Calgary << KAL guh ree >> is the oil center of Canada and the largest city in the province of Alberta. According to the 2021 census, Calgary also has the largest metropolitan area population in Alberta. Edmonton ranks second in both city and metropolitan area population. Historically, the oil industry made Calgary one of Canada’s fastest-growing cities.
Calgary lies in the eastern foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and is often called the Foothills City. Its location has made it a major transportation and distribution center of western Canada. Calgary grew up as a cattle town. The city has won fame for the yearly Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, which features chuck wagon races, livestock shows, rodeo events, and carnival rides and games.
The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP)—now the Royal Canadian Mounted Police—set up a fort on the site of Calgary in 1875. NWMP Colonel James F. Macleod named the fort after his ancestors’ home, Calgary, in Scotland. The Gaelic word calgary was thought to mean bay farm or clear running water.
The city.
Calgary lies at the junction of the Bow and Elbow rivers, which run through the heart of the city. In Calgary, streets run north and south, and avenues run east and west. Many streets and avenues in the city have numbers instead of names. The intersection of Centre Street and the Bow River is the starting point of the numbering system. Centre Street divides the east and west numbers, and the Bow divides the north and south numbers. The intersection also divides Calgary into quarters—northeast (N.E.), northwest (N.W.), southeast (S.E.), and southwest (S.W.)—that help locate most addresses.
The Bow River winds through the city. Part of the Bow forms the northern border of downtown Calgary. City Hall stands at the corner of 7th Avenue S.E. and Macleod Trail (also called 2nd Street S.E.). Many historic buildings line the eastern part of Stephen Avenue (8th Avenue S.E. and S.W.). The Calgary Tower, a city landmark, rises 626 feet (191 meters) at the intersection of 9th Avenue S.E. and Centre Street. Atop this building are an observation deck, a revolving restaurant, and a flame that is lit on special occasions.
Much of downtown Calgary is connected by a system of enclosed elevated walkways built 15 feet (4.6 meters) above street level. Known as the “Plus 15,” the walkway system provides some comfort for pedestrians during Calgary’s cold winters.
The people.
More than half the people in Calgary have European ancestry. The city is also home to many people from Africa, China, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. About 1,600 First Nations people (Native Americans) live on the Tsuu T’ina (Sarcee) reserve, which borders southwestern Calgary.
Economy.
Calgary is an international oil center. Hundreds of oil and natural gas companies have their headquarters in Calgary. Many Calgarians also work for companies that own large networks of pipelines that carry oil and gas across Canada and to the United States. Others work for engineering, geological, geophysical, and surveying consultant firms based in Calgary and associated with the oil and gas industry. Most Canadian banks have western headquarters in the city, making it a major financial center. The banks have substantial investments in Alberta’s oil and gas industry.
Calgary once was a leading center for processing cattle from large ranches in southern Alberta. But most of the city’s stockyards and meat-packing plants have moved away. In addition, large rural grain centers have replaced most of the small grain elevators that once operated near Calgary.
The city’s location makes it a center for transportation and shipping. Major airlines use Calgary International Airport, one of the busiest airports in Canada. Two transcontinental railways serve the city. One of them, Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), has its headquarters in Calgary. Several branch railways and transcontinental truck lines also serve the city. The Trans-Canada Highway runs through Calgary. The Calgary Herald and the Calgary Sun, both daily newspapers, serve the city.
Calgary also has become a center for manufacturing and technology. Many plants in the city produce products for the agricultural, oil, and natural gas industries. Other leading products include building materials, chemicals, clothing, electrical and electronic products, furniture, fabricated metal products, paper, plastics, and wood products. Technology companies engage in such activities as telecommunications equipment production, software development, and biotechnology research.
Education.
Separate school boards supervise Calgary’s public schools and Roman Catholic schools. Revenue from taxes supports both systems. The University of Calgary is the city’s major institution of higher learning. The Alberta University of the Arts, Bow Valley College, Mount Royal University, and SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) also serve the city. The Calgary Public Library, which opened in 1912, was the first public library in Alberta. The city completed a new Central Library building in 2018.
Cultural life
of the city is highlighted by the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede in July. Contestants from throughout North America take part in this annual 10-day festival, which dates back to the 1920’s.
The Arts Commons arts center has five theaters and a concert hall. The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Alberta Theatre Projects, and Theatre Calgary perform there. The Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium hosts concerts. The Glenbow Museum includes a historical museum, an art gallery, and a library. The museum owns a large collection of First Nations artifacts.
The Calgary Zoo, one of the largest zoos in Canada, opened in 1918. The zoo’s Prehistoric Park features life-sized models of the prehistoric animals that once roamed the area. In the city’s Chinatown district, the Chinese Cultural Centre hosts numerous exhibits and celebrations. This center was designed to resemble the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China.
In addition, Calgary has a science museum and hundreds of public parks and playgrounds. The Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League and the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League make their home in the city.
Government.
Calgary has a council-manager form of government. The City Council is Calgary’s main governing and legislative body. It consists of an elected mayor and 14 elected city councillors who represent 14 wards (districts) of the city. All council members serve four-year terms. A city manager who reports directly to the City Council is Calgary’s chief administrative officer.
History.
The Blackfoot, Sarcee, and Assiniboine First Nations people lived in the Calgary region before white people arrived there. White traders and trappers first arrived in the area in the 1700’s. By the late 1800’s, illegal whiskey trading was common, and disputes often broke out between traders and First Nations people. Because of the unrest, the North-West Mounted Police established Fort Calgary in 1875.
The Canadian Pacific Railway reached Calgary in 1883 while building a railroad across Canada. Calgary grew slowly as more farmers and ranchers settled in southern Alberta. It was incorporated as a town in 1884. The population reached almost 3,900 by 1891, and Calgary received a city charter in 1893.
Many large ranches developed in southern Alberta after cattle herds were moved north in search of ungrazed land. Calgary served as the center of Canada’s meat-packing industry for a time. The city’s first annual agricultural exhibition was held in 1886. In 1912, four ranchers, known as the Big Four, organized a rodeo. They called this event the Calgary Stampede, and it also became an annual affair. In 1923, the exhibition and the rodeo merged, forming the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede.
Oil was discovered at nearby Turner Valley in 1914. This discovery led to even more important oil strikes, including one at Leduc, near Edmonton, in 1947. These oil strikes attracted thousands of people to Alberta from the United States and from other parts of Canada. Calgary became the main administrative center for the Canadian oil industry.
In 1967, Calgary announced plans for major urban renewal in the downtown area. From the early 1970’s to the early 1980’s, millions of dollars’ worth of construction projects were completed. A medical school at the University of Calgary opened in 1970. The Calgary Convention Centre (now Calgary Telus Convention Centre) opened in 1974. Bow Valley Square, a four-tower office and retail complex, was completed in 1982. The Calgary Performing Arts Centre (now Arts Commons) opened in 1985.
The Olympic Saddledome, an indoor arena, opened in 1983. It was renamed the Pengrowth Saddledome in 2000 and the Scotiabank Saddledome in 2010. It was built as the new home of the Calgary Flames and as one of the facilities for the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. Calgary was the first Canadian city to host the Winter Olympics.
In June 2013, heavy rain caused destructive flooding in Calgary. The Bow River overflowed its banks, and the city declared a state of emergency. More than 25 communities were evacuated. City officials estimated the damages caused by the flooding at more than $250 million. Authorities then began an extensive reconstruction of riverways, flood channels, and collecting ponds to protect the city from future flooding.
In 2014, the global price of oil began falling sharply. Large mining projects in northern Alberta’s oil sands were suspended, and thousands of Calgarians lost their jobs. The unemployment rate rose and most of Calgary’s businesses suffered.
