Calgary is a large, dynamic and metropolitan city with a population of just over 1 million people.  Located in a valley where the Bow and Elbow rivers meet Calgary is on the western edge of the prairies within an hour's drive of the mountains.

Calgary is the oil and gas capital of Canada and has the highest concentration of head offices outside of Toronto.  Like the rest of Alberta, Calgary's economy is booming resulting in tremendous growth and lots of jobs.  Although Calgary's economy is, to a large extent, determined by the fortunes of the oil and gas business, its economy is far more diverse than it used to be.  Today there are many industries in Calgary including tourism, manufacturing, construction, finance, service sector, transportation etc.

Calgary is divided into four quadrants NW/SW/NE/SE and is a large city by comparison to some.  From the Northern edge of the city to the Southern edge is approxiately 60 kilometres.  Most of the industrial/commercial areas of the city are located in the SE and NE of the city with the largest industrial area called Foothills Industrial Park located in the SE.  This industrial complex is approximately 16 kilometres from the southern edge to the northern edge.  Located in the NE of Calgary is the Calgary International Airport.

Transportation in Calgary relies on a network of major highways throughout the city.  Deerfort Trail goes from North to South, Glenmore Trail and 16th Avenue run East to West and Crowchild Trail runs from the NW to the SW.  In addition there is a good public transit system utilizing a combination of trains and buses to link the residential areas to the downtown core.  There is also a new ring road that is being developed which will eventually surround Calgary and will take some of the traffic away from the city itself.

Calgary is about a one hour drive to Kananaskis Country and about two hours drive to the heart of the Rockies and Banff.  As such Calgarians have an enviable lifestyle with some of the best scenery, and winter/summer playgrounds on their doorstep.  Many Calgarians go skiing/snowboarding in the winter and camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, mountain biking etc in the summer.  Being so close to the mountains also produces something called 'Chinooks'.  This is a warm wind that blows over the Rockies in the winter and can raise temperatures by up to 30 degrees C in a matter of hours.  As a result Calgary has one of the most varied climates in Canada.  It's not unusual to leave for work in the middle of February in minus 25 degrees C and come back home in the afternoon in plus 10 degrees C.

Calgary has the highest concentration of adults with post graduate qualifications per head of population anywhere in Canada.  It has a wide range of educational establishments, from the regular school systems including, public, catholic and private, to further education facilities such as the Universtity of Calgary and Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).

Calgary is known as the 'Heart of the new west' - Why not make Calgary your home?

For more details about Calgary and what it has to offer click on the City of Calgary's own website link above.