Best place to live Calgary?

[Shunsui]

My buddy and I were talking about this earlier today, so maybe you guys can give better answers. Basically, we were saying how that it was the SW for work, leisure, entertainment and pretty much everything else. So those of you that do or don't live in SW do you agree or disagree?

[dj_rice]

I disagree. Best place to live is in the SE ghetto. Its like a real life Grand Theft Auto game in front of your very eyes. Hookers on every corner, ethnic restaurants that are dirty but good, cop stations pretty close.

[Vince1]

If you can afford it, SW area is by far the nicest and most convenient IMO. St. Moritz, Aspen Hills, Springbank Hill, Discovery Ridge, close to everything, beautiful views, and Westhills has every store you need a few minutes away, Chinook's 10 minutes away, and there's a Safeway even closer to Aspen Hills now and looks like that's gonna grow into even more convenient shopping.

[msommers]

Holla from the NE!....5 minutes to downtown, hard to agree with that Shunsui.

[KRZY403]

Originally posted by dj_rice
I disagree. Best place to live is in the SE ghetto. Its like a real life Grand Theft Auto game in front of your very eyes. Hookers on every corner, ethnic restaurants that are dirty but good, cop stations pretty close.

HAHAHAH:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[revelations]

^ I'm very close (Erin Woods) and I concur with DJ rice.

Between HAWC flybys every few hours, gas station hold ups, parked stolen cars everywhere - its a blast!

[masoncgy]

I live in Sandstone (NW)... love it here. It's totally quiet, virtually no crime other than the one bus shelter glass getting smashed out every so often... the people in the area are pretty decent.

It's also a great location... it's minutes from Deerfoot Trail, Centre St, 14 St NW, etc... lots of amenities around here too.

If I ever moved elsewhere in Calgary, it wouldn't be far from Sandstone... maybe Beddington or Macewan... that's about it!

[Lex350]

always lived in the NW...alsways will.

[Jeremiah]

Reppin the South..

Mckenzie Towne, is my personal favourite, its a bit out if you don't have friends in the area, but you literally have everything you need within close vicinity.

[R154]

North > South. Ne/Se both garbage dumps. W>E

[n1zm0]

its funny alot of ppl classify the SE as the ghetto, i dont see douglasdale/mckenzie falling into that category at all.. i guess ppl tend to forget that the community exists and is part of the SE quadrant, that said i enjoy it down here. fast access to the highway and with southtrail getting bigger and more populated every year and about a 5-10 min drive to deerfoot meadows its pretty convenient imo, and if theres nothing avail at south trail, 5-10 mins to shawnessy stripmall via 22x.

edit: this goes for other SE communities like lake bonavista, chaparral, cranston, parkland, deerridge, diamond cove, willowpark, sundance etc

SE is not just gdamned dover, ogden and erin woods..

[2Valve0]

Originally posted by R154
North > South. Ne/Se both garbage dumps. W>E

Snobby bastard I'm guessing, you mind sir is a complete dump.
Lived in the N.E. and N.W. both are decent? Obviously in the SW its going to be nice with the higher incomes? This thread is kind of a stupid question? I think though neighbors have a huge deal to do with what you think of the place. I've had some horrible neighbors and hated it, but some good onces and loved the same house I previously hated.

[jaysas_63]

best area in calgary is deff the SW followed by the NW....IMO best area in the SW is upper mount royal, ur a walk away from downtown, established neighberhood, property values are probably some of the most secure in calgary

EDIT: there is some nice pockets in the NE and SE, but i wouldnt consider the majority of it an area thats nice

i think more important than N, S, W, and E is the inner core, id rather live in the inner part of NE, or SE, than in the boonies of SW, or NW

[R154]

NW will always be the nicest part of the city. Period.

[max_boost]

Crescent Heights! :D

[ddduke]

Originally posted by R154
NW will always be the nicest part of the city. Period.

Yeah right buddy, SW by far.

Spent the last 8 years in Edgemont, Douglas Glen then Cranston.

Now I'm in Aspen and I'm never moving. 10 minutes to downtown, just off 17th ave, groceries and shopping less the 1 minute away, right by COP, huge rec centre with pools, driving range 4 minutes away, LRT is coming in soon and I get all of this while being in a VERY quiet neighbourhood. It feels just like living in Cranston with soooooo much more to offer and soooo much closer to everything.

I also get to see the mountains out of 50% of my windows.

[baygirl]

I live in an older section of the SW. You have the mature trees, houses that are not cookie-cutter replica's of each other, Chinook Centre within walking distance, and downtown is 10 minutes away. Best of all, I've lived here 6 years, and have yet to hear gun shots, or witness any major crime!!

[Vagabond142]

Charleswood represent! Shallow NW ftw :D

[Zewind]

Forest Lawn - Near 42nd St.


I always felt safer when I saw hawks fly over.

[Hakkola]

SW, love my area. I've never seen a homeless person, I've seen Moose in the neighbourhood, and deer all the time, plus I'm 3 minutes from glenmore, I can get downtown in 10, the university in 15, even all the way up 16th ave and Sunridge in less than 20, quick access to both Crowchild and Deerfoot makes commuting easy. My neighbourhood is stupid quiet, never a problem with the neighbours and crime isn't really a worry.


Originally posted by baygirl
I live in an older section of the SW. You have the mature trees, houses that are not cookie-cutter replica's of each other

:werd: There isn't a single house in my area with the same floorplan/layout/look.

[KrisYYC]

I'd rather live in the nice areas of the SE like Lake Bonavista or Willowpark vs. the NW.

NW just feels like you're 40km from everything, and I hate the cookie cutter houses built up there very similar to the crap built in the deep south.

I live in the somewhat central SW (just off Elbow Dr) and I prefer it over any other area. If I move it'll only be even more central than where I am now.

Older established neighbourhoods are where it's at. Grid patterns, large trees, unique houses, good transit etc. etc.


My list in order from best to worst is SW>Nice SE>NW>NE/bad SE.

[Xtrema]

SW got more ultra expensive areas than NW. But generally, NW and SW are pretty much the same IMO. Except SW got killer traffic.

Not all E side neighborhoods are bad but there's a reason why the airport, heavy and light industry, slaughter houses are all located around that neighborhood.

[eblend]

repping SW, when I was looking at different areas to buy a house I chose deep SW simply because of access to public transit.

McKenzie town and all those far SE communities are good, but BLOW for transit. If you don't drive to work then getting downtown blows. Sure there is the express bus in the morning, but with the last bus running at 6:40am....it simply blows (this is when I was looking at a place in Copperfield). If you miss the express bus it is a 40 minute bus ride to the nearest train station....which is 35 minutes away from downtown.

NW in the areas of Hidden Valley, Edgemont ect....also pretty shitty. I remember my ex had to transfer from bus to bus to get anywhere at the sandstone bus terminal. Bus to bus transfers are the worst since busses are so inconsistent.

So all in all, I say the SW ownes, and NW after that.

Ohh and the SW trains usually don't smell of piss and bo.

[sputnik]

Originally posted by eblend
McKenzie town and all those far SE communities are good, but BLOW for transit. If you don't drive to work then getting downtown blows. Sure there is the express bus in the morning, but with the last bus running at 6:40am....it simply blows (this is when I was looking at a place in Copperfield). If you miss the express bus it is a 40 minute bus ride to the nearest train station....which is 35 minutes away from downtown.

Or you just wait 10 minutes for the next express bus.

:nut:

[Aleks]

If I have to live in Calgary SW by far.

[G-ZUS]

Crescent Heights or Lower Mount Royal

[Feruk]

Working DT, inner city takes my vote. I'm moving into my 7th house in Calgary and gotta say the best place to live is Sunnyside (NW). Right outside of downtown, access to everything you need, and the C-Train is there today, not in some fictional "5 years."

[rob the knob]

SW especially the older communities are very white. the north is much more diverse.

[rob the knob]

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/7475/calgary1.jpg

man i didnt even some of these areas existed. this city has sprawled like crazy

[gqmw]

Priorities change with age I guess. For me NW is the best location at this time due to the fact that it's close to UC and other regular activities for me. I've gotten used to living far NW for ny whole life so I don't know if I'd ever move to a different quadrant.

But if I were to move or say I was working...I'd probably prefer to live closer to the dt area in the sw.

[masoncgy]

Originally posted by rob the knob
http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/7475/calgary1.jpg

man i didnt even some of these areas existed. this city has sprawled like crazy

Yeah, and that map is missing Silverado, Chaparral Valley, Walden, Skyview Ranch... just to name a few new communities that are well underway... ;)

[Supa Dexta]

Originally posted by rob the knob
SW especially the older communities are very white. the north is much more diverse.

And where do whites tend to gather? Nicer, richer, safer spots. :dunno:

[adam c]

i will always live in the South, i grew up here and it's a lot more comfortable for me

And yes, I've lived in all quadrants of the city

[Hamann]

I Love the North, and in all honesty I will never consider even looking at places in the South, Probably has alot to do with Growing up in Huntington Hills (NW but just barely, its a stones throw from Centre Street).

Shopping etc is the same anywhere you go, all the malls have the same stores anyway so it really doesnt make a difference.

To each their own I guess, the only bonus I could see from living in the deep south is it would cut close to an hour out of driving out to BC.

[cam_wmh]

I hate the burbs.
Lower Mt Royal/Cliff Bungalow/Mission/Inglewood/Bridgeland etc;

[Crymson]

Mission is the best place to live, or Cliff Bungalow for sure.

[turbotrip]

Originally posted by Supa Dexta


And where do whites tend to gather? Nicer, richer, safer spots. :dunno:

yupp just like bowness lol


it really depends on where you work, go to school, have to spend time, etc. for me i would never even think of leaving the NW

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by eblend
NW in the areas of Hidden Valley, Edgemont ect....also pretty shitty. I remember my ex had to transfer from bus to bus to get anywhere at the sandstone bus terminal. Bus to bus transfers are the worst since busses are so inconsistent.

So all in all, I say the SW ownes, and NW after that.

Ohh and the SW trains usually don't smell of piss and bo.

You lie. All trains smell of piss and poo. :D

Edgemont isn't that bad, all buses goes to Dalhousie Station, just like Hamptons.

Hidden Valley has express bus. Sandstone/MacEwan has express and #3 terminal.

Country, Conventry Hills, and anything north of Country Hill Blvd, east of 14th St will have more transit issues. Typical of new areas.

[Sil80_D]

I live in the NW in the burbs... it's not bad but really quiet, and in a way that's good.

If i were to move, it'd either be near dt (sunnyside) or SW mostly because getting to work on macleod from the NW is fucking lame

[Cozmanator]

Briar Hill is a really nice part of NW imo, and easy to get going in any direction. I remember going to a house party out in the deep NW (country hills etc), took FOREVER to get there and back, I cant imagine doing this day in and out for years. If money wasnt a issue, lower mountroyal/cliffbungalow area for sure. I park my car there ( in the non 2 hour zone) and walk to school, literally amazing on how quite it is and how nice the people are. Overall really pleasant even out for walks. Springbank isn't a bad area, but still not really close to downtown or "central".

[CHICHARITZHI]

N.E is good place to live because lots of police station..

[Unknown303]

Bridgeland is the best. Seconds away from downtown. Close to food in every direction.

[sexualbanana]

Originally posted by n1zm0
its funny alot of ppl classify the SE as the ghetto, i dont see douglasdale/mckenzie falling into that category at all.. i guess ppl tend to forget that the community exists and is part of the SE quadrant, that said i enjoy it down here. fast access to the highway and with southtrail getting bigger and more populated every year and about a 5-10 min drive to deerfoot meadows its pretty convenient imo, and if theres nothing avail at south trail, 5-10 mins to shawnessy stripmall via 22x.

edit: this goes for other SE communities like lake bonavista, chaparral, cranston, parkland, deerridge, diamond cove, willowpark, sundance etc

SE is not just gdamned dover, ogden and erin woods..

I was having this discussion the other day, and it's funny because if you ask someone what part of the city they live in, and they live in the SE, the answers breakdown as:
Ogden, Forest Lawn, Dover = "Southeast"
MacKenzie, Douglasdale, New Brighton, etc = "I live in <insert community>."

As if people are at subconsciously trying to distinguish themselves from the SE. lol.

[project240]

Obviously there will be no universal answer to this question. The fact is everyone has their own personal preferences and what some people like, others don't.

With that being said, there definitely are some nicer communities than others. I currently live in the NW, but moving soon and we're looking to buy in either the NW/SW. Truthfully, doesn't make much difference to me as long as we find a house that fits our needs in a good neighborhood.

[rizfarmer]

Originally posted by revelations
^ I'm very close (Erin Woods) and I concur with DJ rice.

Between HAWC flybys every few hours, gas station hold ups, parked stolen cars everywhere - its a blast!

Erinhood represpent!!!:bigpimp: At the time (late 90's), this community was the closest new community built to downtown before a couiple of the newer inner city and beltline communities were built.

Property taxes are low, good restaurants nearby and I can get to downtown in 10 minutes.

[Cozmanator]

Originally posted by rizfarmer


Erinhood represpent!!!:bigpimp: At the time (late 90's), this community was the closest new community built to downtown before a couiple of the newer inner city and beltline communities were built.

Property taxes are low, good restaurants nearby and I can get to downtown in 10 minutes.


I used to live in Erin Woods, near that ice rink or whatever it was.. Right by the train tracks, when the damn thing passed the whole house used to shake... Plus gotta love all the K9 units and HAWCS :)

Really damn ghetto, but the people around were really nice so it kinda relieved some of the issues. Wasnt dangerous to walk around nightime and stuff though, was mostly theft/domestic violence that happened with the usual drugs haha.

[zairaong]

for me, NW is the nicest place to live

[Nigel Mansell]

I've lived all over the city, and the only place I wouldn't live again is anywhere in the NE, which in my minds includes dumps like Ogden, Forest Lawn, and Dover.

[540i]

I would say South West quadrant has everything you need.
My choice of areas are Mount Royal, Altadore, Bankview, Richmond Park, Cliff Bungalow and Scarboro.

I live Inner City and it's a 10min walking distance to downtown, and under $10 cab ride back home. As far as entertainment...hands down for Calgary in S.W quadrant.

For investment purpose...S.W has equity in it already. The value of properties stay strong in this quadrant of the city which is desirable.

BTW...I work South West (Mindapore) and use my car 5 days a week. My wife and I have a baby and two dogs...there is still no way we trade inner city living in the SW for anything.

Ryan

[bubbley]

I love going down to the SW! I would love to move there..feels like a different city lol...I currently live in the NW, which is pretty good also

[dino_martini]

I live in Glamorgan. Love the location, tons of shit to do in the SW. The best part is that if you want to go to Elbow Falls or Banff you just go straight down highway 8 out of Calgary. Really simple to get in and out of town if you are going west.


Originally posted by bubbley
I love going down to the SW! I would love to move there..feels like a different city lol...I currently live in the NW, which is pretty good also

When I'm up in the north it feels like a completely different city.

Forgive the off topicnes - My father is a bit of a history buff and was reading a book about when Calgary became a city.

Originally there was a ferry service where the Center Street Bridge is now. And when they were trying to get the bridge built, the people on the south side of the Bow, felt that building the bridge would benefit them less as they felt the people on the north side of the Bow were not part of Calgary.

So there has always been a bit of a division of North vs South in Calgary. Interesting times.

[signature7]

Lived in the NW for over a decade. I like it but you cannot dispute the luxuries that the south has to offer. Elbow, Mt. Royal, Aspen, Pump Hill, the Slopes to name a few. Even Sundance in the deep south is great.

[Marsh]

West side for sure. East side is ghetto. Ride or die

[colt22]

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[Nigel Mansell]

Originally posted by colt22
Mckenzie Lake.
I grew up there and am still living there while going to u of c full time (Since 2007).

The drive isnt that bad at all if ur using deerfoot/crowchild; Alot faster than someone from the SW (shawnessy/ceaderbrae/hertiage).

Greatest place in calgary, clean, wide home lots, nice streets, older demographic, and the lake is phenomenal in the summer, basically lived at the beach club my whole childhood, cant ask for more. Also it borders fishcreek and you have the whole wide area of fish creek to roam.

I used to live down in Chaparral. I have no idea how I stomached the commute, especially from the U of C. Fuggetaboutit

[bourge73]

NW..FTW I ll never move from here, Panorama Hills for my vote with Stoney Trail now in, loves it even more :poosie:

[95EG6P]

N.e is the best location don't need call cops they are usually on location

[SillyChell]

I grew up in Radisson Heights, Dover and Erin Woods...loved Erin Woods...it wasnt as bad as people think. It is close to everything since its pretty central. I moved to Panorama and also love it up here. With Stoney its quick to get in and out of the community. However, transit sucks! Only one bus to get DT and its usually packed. I would never never live in the NE like Taradale, Temple kinda thing.

[riceboi]

Originally posted by ddduke


Yeah right buddy, SW by far.

Spent the last 8 years in Edgemont, Douglas Glen then Cranston.

Now I'm in Aspen and I'm never moving. 10 minutes to downtown, just off 17th ave, groceries and shopping less the 1 minute away, right by COP, huge rec centre with pools, driving range 4 minutes away, LRT is coming in soon and I get all of this while being in a VERY quiet neighbourhood. It feels just like living in Cranston with soooooo much more to offer and soooo much closer to everything.

I also get to see the mountains out of 50% of my windows.

How did you get to downtown in 10 min? My best was 15 and that was around midnight.

The Aspen/Summit of Montreux is probably one of the nicest neighborhoods in town but you will need an AWD during the winter months. Traffic will be hell until the completion of the west lrt.

[Canmorite]

Lower mount royal and mission FTW! Mount royal is awesome, if you have the money of course.