Calgary Neighborhoods

The skyscrapers of downtown Calgary seem out of place rising unexpectedly from the shallow Bow River Valley. They contrast sharply with the dry, flat prairie stretching off to the east and south, and are dwarfed by the jagged ramparts of the Rocky Mountains looming to the west. Pinched between the slopes of one of the world's most rugged mountain ranges and the soft, fertile waves of the grasslands, Calgary is a city constantly on the move, rarely pausing to catch its collective breath before the next boom sweeps it off its feet.

The city sprawls from the foothills of the Rockies in the northwest to the rolling hills and farm country of the southeast. It is divided into four quadrants intersecting at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers, which meet at right angles in the city center. Center Street runs north to south, and Center Avenue east to west, with all streets laid out in a grid expanding outwards from the center.

Downtown/Eau Claire

Less than a century old, the city hasn't had time to develop a rich heritage, but instead, has built a rough and ready character full of youth that thrives on spectacle and excess. Calgary's downtown area is bustling and always on the move. From the noise and bravado of the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, billed as the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth," to the more subdued opulence of the Palliser Hotel's famous galas, the city vibrates with a barely-controlled energy straining to rush after the next trend.

Calgary Tower remains downtown's most recognizable landmark, and is a must for those looking to get a bird's eye view. The interactive Calgary Science Centre is a nice place to go if you have children, while Devonian Gardens is a welcome refuge for adults. Olympic Plaza offers ice-skating in the winter and a wading pool in the summer.