Calling Calgarians

**finbar** · 06-15-2007, 02:19 PM

Looking for some advice here. Open ended job offer to move to Calgary some time this year. Currently in Houston (but I'm from the UK) where obviously there is no skiing whatsoever but have a place in Steamboat and managed to scratch out 20 odd days last year over 4 trips. No comparison of course to if I was living in Calgary so the question of moving is a done deal as far as skiing is concerned. The catch is that my mrs, being from South America (sorry no nekkid pics

) is somewhat averse to bollocking cold shitey weather over a prolonged period. That said, she has no problem with the cold, clear weather in CO, more the miserable rainy shite she has to suffer when visiting my native Scotland she doesn't like. So question is, how shitey and miserable does it get in Calgary in the winter ? Also, what is the score with the housing market - prices seem to be way out of whack. Looks like it would cost over a million to get something even close to what we have in H, which would be another factor in persuading the ball 'n' chain.

Lastly, any thoughts in general on living in Calgary e.g. do you fucking hate it or is it the dogs bollocks ? Thanks in advance for any input.

**skadams.ca** · 06-15-2007, 02:50 PM

Don't live in Calgary anymore but was born and raised in the city so I'll give a bit of input. Calgary winters would be much closer to the climate of Colorado than that of Scotland. Winters are very dry (humidity wise) and it does not rain - just snow. So from a weather standpoint you're gold. Housing market is right fucked as you made mention of - definately a drawback if you are buying into the market but gold for those who have owned a house for a couple years.

Its a great city with a very young, vibrant buzz right now - lots of great restaurants/bars/pubs ect to get lost in and limitless options for outdoor activities with the rockies so close. If you can get past the housing dilemma, you're in the clear!! Good luck

**bakers_dozen** · 06-15-2007, 03:03 PM

Calgary is the sunniest city in Canada. Winters can get cold but when it's cold it is sunny (which greatly helps!) We also get chinooks where we'll get +10 for a week or two during the winter in between cold snaps. I used to live out east and even though it can get colder here, it isn't as bad b/c it a dry cold and not humid - and as mentioned the sun really helps. Housing would be more than Houston but I would rather live here than Houston anyday.

I assume you work geology? There are lots of us up here just as there are in Houston. What company if so?

If you haven't seen it check out this article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary. Probably has everything you need/want to know.

By the way - Lake Louise is an hour and 45 mins away from the city. Sunshine Village 1 hour 15 mins. Fernie about 3 hours.

If you have any other questions feel free to message me

**GBB** · 06-15-2007, 03:21 PM

Get the fuck out of the shit hole that is Houston!!!

**finbar** · 06-15-2007, 04:06 PM

Thanks for the positive input. I had a short trip there last month and got good vibes but wanted to hear from people that have been there for a while. I work in O&G but in the projects area, would be going there as El Presidente of a small company which I am a VP with in Houston right now and would be working with Suncor, Shell, Husky etc on oil sands stuff. Easy to rag on Houston but if you work in oil there are a lot of worse, and not that many better, places you can maintain continuity of employment (having spent 10 yrs between Asia and South America I know first hand). Also, summers while hot as hell ain't so bad as there is a good wakeboarding scene on the rivers and lakes which fills in nicely in the summer. That said I can't sleep right now thinking of the prospect of 6mths skiing a yr, but as I said its more about the mrs than me. Checking the MLS looks like you can rent houses which are selling for ~$7-800k for around $2,500-3,000/mth and lots of them on the market so will prob go that route for a year before buying anyway. Sure the O&G boom is mainly responsible for the fucked housing scenario which doesn't bode well should things slow down or the environmentalists get their way.

Looking ahead will probably try and get a 3/4 day trip up there this summer with the wifey. If I do that what should I not miss in order to impress the pants off her...my earlier trip was limited to downtown so looking for other areas in town to hit up - pref more interesting than what I can find in the concrete (or more like stucco these days) jungle of Houston, as well outside e.g Banff. Scenic mtn biking one day would work having introduced the mrs to that recently. Thanks again for your help

**PlayHarder** · 06-15-2007, 04:11 PM

Pretty much what they said. Calgary doesn't tend to get real long, real cold stretches, typical winter is mostly +5*c to -10*c with the occasional chinook warming things into the teens and the occasional cold snap where it drops to -35*.
It's a good city to live in, grew up here and then moved around a bit looking for better, only to find myself right back here.
The growth is stretching things a little, housing/rental prices are kind of crazy and the infrastructure is lagging behind the influx a little. Fortunately, proximity to the Rockies and some decent ski hills make up for that.
The housing market is slowing down a bit right now and you can get a newer +/-2000sq.ft. house for under 1/2 million, it's the mcmansion type "executive" homes & acreages that are crazy hot right now.
And hey, for a skier, Houston vs Calgary isn't much of a debate.

**skadams.ca** · 06-15-2007, 04:28 PM

Originally Posted by finbar

Looking ahead will probably try and get a 3/4 day trip up there this summer with the wifey. If I do that what should I not miss in order to impress the pants off her...my earlier trip was limited to downtown so looking for other areas in town to hit up - pref more interesting than what I can find in the concrete (or more like stucco these days) jungle of Houston, as well outside e.g Banff. Scenic mtn biking one day would work having introduced the mrs to that recently. Thanks again for your help

Not much to see within the city that really sets it apart from any other downtown core - get out! Head to Kananaskis Country (45mins), Canmore for some hiking/biking (1h) or Banff. All of those spots are beautiful areas and just over an hour out of the city - if the Mrs. isnt impressed with that area, you may need to get her into a shrink.

**finbar** · 06-15-2007, 04:36 PM

What about in-town areas to hang out at night ? Only made it as far as 8th Ave last trip (was less than 48hrs).

**bakers_dozen** · 06-15-2007, 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by finbar

What about in-town areas to hang out at night ? Only made it as far as 8th Ave last trip (was less than 48hrs).

What are you looking for and for what age group? Bars? Restaurants? Parks?

**mntlion** · 06-15-2007, 05:17 PM

also look at living in cockring (cochrane) or canmore and work in the city 4 days a week, live in the mountains?

long ski season (nov to may) great biking.hiking (may to sept)

passes are resonable ($1000 for 3 areas, $1500 for 6-8)

**Eldo** · 06-15-2007, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by finbar

What about in-town areas to hang out at night ? Only made it as far as 8th Ave last trip (was less than 48hrs).

Dinner at the River Cafe on Prince's Island. www.river-cafe.com

Or if the company is paying, then Teatro. www.teatro.ca

Watch the sun set over the Rockies from the observation deck in the Calgary Tower. www.calgarytower.com

Drinks at whatever is the latest hip downtown bar. (Of which I am woefully behind the times.)

Downtown Calgary website has good info. Go to Downtown Spots for links to restaurants, bars, etc. www.downtowncalgary.com

Some good info in this old thread: tetongravity.com/forums/showthread

**finbar** · 06-16-2007, 09:40 AM

Thanks Eldo, I had searched the threads but missed that one but some good info there.

**fullers2oh** · 06-16-2007, 12:42 PM

i aint no calgarian but been there a couple times and it is a very nice place! go north and do not look back! post many TRs for us please

"Calgary has a prairie-steppe type climate. This means it usually enjoys sunny weather, even in winter, and most of its little rainfall comes in the summer. The summer rain is vital for the wheat and grasslands grown on the prairies. "

from http://www.livingin-canada.com/climate-calgary.html

**f2f** · 06-16-2007, 01:24 PM

i just accepted a paycut to go back there. didn't think twice. having seen houston i'm sure you shouldn't either.

that way i can finally give alberta_hoser the swift kick in the ass he deserves

**alberta_hoser** · 06-16-2007, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by f2f

i just accepted a paycut to go back there. didn't think twice. having seen houston i'm sure you shouldn't either.

that way i can finally give alberta_hoser the swift kick in the ass he deserves

oh shit....

BTW I've lived here my entire life and my only complaint now is the traffic. But it's no where near as bad as somewhere like....Vancouver.

**f2f** · 06-16-2007, 01:37 PM

canada does have the tendency to grow on a foreigner. much more than they expect. it's my second time away from canada for a long period in the past 10 years and i find myself always drawn back to it. calgary is a busy place, perhaps a bit too much for me, but it's a nice balance between the great outdoors and the job market possibilities.

not to sound too daft, here is exactly what i'm giving up to go back there, my back yard one fine morning this may:

**finbar** · 06-16-2007, 05:57 PM

Just keeps getting better...so where do you guys, or where would you like to live, assuming no more than 30mins commute to downtown and the possibility of biking. I have looked at a few maps and read some articles which appear to point towards either NW or SW MLS areas but within those areas (or other) anything which stands out. Assume $ not an issue (although of course it is). Ability to be able to walk/bike to trails, pubs, local shops would be great, unlike here where the cops will stop you and ask if everything is alright if you are caught walking anywhere (if you can find a sidewalk that is). Close to the river would be good too but not a neccessity.

**f2f** · 06-16-2007, 06:23 PM

i lived in the southwest for a year (14th st, close to 17th where all the bars are) but that's pretty much a yuppie scene. apartment buildings and a youth-oriented culture

next we moved to sunnyside in the north (6th st). it's quieter, more relaxed. you can rent a small house there for $1000 and a lot of the people were young families with one or two kids. downtown is 15 minutes sturdy walk and a lot of the people who worked for big oil downtown just chose to walk/bike there daily regardless of weather. still close to transportation and very close to the more interesting parts of kensington (the last maggot gathering was in one of the pubs there). kensington is slightly more hippy-ish place. a great skiing store is located there, fresh, which sponsors the annual movie weekend in calgary, a great place to see all the major skiing movies of the year. (note that it is possible that all house-owners in sunnyside have sold out and moved further away in the past two years and it's all yuppie-land now: the housing market there has boomed)

i don't think there's a bad area in calgary, at least not in the american sense of the word. even the area around the King Edward hotel has been infested with people with too much money and good manners

hope that helps. the locals can give you a much better perspective. mine is a foreign one, but i hope it can be useful

**Eldo** · 06-16-2007, 07:10 PM

I've lived in 17 different places in Calgary that I can remember. Probably a few more when I was a wee kid.

For the suburbia experience I've always been partial to the northwest part of the city. Faster commute to downtown than from south Calgary, nice neighbourhoods, and plenty of bike paths. Most important it's quick to head west to the mountains for skiing.

If you don't need a yard for kids etc then maybe consider a downtown or beltline-area condo? That's a growing trend in Calgary with the traffic these days. It's great to be able to park the car all week and walk to work, restaurants, etc. I've lived downtown a half dozen times and always loved it. Unfortunately when I finally decided to buy a place it was cheaper for me to get a house out in the N.E. suburbs than a condo downtown.

My neighbourhood in the N.E. is nice, but it takes me an extra hour to get to and from the ski hills compared with downtown and 1.5 hours more than from northwest Calgary.

**bakers_dozen** · 06-16-2007, 10:46 PM

I live in the N.W. and from what I've seen of the city I'd want to live here over anywhere else. If you are looking for big nice houses check out Edgemont, they have awesome views of the mountains and the city. You will be paying more though. Here's a view from one of the hills. http://www.iras.ucalgary.ca/~kwok/ro...s/edgemont.jpg

**powslut** · 06-16-2007, 11:46 PM

If you're going to be working downtown do not live in one of the newer neighbourhoods. They could be used as an example of how not to plan a neighbourhood. They are full of cookie cutter homes with 3 car garages, no services within walking distance and are serviced by a what could be at best of times called a marginal public transit and freeway system.

If you're looking for somewhere lively with good restaurants, decent nightlife, a short commute to work and trees in the neighbourhood I would highly recommend living in anywhere in the Beltline area. If proximity to the ski hills or the mountains is a concern consider Bowness-Montgomery.

**Gripen** · 06-17-2007, 12:52 AM

Originally Posted by f2f

canada does have the tendency to grow on a foreigner. much more than they expect. it's my second time away from canada for a long period in the past 10 years and i find myself always drawn back to it. calgary is a busy place, perhaps a bit too much for me, but it's a nice balance between the great outdoors and the job market possibilities.

not to sound too daft, here is exactly what i'm giving up to go back there, my back yard one fine morning this may:

Leaving Los Alamos for Calgary? I grew up in LA, have the Zia sun tattooed on my leg. Made my first turns at Pajarito.

I live in Calgary in the winter, live in the NW, Ranchlands to be specific. As cities go its great. Fairly close to the mtns, great food and culture in town. The traffic can kinda suck at times, nonetheless, i do enjoy it! It is only really cold for two-three weeks a year, nothing like the plains of Canuckistan....

I would highly recommend moving from Houston to Calgary.
Feel free to PM me or most anyone else who has responded if you have specfic questions.

**f2f** · 06-17-2007, 07:13 AM

Originally Posted by Gripen

Leaving Los Alamos for Calgary?

this place is not what it used to be

**Gripen** · 06-17-2007, 08:30 AM

Originally Posted by f2f

this place is not what it used to be

I dont blame you. My childhood neighborhood burned down in the fire, havent been back since and dont ever plan on it. I heard it and LANL has gone down the shitter lately. After living in Calgary and the PNW I could never live in the SW again.

BTW was that pic taken on Barranca or North mesa?

L7 · 06-17-2007, 08:37 AM

I had a long post done up for you but the puter crashed. Eldo's on with river cafe and you can show wifey princess island. Any of the river area is great and the trail network is awesome for bike commuting, running walking or whatever. There's a dog park in ranchlands off John Laurie with amazing views of the rockies one way and skyline the other.

I agree with the north west for mountain access, nicer area and commutes. Bowness is run down but due to rejuvinate and a nice location. Consider renting as the housing market can't carry on like it has forever. Rising interst rates in the fall may alter things. I like Cochrane and with construction getting wound up the commute will improve.