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Is Calgary or Edmonton Better Place to Live?


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Out of my way I got here late. Wow so much unjustified bashing of my city Ottawa. People are so insecure. Nothing like the plentiful and beautiful cottage country around Ottawa region to spend the gorgeous Ottawa summer. Frankly it is infinitely more pleasant than Klondike Days.

148Cottage%20Outside%20017.jpg

Wow this thread returns from the dead...

I'll take the Stampede and summer in Banff/Canmore/Interior BC over Ontario anyday. And I've lived half my life in both.

And since your into the picture contest:

http://www.ualberta.ca/~rrothery/wallpaper...ains/windy2.JPG

(I've climbed a few there)

Calgary looks cooler on TV (never been west of Toronto...)

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With regards to Calgary being brown all year round, I tend to disagree. The north east and south east .... ya I will give you that, but the south west and north west have some beautiful communties as this marks the boundries between prairie and foothills.

Sorry mate, but I'm throwing the flag on that one.

Calgary has very very little in the way of native trees and greenery. MOst of what you see is planted. The river valleys are flat and brown, except of course during flood season.

The River Valley in Edmonton is gorgeous, and the rest of the city has plenty of trees and parks.

No contest, visually.

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Out of my way I got here late. Wow so much unjustified bashing of my city Ottawa. People are so insecure. Nothing like the plentiful and beautiful cottage country around Ottawa region to spend the gorgeous Ottawa summer. Frankly it is infinitely more pleasant than Klondike Days.

Hi, I assume it was my message you were responding to. I didn't mean to "bash" Ottawa.

Black Dog returned from a week in Montreal and proclaimed the awesomeness of the place. I was trying to illustrate that when you visit someplace, you see the tourist attractions and the highlights, but don't experience the ups and downs of day to day life. I was trying to illustrate, using my experience in Ottawa and Vancouver.

If I had gone to Ottawa for a week or two, I could have come home and raved about all the cool galleries and the canal and the maple trees and all the old buildings and stuff that we just don't have here in Edmonton.

But, since I lived there for a few years, I saw not just that stuff, but also experienced a whole lot of stuff that is much less than awesome about Ottawa. I hated the climate. I found there were just as many dumb-asses there as there are here. "Klondike Days" maybe have been cheesy and tacky, but no more so than "Super-Ex". (I'd probably take Ottawa's Winterlude over Edmonton's Fringe, though.)

I was just trying to illustrate that there's more to a city than the stuff you squeeze into a week-long tour. And while we big-city Albertans are aware of our shortcomings of our 2 major cities in comparison to Canada's older major centers, we are not so much aware that in many ways we're also blessed compared to those cities.

-k

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Winnipeg has to be my least favourite place in the entire world. I must admit I was born there sadly.

You don't have mountains pretty much in your city:

http://www.novapure.com/Portals/ba3b678f-d...ary-skyline.jpg

(p.s. I climbed that second major peak from the left, my most recent endeavour! And the third from the right is getting climbed Spring.)

I actually used to not enjoy Calgary as much. I was a big Toronto until I die type, but after awhile, life in Calgary becomes part of you. It's definitely the greatest city in Canada IMO, though I did enjoy Halifax and St. John's, but for completely unpractical reasons. <_<;)

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Out of my way I got here late. Wow so much unjustified bashing of my city Ottawa. People are so insecure. Nothing like the plentiful and beautiful cottage country around Ottawa region to spend the gorgeous Ottawa summer. Frankly it is infinitely more pleasant than Klondike Days.

Hi, I assume it was my message you were responding to. I didn't mean to "bash" Ottawa.

Black Dog returned from a week in Montreal and proclaimed the awesomeness of the place. I was trying to illustrate that when you visit someplace, you see the tourist attractions and the highlights, but don't experience the ups and downs of day to day life. I was trying to illustrate, using my experience in Ottawa and Vancouver.

If I had gone to Ottawa for a week or two, I could have come home and raved about all the cool galleries and the canal and the maple trees and all the old buildings and stuff that we just don't have here in Edmonton.

But, since I lived there for a few years, I saw not just that stuff, but also experienced a whole lot of stuff that is much less than awesome about Ottawa. I hated the climate. I found there were just as many dumb-asses there as there are here. "Klondike Days" maybe have been cheesy and tacky, but no more so than "Super-Ex". (I'd probably take Ottawa's Winterlude over Edmonton's Fringe, though.)

I was just trying to illustrate that there's more to a city than the stuff you squeeze into a week-long tour. And while we big-city Albertans are aware of our shortcomings of our 2 major cities in comparison to Canada's older major centers, we are not so much aware that in many ways we're also blessed compared to those cities.

-k

Yeah I understand. Sure there idiots everywhere. Including here. I have been all over Canada and we chose to live in Ottawa to raise a family. A nicely compact but large enough city. Close to other larger centres. Large technology sector for employment. What I like most about Ottawa is the fact that I can drive to our beautiful (and inexpensive) cottage in under an hour from centretown. Try that in Vancouver or Toronto. What I like least is the winter freezing rain. But the typical winter weather is usually bright and sunny and moderately cold. To me that is much more bearable than that bone-chilling prarie deepfreeze. To each their own. We love it here.

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Overall, you may well be right about living in Ottawa. But weather is not a selling point over Calgary or Edmonton at all.

The humidity in Ottawa makes a huge difference in the weather. -18 plus the humidity here in Ottawa definitely feels way colder than -25 to -30 in Edmonton or Calgary. You conveniently forgot to mention the brutally gross humidity in the summer.

The effect of salt usage during the winter on vehicles here is another big big downside. That can cost you between five and seven years life on a new vehicle compared to Alberta. Cars also last longer in Alberta because of the lack of aforementioned humidity.

Weather has to be the biggest drawback to living in Ottawa.

Yeah I understand. Sure there idiots everywhere. Including here. I have been all over Canada and we chose to live in Ottawa to raise a family. A nicely compact but large enough city. Close to other larger centres. Large technology sector for employment. What I like most about Ottawa is the fact that I can drive to our beautiful (and inexpensive) cottage in under an hour from centretown. Try that in Vancouver or Toronto. What I like least is the winter freezing rain. But the typical winter weather is usually bright and sunny and moderately cold. To me that is much more bearable than that bone-chilling prarie deepfreeze. To each their own. We love it here.
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Yeah sure cars do kind of dissolve in Ottawa from salt if they are not treated. It is always the innocents who get hurt eh? I don't know what your talking about with winter humidity in Ottawa. It is dry as a desert. Too dry. Chapstick or else dry. -18 celsius days are rare. The storms do roll through here. Today is a typical winter day. -5 celsius. Sunny. Light wind. Perfect. Perfect for skiing. I play hockey at lunch on an outdoor rink near work. It's not Southern California temps for sure but also without the commuting, congestion, pollution, earthquakes, crime etc. Nobody would claim that pleasant weather is the reason to live in almost any Canadian city. All in all, most Canadian cities are excellent. Alberta is a great place. I've sent a lot of time there. I just happen to like the beautiful forests and zillions of lakes around Ottawa (or Montreal) and the cheap lakefront properties. Alberta doesn't really offer that. It does have spectacular mountains. Summer at the lake here is an affordable lifestyle. I paid less than $50,000 for a three bedroom lakefront cottage 50 minutes from centretown. Not perfect but a bit of paint and a few Home Depot trips and weekends of hammering, it looks great. Swimming right off the dock. The kids can't wait to get there. Places like this around here are everywhere. Show me a place this nice near Toronto or Vancouver at ten times that cost within a 3 hour drive. The lifestyle in Ottawa is excellent.

Overall, you may well be right about living in Ottawa. But weather is not a selling point over Calgary or Edmonton at all.

The humidity in Ottawa makes a huge difference in the weather. -18 plus the humidity here in Ottawa definitely feels way colder than -25 to -30 in Edmonton or Calgary. You conveniently forgot to mention the brutally gross humidity in the summer.

The effect of salt usage during the winter on vehicles here is another big big downside. That can cost you between five and seven years life on a new vehicle compared to Alberta. Cars also last longer in Alberta because of the lack of aforementioned humidity.

Weather has to be the biggest drawback to living in Ottawa.

Yeah I understand. Sure there idiots everywhere. Including here. I have been all over Canada and we chose to live in Ottawa to raise a family. A nicely compact but large enough city. Close to other larger centres. Large technology sector for employment. What I like most about Ottawa is the fact that I can drive to our beautiful (and inexpensive) cottage in under an hour from centretown. Try that in Vancouver or Toronto. What I like least is the winter freezing rain. But the typical winter weather is usually bright and sunny and moderately cold. To me that is much more bearable than that bone-chilling prarie deepfreeze. To each their own. We love it here.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Calgary or Edmonton? Which is a better place to live???

Hi. I am a US citizen living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I've made up my mind to move to either Calgary or Edmonton, but I can't figure out which one is a nicer place to live. Would you mind sharing your opinion? (I will be renting an apartment.) Anything you can tell me to help compare the two cities would be appreciated--maybe in terms of cost of living, living conditions, temperatures, available water, how crowded they are, or ANYthing else that you think I should know about! Thanks so much.

They are both nice cities. Both have two excellent pro sports teams. Edmonton is an artsy city with many great festivals, great river valley if you like mountain biking. (We have the the largest city parks and bike trails in the world). The mall sucks, who cares. Edmonton is blue collar in the north and white collar in the south with a cool artsy crowd in the middle.

Calgary is pretty much white collar all the way through. If you are into dressing up and going clubbing and pretending you are very important, and if you like to buy expensive things because they are expensive, if you are all about image and style, then Calgary is the place to go. Honestly, since you are american you will probably be much more at home in Calgary. Calgary has the largest american pop in Canada.

One note. If you are moving to Canada be prepared to constantly defend yourself if you are a Bush supporter or you think Iraq was a smart thing to do. Calgarians will be nicer to Bush supporters, in Edmonton you might be constantly arguing with people.

But all in all alberta is closer to america than any other province, and there is plenty of money and work.

Andrew

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Go for Edmonton,they have the West Edmonton mall(one of the biggest in the world) this is where Edmontonians spend all of their time pretending they live somewhere else.

Edmonton also has the advantage of having longer winters with more cold and snow that the poor Calgarians only wish they could get.

Their football team is called the "Edmonton Eskimos",that should tell you a lot.

Calgary has this thing called "Chinooks", it's awful,it's a kind of wind that ,right in the middle of winter when it's -30F it can change the temperature to +70F in a matter of minutes.Then Calgarians have to go and change to shorts and t-shirts.Poor people can't even put away their summer clothes in the winter.

I guess the best way to decide is to come here and see for yourself....but better hurry though,Alberta may be issuing passports in the near future,and you may have a long wait to get in.

The WIND - you said it. Calgary weather is decieving. Look on the weather channel and it says "10C"...go outside and get blown sideways by a bitterly cold wind.

Chicago has nuttin on Calgary - the "windy city" of the north.

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Calgary or Edmonton? Which is a better place to live???

Hi. I am a US citizen living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I've made up my mind to move to either Calgary or Edmonton, but I can't figure out which one is a nicer place to live. Would you mind sharing your opinion? (I will be renting an apartment.) Anything you can tell me to help compare the two cities would be appreciated--maybe in terms of cost of living, living conditions, temperatures, available water, how crowded they are, or ANYthing else that you think I should know about! Thanks so much.

It's like comparing Regina and Saskatoon. What little difference their is is not noticeable to the outsider. Calgarians are better at promoting their city and "thinking" that it's better. But generally:

Weather: Calgary slightly warmer in winter but very windy - Edmonton slightly warmer in summer

Population: Edmonton slightly larger (both are about a million but edmonton has more metro cities)

Economic Growth: Edmonton slightly more (contrary to popular belief - think fort mcmurray gateway).

Location: Calgary 1 hour drive to rockies - Edmonton 3 hours

Convenience: Calgary has more direct flights to elsewhere

Image: Calgary definitely better image - I think they indoctrinate peoplefrom newborn stage to believe Calgary has no faults and spread the word - it's like a cult, seriously. Think of a cult with red vests and white cowboy hats.

Sports: Both have pro NHL & CFL teams

Politics: Calgary is true blue tory, Edmonton is a mix of ND, Tory & yes, even Libs.

Cost of Living: Edmonton is less expensive for housing.

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  • 1 month later...

Both cities are overall, very nice places to live. But, one thing that does both me when ever I read it is that, most people say that Edmonton is colder then Calgary! That is actually not true. Just because Edmonton is farther north doesn't mean this. It is true that Calgary is warmer in the winter, due to the chinooks, but Edmonton is warmer in the summer. This is based on facts and if you ever are to watch the weather and compare them over the summer for a while, you'll see that it is warmer in Edmonton 2/3 of the time. Blame it on the influence of the mountians.

Going back to the main topic..........my wife and I have lived in Edmonton for 4 years. My wife has also lived in Calgary for four years. Our vote goes with Edmonton, hands down. Much more friendly, easier to drive around in, not as over priced for any and everything, not as crowded ( Calgary seems like it tried to all be in a 5km radius) to much steal and concrete in Calgary. In Edmonton, it is green and alive. Many more festivals and things to do. This is just scraping the surface. Edmonton all the way.

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Do you forget that we have the world's largest urban park? Fish Creek is the number one place in the world for running, only 5 minutes from my house on foot. More info here.

Fish Creek isn't the world's largest urban park; it isn't even North Ameria's largest urban park: that honour goes to South Mountain Preserve (Phoenix AZ) - which, at 16,283 acres, is more than five times the size of Fish Creek Park. Edmonton has the river valley park system and more greenspace in total than Calgary

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Do you forget that we have the world's largest urban park? Fish Creek is the number one place in the world for running, only 5 minutes from my house on foot. More info here.

Fish Creek isn't the world's largest urban park; it isn't even North Ameria's largest urban park: that honour goes to South Mountain Preserve (Phoenix AZ) - which, at 16,283 acres, is more than five times the size of Fish Creek Park. Edmonton has the river valley park system and more greenspace in total than Calgary

Interesting, I've been misinformed by my city. :lol:

None the less, count all the park space out at Bragg Creek (20 mins from my house), and we win hands down. Oh and I can go scambling only 40 minutes away on 10,000 ft. peaks. I win again. Looking at my Alberta driving map I can't see any real big recreation areas near Edmonton, not as close as Kananaskis is for us.

Calgary has less hours of sunshine per year than Estevan, SK and Medicine Hat, AB which has the most.

It does have over 2400 hours per year which is a lot I have to admit.

We have less hours but more days.

Many fully sunny days are better then most days being half cloudy and half sunny. Then you can only do stuff in the sun half the day. <_<

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None the less, count all the park space out at Bragg Creek (20 mins from my house), and we win hands down. Oh and I can go scambling only 40 minutes away on 10,000 ft. peaks. I win again. Looking at my Alberta driving map I can't see any real big recreation areas near Edmonton, not as close as Kananaskis is for us.

That's swell. 'tis a pity you have to actually, you know, live in Calgary in order to get there. The irony of using the natural beauty of the outlying areas (which, let's face it, would be there regardless) to boost the sprawling, souless, ugly mess of concrete, cheap stucco and freeways that is Calgary proper is pretty tasty.

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