronto.
Two major rivers run through the city. The Bow River is the largest and flows from west to south. The Elbow River flows north from the south, until it empties into the Bow near the center of the city. Because the region's climate is generally dry, dense vegetation only grows naturally along riverbanks and in Fish Creek Provincial Park, Canada's largest urban park.
The physical area of the city consists of a fairly populated center surrounded by lower-density residential areas. Unlike other cities with a significant metropolitan area, most of Calgary's suburbs are included in the city proper, with the exception of the cities of Airdrie to the north, Cochrane to the northwest, Strathmore to the east, and the Springbank district to the east. west. Although not technically included in the Calgary agglomeration, Okotoks Township is only a few miles from Calgary and is considered a suburb of Calgary. Calgary's economic region is slightly larger than the census division, with a population of 1,214,839.
Because of the city's rapid expansion, its southwestern boundary is now adjacent to the Tsuu T'ina Indian Reservation. The recent construction of residential neighborhoods in the southwest of the city has highlighted the need to build a road that communicates with the interior of the city, but because of discrepancies in the negotiations with the Tsuu T'ina, the construction of such a road has not started yet.
Urban Geography
Neighborhoods
Downtown is made up of five neighborhoods: Eau Claire (including the Festival District), the Downtown West End, the Downtown Commercial Core, Chinatown, and the Downtown East Village. The commercial core is further divided into districts including the Stephen Avenue retail core, the Entertainment District, the Arts District and the Government District. Off the beaten track and south of 9th Avenue is Calgary's densest neighborhood, the Beltline. The area includes a number of communities such as downtown, Victoria Crossing, and a portion of the Rivers District. The Beltline is the center of major urban development and rejuvenation initiatives by the city government to increase the density and vitality of downtown Calgary.
The first urban neighborhoods are on the outskirts or directly adjacent to the center of the city. These include Crescent Heights, Sunnyside, Hounsfield Heights/Briar Hill, Hillhurst, Kensington, Bridgeland, Renfrew, Mount Royal, Mission, and Inglewood. These neighborhoods are, in turn, surrounded by relatively dense and established neighborhoods such as Rosedale, North Haven, and Mount Pleasant to the north; Bowness, Parkdale and Westgate to the west; Park Hill, South Calgary (which includes the Marda Loop), Bankview, Altadore, and Killarney to the south; and Forest Lawn/International Avenue to the east. Farther removed from these and usually separated from each other by roads, are suburban communities, often characterized as "bedroom neighborhoods". The greatest amount of suburban sprawl is happening in the deep south part of the city with also a lot of growth in the northwest axis. In total, there are more than 180 distinct neighborhoods within the city limits.
Climate
Calgary enjoys a continental climate (Köppen Climate Class Dfb, USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 3a), with long, dry but variable winters and short, warm summers. The climate is greatly influenced by the elevation of the city and the proximity of the Rocky Mountains. Although Calgary's cold winters can be very uncomfortable, warm, dry winds called "chinooks" during the winter months, giving city dwellers a break from the cold. These winds have sometimes raised temperatures by more than 15°C, and can last for several days. Chinooks are such a regular feature of Calgary winters that only one month (January 1950) has not recorded snowmelt in more than 100 years of weather observations. More than half of the winter days have a maximum temperature above 0 °C. Sometimes the winter temperature can rise to more than 20 °C.
Calgary is a city of extremes, and temperatures can range from a record low of -45°C in 1893 to a high of 36°C in 1919. Although rare, daytime temperatures have been recorded in summer above 30 °C approximately four days a year. The temperature drops to -30 °C on average about five days a year; however, periods of extreme cold do not usually last very long. According to Environment Canada, the average temperature in Calgary ranges from an average of -10°C in January to 17°C in July.
Due to Calgary's high altitude, summer afternoons can be on the chilly side; the average minimum in summer is 8 °C and there can be frosts all year round. There have been cases of snowfall even in July and August. With an average relative humidity of 55% in winter and 45% in summer, Calgary has a semi-arid climate typical of other cities on the Western Great Plains and Canadian Prairies. Unlike other cities further east, such as Toronto, Montreal, or even Winnipeg, humidity is almost never a factor during the summer in Calgary.
The city is one of the sunniest in Canada, with an average of 2,405 hours of sunshine per year. Calgary receives an average of 413 mm of precipitation, of which 301 mm is rain and the rest is snow Most of the precipitation falls from May to August, and the month of June is the one that, on average, registers the heaviest rains. In June 2005, 248 mm of precipitation fell in Calgary, making it the wettest month in the city's history. Droughts are not uncommon and can take place at any time of the year.
In Calgary there are on average more than 20 days of storms a year, most of them in summer. The city sits on the edge of the so-called "Alberta hail corridor" and sometimes it suffers strong hailstorms that cause numerous damages. One of them, which occurred in September 1991, was one of the most destructive natural disasters in Canadian history.
Seasons
- Spring: from mid-March to May.
- Summer: from June to August.
- Fall: September to November.
- Winter: from November to mid-March.
 Average climate parameters of Calgary International Airport (1981-2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Ene. | Feb. | Mar. | Open up. | May. | Jun. | Jul. | Ago. | Sep. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Annual |
| Temp. max. abs. (°C) | 17.6 | 22.6 | 25.4 | 29.4 | 32.4 | 36.3 | 36.3 | 36.7 | 33.3 | 29.4 | 23.1 | 19.5 | 36.7 |
| Average temperature (°C) | -0.9 | 0.7 | 4.4 | 11.2 | 16.3 | 19.8 | 23.2 | 22.8 | 17.8 | 11.7 | 3.4 | -0.8 | 10.8 |
| Average temperature (°C) | -7.1 | -5.4 | -1.6 | 4.6 | 9.7 | 13.7 | 16.5 | 15.8 | 11.0 | 5.2 | -2.4 | -6.8 | 4.4 |
| Temp. medium (°C) | -13.2 | -11.4 | -7.5 | -2.0 | 3.1 | 7.5 | 9.8 | 8.8 | 4.1 | -1.4 | -8.2 | -12.8 | -1.9 |
| Temp. min. abs. (°C) | -44.4 | -45.0 | -37.2 | -30.0 | -16.7 | -3.3 | -0.6 | -3.2 | -13.3 | -25.7 | -35.0 | -42.8 | -45.0 |
| Total precipitation (mm) | 9.4 | 9.4 | 17.8 | 25.2 | 56.8 | 94.0 | 65.5 | 57.0 | 45.1 | 15.3 | 13.1 | 10.2 | 418.8 |
| Rains (mm) | 0.06 | 0.09 | 2.2 | 10.8 | 46.1 | 93.9 | 65.5 | 57.0 | 41.7 | 7.5 | 1.5 | 0.28 | 326.4 |
| Nevadas (cm) | 15.3 | 14.5 | 22.7 | 18.8 | 11.9 | 0.13 | 0.0 | 0.03 | 3.9 | 10.0 | 16.6 | 15.0 | 128.8 |
| Precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 7.3 | 6.8 | 9.2 | 9.0 | 11.2 | 13.8 | 13.0 | 10.6 | 9.1 | 7.2 | 7.6 | 6.9 | 111.8 |
| Rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.27 | 0.20 | 1.3 | 4.1 | 10.1 | 13.8 | 13.0 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 4.2 | 1.4 | 0.40 | 67.9 |
| Days of snowfall (≥ 0.2 cm) | 7.7 | 7.4 | 9.5 | 6.4 | 2.6 | 0.07 | 0.0 | 0.10 | 1.3 | 4.1 | 7.4 | 7.7 | 54.2 |
| Hours of sun | 119.5 | 144.6 | 177.2 | 220.2 | 249.4 | 269.9 | 314.1 | 284.0 | 207.0 | 175.4 | 121.1 | 114.0 | 2396.3 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 54.5 | 53.2 | 50.3 | 40.7 | 43.5 | 48.6 | 46.8 | 44.6 | 44.3 | 44.3 | 54.0 | 55.3 | 48.3 |
| [chuckles]required] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Ethnic composition |
|---|
| English 27.22% — 291370 Scots 20.84% — 223000 Canadians 19.41% — 207790 Germans 17.09% — 182940 Irish 16.40% — 175575 Franceses 10.20% — 109180 Ukraine 7.12% — 76240 Chinese 7.05% — 75410 Indians 4.60% — 49280 Polish 4.48% — 47925 |
The main statistical data for the City of Calgary are that collected from the National Household Survey (mandatory until the 2006 census) and the city's estimate data. The 2011 Canada Census is the most recent national census, the results of which have been partially published. This census recorded a total of 1,096,833 people residing in the City of Calgary, a change of 10.9% compared to the 2006. By 2011, there were a total of 445,848 private homes in the city, of which only 423,417 were occupied by permanent residents. Calgary's population density was 1,329 inhab/km². The median age of the city's population was 36.4 years.
In 2011, there were 547,475 men (49.91%) and 549,360 women (50.09%) living within the Calgary city limits. Children under the age of five made up 6.57% of population (72,010); in Alberta this proportion is 6.72% (244,880) and across Canada 5.61%. 9.95% of Calgary residents had reached retirement age (65 and over), vs. 14.77% across Canada. Thus, Calgary's average age is 36.4 years, compared to 40.6 in Canada.
Since the 2006 census, the population of Calgary who say they are of Canadian origin is not a majority. Indeed, the population claiming English or Scottish origins exceeds the population claiming Canadian origins. As of the 2001 census, Calgarians with French origins have increased, while those with Ukrainian origins have decreased.
Visible minorities
Most Calgary residents report European ancestry. This group represented 79% of the population (688,465 people) in 2001 and 77.77% in 2006 (832,405), which indicates a more important population growth of groups of citizens identified as visible minorities. Within visible minority groups, the Canadian government identifies primarily Native American peoples and various immigrant groups. Thus, 2.48% (26,575 people) of the population were Amerindian, including First Nations (10,875 people), Métis or Métis (14,770 people), and Inuit (250 people). As for the immigrant group, it was made up of Chinese (66,375; 6.2%), South Asians (57,700; 5.39%), Filipinos (25,565; 2.39%), African Canadians (21,060; 1.97%) and Latin Americans (13,410; 1.25%), among many others. These figures show that the different ethnic groups had a greater proportional growth than the rest of the population of the city; in fact, in 2006, 23.6% of the city's population was born abroad, which represents a higher percentage than the 20.9% registered in the censuses of 1996 and 2001.
According to the Latinos in Calgary page, the majority of Canadians of Latino origin are Catholic. In 2001, 64% of the Latin American community in Canada reported that they were Catholic, while 16% belonged to a mainline Protestant denomination. At the same time, relatively few Latin Americans do not have some religious affiliation. That year, 12% said they had no religious affiliation, compared to 17% of the total population.
Partial data, but more recent from the 2011 census, showed that Calgary, together with Winnipeg, were the cities of the Canadian prairies that received the most immigrants between 2006 and 2011 (6.1% of the total immigrants from Canada were settled in Calgary), which makes it the fourth preferred city for foreigners, after Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. This census also showed that a significant population shift has begun towards the Canadian prairies and mainly towards Calgary and Winnipeg.
Finally, demographic forecasts show that Calgary's foreign-born population should increase from 23.6% in 2006 to 30% in 2031, while visible minorities should increase from 22% to 38% in the same period of time.
Government and politics
Calgary is seen as a conservative city, dominated by social conservatives and traditional fiscal conservatives. This perspective is countered by the image of a corporate office center, with a high percentage of the workforce being employed in &# 34;white collar" (office workers). High concentration of oil and gas corporations led to the rise of Peter Lougheed's Progressive Conservative Party in 1971. During the 1990s, the city's political arena was dominated by the right-wing Reform party. However, as Calgary has grown, its politicians are increasingly diverse, leaning to the left.
The Green Party of Canada has also made inroads in Calgary, exemplified by the results of the 2011 federal election, where they achieved 7.7% of the vote citywide, up from 4.7% in Northeast Calgary to 13.1% in the North Central Calgary constituency. The right-wing "Alberta Alliance" became active in the 2004 Alberta general election and campaigned for fiscal and socially conservative reforms. However, the Alberta Alliance and its successor, the "Wildrose Alliance", failed to make any headway in the 2008 provincial election.
However, as Calgary's population has increased, so has the diversity of its politics. This alternative leftist political culture got a lot of attention during the World Petroleum Congress in 2000, and after the protests over the Group of Eight meeting. The largest protests in the city's history began in 2003, in response to the War in Iraq. The city has clusters of well-known organizations, as well as an anti-capitalist group.
Municipal policies
Calgary is governed by the organic law of the Alberta Municipal Government Act of 1995. Calgarians elect 14 councilors (until 2013 called regidores) and one mayor to the Calgary City Council every four years. Jyoti Gondek has been mayor since October 25, 2021.
Two school boards function independently in Calgary, one public and the other private. Both councils have 7 elected trustees each representing 2 of the 14 constituencies. School boards are considered part of municipal politics in Calgary, as they are elected at the same time as the City Council.
Provincial policies
Calgary is represented by twenty-five provincial legislators, including twenty Progressive Conservatives, three Liberals, and two members of the Wildrose Party. For exactly fourteen years (from December 14, 1992 to December 14, 2006), Provincial Premier and leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party, Ralph Klein, held the Calgary-Elbow headquarters position. Klein was elected to the Alberta Legislative Assembly in 1989 and resigned on September 20, 2006. He was succeeded as provincial premier and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party by Ed Stelmach, MP for Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville. Following this change in leadership, Calgary saw its leadership and representation in provincial affairs further reduced as its representation in the provincial cabinet was reduced from eight to three with only one Calgary legislator, Greg Melchin, retaining a cabinet seat.. In June 2007, Ralph Klein's old district, a PC Party seat won since he took office in 1971, passed to Alberta Liberal Craig Cheffins during a by-election. In the run-up to the 2008 general election, the Experts predicted significant losses for the Tory in the traditional stronghold that many felt was being taken for granted and ignored.
The 2008 Alberta general election saw the Liberals increase their seat count in the city from one to five. While the results in Calgary weren't particularly surprising given the complaints especially in downtown Calgary with Stelmach's management, the fact that they outpaced significant PC gains than they were in Edmonton. The Liberals were reduced to nine seats overall, meaning for the first time in history, the majority of their political group represented constituencies in Calgary.
Federal Policies
Calgary is represented at the federal level by eight MPs, all of whom are currently members of the Conservative Party of Canada. The current Conservative Party and parties that have come before it have traditionally held a majority of the city's federal seats. The federal constituency of Calgary Southwest is represented by current Canadian Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper. Coincidentally, the same seat was held by Preston Manning - leader of the Reform Party of Canada and leader of Canada's official opposition from 1997 to 2000. Of Canada's 22 prime ministers, two have represented a Calgary district while serving as prime minister: Stephen Harper and Richard Bedford Bennett between 1930 and 1935. Also highlighted is Joe Clark, who also represented a constituency in the city - Calgary's downtown district - before becoming prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party Canadian Progressive.
Economy
Calgary is recognized as a Canadian leader in the oil and gas industry, as well as a leader in economic expansion. Its high income per capita, low unemployment, and high GDP per capita have benefited from increased sales and prices due to a resource boom, and increased economic diversification. Due to these advantages, Calgary has been designated as a global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. In addition, Calgary was one of the 200 best cities in the world, by the Brookings Institution , which had a large local economy as of 2011. The city was ranked 1st nationally, and 51st in the world, in that regard. Additionally, Calgary was voted the 3rd city in quality life among the cities of North America through the 2011-2012 issue of American Cities of the Future.
Calgary benefits from a relatively strong job market in Alberta, which is part of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor, one of the fastest growing regions in the country. It is the headquarters of many of the major oil and gas related companies, and many financial services companies have grown up around them. Small businesses and small levels of self-employment also rank among the highest in Canada. It is also a major distribution hub and transportation hub with high retail sales.
Calgary's economy is becoming less dominated by the oil and gas industry, even though it remains the biggest contributor to the city's GDP. In 2006, Calgary's real GDP (in constant 1997 dollars) was T$52.386 billion, of which oil, gas, and mining contributed 12%. The largest oil and gas companies are BP Canada, Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Cenovus Energy, Encana, Imperial Oil, Suncor Energy, Shell Canada, TransCanada and Nexen, making Calgary home to 87% of Canada's oil and natural gas producers and 66% of coal producers.
As of 2010, the city had a labor force of 618,000 people (a participation rate of 74.6%) and the unemployment rate of 7.0%. In 2006, the unemployment rate was one of the lowest of major Canadian cities at 3.2%, causing a shortage of both skilled and unskilled workers.
In 2010 the "professional, technical and management" industry represented more than 14% of employment and the areas of "architecture, engineering and design services" and the employment levels of "management and scientific-technical services" were well above Canadian levels. Although commerce employs 14.7% of the workforce, its share of total employment is no higher than the Canadian average. Construction employment levels are also very high, above Canadian averages, and have grown by 16% between 2006 and 2010. Health and Social Welfare Services, which account for 10% of employment, have grown by 20% in that period.
The Calgary Economic Development "Top Employers Calgary (2006) lists top employers as: large industrial employers include Nova Chemicals leading this category with 4,900 employees, while others with more than 2,000 employees include Nexen, Canadian Pacific Railway, CNRL, Shell Canada and Dow Chemical Canada. Other private sector employers include Shaw Communications (7,500 employees), along with Telus, Mark's Work Wearhouse, and Calgary Co-op. In the public sector, the largest employer is the Calgary Zone of the Alberta Health Services (22,000). The City of Calgary (15,000), the Calgary Board of Education, and the University of Calgary are also large employers.
Calgary is home to a growing number of Canadian corporate headquarters. It has the second highest concentration of locations in Canada, behind only Toronto, and has the highest employment location per capita in the country. Some large Calgary-based companies include Canada Safeway Limited, Westfair Foods Ltd., Suncor Energy, Agrium, Flint Energy Services Ltd., Shaw Communication and Canadian Pacific Railway. CPR moved its headquarters from Montreal in 1996 and Imperial Oil moved from Toronto in 2005. EnCana's new 58-story corporate headquarters, The Bow, it became the tallest building in Canada outside of Toronto. In 2001, the city became the corporate headquarters of the TSX Venture Exchange.
WestJet is headquartered near the Calgary International Airport, and Enerjet is headquartered on the airport grounds. Prior to its dissolution, Canadian Airlines and its Air Canada postal subsidiary were also headquartered near the Although the main office is now based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, acquired from Canadian Airlines in September 1998, they continue to maintain operations and charter offices in Calgary.
Infrastructures
Transportation
The city of Calgary has an integrated public transportation system, managed by Calgary Transit and is made up of a Suburban Train, called C-Train, and bus lines.
The C-Train comprises two train routes, one that connects the Northwest of the City with the South and another that connects the Northeast of the City with the Center. Users can visit the stations that are located in the center of the city for free.
Public transportation schedules are tabulated and can be obtained at Calgary Transit offices or on the buses.
The cost of the trip does not depend on the length of the trip. Transfers can be made from the bus to the C-Train, or vice versa, at no additional cost within 90 minutes of commencing travel.
Calgary also has special transportation systems for people with disabilities. These buses are designed to accommodate wheelchairs and to take people from their homes to their destinations.
Taxis are the most expensive system, all taxi companies have the same transportation rates Each taxi has a meter to measure the time and distance of each trip. The taximeter shows how much you should pay the driver. There are no discounts on taxi fares. A tip of around 10% can be expected but is not required. Taxis can be found waiting at airports, large buildings, hotels, large department stores, and hospitals. Or they can also be requested by phone.
This city is served by the Calgary International Airport (YYC), which is located in the Northeast of the city.
Health
Calgary currently has four major hospitals (Foothills Medical Centre, Rockyview General Hospital, Peter Lougheed Center and South Health Campus) and one major pediatric center (Alberta Children's Hospital). Health services are overseen by the Calgary Health Region (Calgary Health Region). Calgary's four largest hospitals have a combined total of more than 2,164 beds, and employ more than 11,500 people.
There is a medical evacuation helicopter service operating under the auspices of the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society. Calgary is also home to the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Alberta Children's Hospital and Grace Women's Health Centre, which provide a variety of medical care, as well as hundreds of smaller medical and dental clinics. The University of Calgary Medical Center (University of Calgary Medical Center), in partnership with the Calgary Health Region (Alberta Health Services), conducts a variety of research scientific studies on various topics: cancer, arthritis, cardiovascular problems, genetics, etc.
Education
Secondary
In the 2011-2012 school year, 100,632 high school students were enrolled in 221 schools in the Calgary Board of Education's English-language public school system. With other students enrolled in corresponding CBe-learn and Chinook service learning programs, the school system's total enrollment is 104,182 students. Another 43,000 students attend about 95 schools on the separate Board Calgary Catholic School English Language Education Board. The much smaller French-speaking community has its own French-language education boards (public and Catholic), which are based in Calgary, but not only serve the city, but to a larger regional district. There are also several public schools in the city. Calgary has a number of unique schools, including the nation's first high school designed exclusively for Olympic-caliber athletes, the National School of Sport. Calgary is also home to many private schools, including Mountain View Academy, Rundle College, Rundle Academy, Clear Water Academy, Chinook Winds Adventist Academy, Webber Academy, Delta West Academy, Masters Academy, Calgary Islamic School, Menno Simons Christian School, West Island College, and the Edge School.
Calgary was also home to what was once the largest public high school in Western Canada, Lord Beaverbrook High School, with 2,241 students enrolled in the 2005-2006 school year. Lord Beaverbrook's current student population is 1,812 students (Sept 2012) and several other schools are just as large, such as Western Canada High School with 2,035 students (2009) and Sir Winston Churchill High School, with 1,983 students (2009).
College and University
Calgary-based higher education institutions that are publicly funded include Alberta University of Art and Design, Ambrose University College (associated with the Church of the Nazarene), Bow Valley College, Mount Royal University, Polytechnic SAIT, St. Mary's University College, and the University of Calgary. Athabasca University (publicly funded), Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), and the University of Lethbridge also have campuses in Calgary.
The University of Calgary is the largest degree-granting university in the city, enrolling 28,464 students in 2011 as a result. Mount Royal University, with 13,000 students, awards degrees in various fields. SAIT Polytechnic, with over 14,000 students, offers polytechnic and apprenticeship education, the issuance of certificates, diplomas and applied degrees. Athabasca University offers distance learning programs.
Culture
City Life
Calgary's urban life has changed considerably since the city began to grow rapidly. It has become one of the most diverse cities in Canada. Today Calgary is a modern and cosmopolitan city that still retains many of its cultural hallmarks such as western bars, pubs and clubs, soccer and ice hockey. Calgary has also become a major center for country music in the country. Calgary is also a great stage where you can find the most varied styles of music, including metalcore, folk, pop, rock, punk, indie, blues, jazz, hip-hop, house and country.
As Calgary's population density has grown, so has the area's vitality. The nightlife and the development of art have also evolved thanks to this, and the population is spread throughout the urban areas of Calgary.
As an ethnically diverse city, Calgary has a good number of settlements and multicultural areas. It has one of the largest Chinatowns in Canada and a "Little Italy" in Bridgeland. The Forest Lawn and International Avenue area. Many shops and restaurants of diverse ethnic origin are located in the district.
Arts
Music
Calgary is home to the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, a massive center of arts and culture. The building is the twin of another auditorium located in Edmonton and is capable of holding 2,538 people; It was inaugurated in 1957 and hundreds of musicals, plays and local productions have been presented there. It is also home to the Alberta Ballet, the Calgary Opera and the annual Remembrance Day ceremonies. Both auditoriums are open 365 days a year, and are run by the provincial government. The buildings were renovated in 2005.
A number of bands are based in Calgary, including the Calgary Round-Up Band, the Calgary Stetson Show Band and the two-time world champion Calgary Stampede Showband, as well as military bands including the Band of HMCS Tecumseh, the Regimental Band of the King's Own Calgary Regiment, and the Regimental Pipes and Drums of The Calgary Highlanders.
Theater and galleries
Calgary is home to several theater companies. Calgary was also the birthplace of the impromptu theater games known as Theatresports.
Media
The Calgary Herald and the Calgary Sun are the main newspapers in Calgary. The television channels Global, City tv, CTV and the CBC, and Telemundo have their own studios in the city.
Libraries and museums
The Calgary Public Library is a network of public libraries with 17 branches in the city, including the Central Library.
The Calgary area has also been used numerous times in movies thanks to its natural areas.
In the city you can visit several museums. The Glenbow Museum is the largest in Western Canada and includes an art gallery. Other museums include the Chinese Cultural Center, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (in Canada Olympic Park), the Calgary Military Museum, the Calgary Music Museum and the Aerospace Museum.
Religion
Calgary has significant religious diversity. The main religions professed by the inhabitants of Calgary are Protestantism (35.19% of the population) and Catholicism (26.35%), while 25.19% of the population say they have no religion and 4.30% Other Christian denominations follow. Other minority religions are: Islam (2.75%), Buddhism (1.76%), Sikhism (1.41%) Orthodox Christianity (1.19%), Hinduism (0.77%) and Judaism (0.69 %) among others.
Calgary depended on the Catholic faith, since the XIX century, of the Diocese of Saint Albert. Part of this diocese was divided in 1912 to create the Diocese of Calgary whose mother church is the Cathedral of Saint Mary. Traditionalist Catholicism is also present in Calgary, for example in the Saint-Denis Church (in the Shaganappi district), a church that depends on the Priestly Brotherhood of Saint Pius X.
Festivals
Calgary hosts a number of annual and occasional festivals and events. These include the Calgary International Film Festival, the Calgary Folk Music Festival, the Calgary FunnyFest Comedy Festival, the Calgary Greek Festival, the Carifest, the Wordfest Banff-Calgary International Writers Festival, the Lilac Festival, the GlobalFest, Calgary Experimental Theater Festival, Summerstock, Fiestaval, Expo Latino, Calgary Gay Pride, and many other cultural festivals. Among the occasional events, the WorldSkills International stands out, an event that Calgary organized in 2009.
But the biggest event for the city of Calgary is the Calgary Stampede, which takes place in July. It is one of the most important festivals in Canada.
Sports and recreation
Particularly due to its proximity to the Rocky Mountains, Calgary has long been a popular destination for winter sports. Since the Winter Olympic Games were held in 1988, the city has hosted major sporting events in different disciplines such as snowboarding, ice hockey, speed skating, ski jumping, cross-country skiing, etc.
In the summer the Bow River is a good place to go fly fishing. Golf is also an extremely popular activity for Calgarians and the region boasts a large number of courses.
The city also has a large number of urban parks, including Fish Creek Provincial Park, Nose Hill Park, Bowness Park, Edworthy Park, the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Confederation Park, and Prince's Island Park. Nose Hill Park is the largest municipal park in Canada. Connecting all of these parks with most neighborhoods is one of the most extensive trail networks in North America. The route can be enjoyed by walking, bicycling, skating, etc.
Calgary is also recognized as the "pro wrestling capital of the world" for the large number of fighters trained there. The main founder of the city's wrestling tradition was Stu Hart, patriarch of one of the most important families in the history of that business, including Stu's sons Bret Hart and Owen Hart, and sons-in-law Jim. "The Anvil" Neidhart and Davey Boy Smith. The third generation of the Harts includes Teddy Hart, David Hart Smith, and Nattie Neidhart. Many other fighters were trained by the Harts in the city, including Chris Benoit, Lance Storm, Edge, Chris Jericho, Justin Credible, TJ Wilson, or Brian Pillman.
- Professional equipment
Club League Stadium Founded in Championships
Calgary Flames
National Hockey League
Pengrowth Saddledome
1980*
1
Calgary Stampeders
Canadian Football League McMahon Stadium 1945
6
Calgary Roughnecks
National Lacrosse League Pengrowth Saddledome 2001
2
Calgary Vipers
North American Baseball League foothills stadium 2005
1
Prairie Wolf Pack
Canadian Rugby Championship Calgary Rugby Park 2009
0
Cavalry FC
Canadian Premier League ATCO Field 2018
0
(*) Founded as the Atlanta Flames in 1972.
- Youth and amateur teams
Club League Stadium Founded in Championships
calgary hitmen
Western Hockey League
Pengrowth Saddledome
nineteen ninety five
1
Calgary Canucks
Alberta Junior Hockey League Max Bell Center 1971
9
Calgary Royals
Alberta Junior Hockey League Father David Bauer Olympic Arena 1990
1
Calgary Oval X-Treme
Western Women's Hockey League olympic oval nineteen ninety five
4
Calgary Mavericks
Rugby Canada Super League Calgary Rugby Park 1998
1
Speed Skating Canada Calgary Speed Skating Association olympic oval 1990 >10
Calgary United FC Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League stampede corral 2007 0
Predecessor:.svg){kind=small} Sarajevo |  Olympic City 1988 | Successor:.svg){kind=small} Albertville |
Tourism and attractions
The city center features an eclectic mix of restaurants and bars, cultural centers, public squares (including Olympic Plaza), and shops. Notable shopping areas include places like The Core Shopping Centre (formerly called Calgary Eaton Centre/TD Square), Stephen Avenue and Eau Claire Market. Major downtown tourist attractions include the Calgary Zoo, Telus Spark, Telus Convention Center, Chinatown, Glenbow Museum, Calgary Tower, Art Gallery of Calgary (AGC), Museum Military and the EPCOR Center for the Performing Arts. At 2.5 hectares (10,000 m²), Devonian Gardens is one of the largest indoor urban parks in the world, and is located on the fourth floor of The Core Shopping Centre (at the top of the mall). In the center of the city is Prince's Island Park, an urban park located just north of the Eau Claire neighborhood. Directly south of downtown is Midtown and the beltway. This area is rapidly becoming one of the densest and most active mixed-use areas in the city. At the core of the district is the popular Avenida 17, which is known for its many bars and clubs, restaurants, shops and stores. During the Calgary Flames play-offs in 2004, 17th Avenue was frequented by more than 50,000 fans and supporters for every game night. The concentration of fans with their red uniforms led to the avenue being baptized as "Red Mile ". Downtown is easily accessible via the city's C-Train light rail transit (LRT) system.
Attractions on the city's west side include the historic Heritage Park Historical Village, which depicts life in Alberta before 1914 and displays historic working vehicles such as a steam train, steamboat and streetcar electric. The town itself comprises a mix of historic, replica buildings and structures relocated from southern Alberta. Other top attractions in the city include the Canada Olympic Park, home to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, and Spruce Meadows. In addition to the downtown shopping areas, there are a number of large suburban shopping malls in the city. Among the largest are the Chinook Center and Southcentre Shopping Center in the south, Westhills and Signal Hill in the southwest, South Trail Crossing and Deerfoot Meadows in the southeast, the Market Mall in the northwest, Sunridge Mall in the northeast, and the newly built CrossIron Mills just north of the Calgary city limits, and south of the city of Airdrie.
Other major Calgary attractions include Canada Olympic Park (and Canada's Olympic Hall of Fame), Spruce Meadows (riding center) and Race City Motorsport Park (Calgary). In addition to the large shopping areas of the city, there are a number of suburban shopping complexes in Calgary. Among the largest are Chinook Center 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, and Sunridge Mall in the northeast.
The Downtown area is easily recognizable for its many skyscrapers. Some of these structures, such as the Calgary Tower or the Pengrowth Saddledome, are symbols of the city. These buildings are icons of the city's «boom» and it is possible to distinguish different phases of development that have taken place in the center of the city. The first skyscrapers began to be built at the end of the 50s and continued to grow until the 1970s. After the recession with the fall in oil prices, many buildings in the pipeline were immediately cancelled. It wasn't until the late 1980s and through the 1990s that major construction began again, sparked by the Winter Olympics and spurred by a favorable growing economy.
In total there are 10 office buildings of at least 150 meters (usually about 40 floors). The tallest is The Bow Tower, which is the tallest skyscraper in Canada outside of Toronto. Second is the Suncor Energy Centre. The towers of Bankers Hall are the tallest twin towers in the country.
A typical feature of Calgary is that to connect many of the downtown office buildings, the city also has the world's most extensive skyway network (elevated indoor pedestrian bridges), officially called +15. The name derives from the fact that the bridges are usually 15 feet (4.6 m) above grade.
Near Airdrie, at the Calgary/Airdrie Airport, the Airdrie Regional Air Show is held every two years. In 2011, the airshow featured the Canadian Snowbirds, a CF-18 demo and F-16 of the United States Air Force.
Twinned cities
The City of Calgary maintains development, cultural and educational programs in collaboration with the following sister cities:
| Country | City | Province/State | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
 Peru
| Huancayo | Junin | 1995 |
 Canada
| Quebec | Quebec | 1956 |
 India
| Jaipur | Rajasthan | 1973 |
 Mexico
| Naucalpan | State of Mexico | 1994 |
 China
| Daqing | Heilongjiang | 1995 |
 South Korea
| Daejeon | Chungnam | 1996 |
 United States
| Phoenix | Arizona | 1997 |
Calgary is also one of nine cities in Canada, out of a total of 98 cities internationally, that is in the New York City Global Partners, Inc. Organization, which was formed in 2006 from the former Sister City program of the City of New York, Inc.