Calgary’s 8 quadrants of real estate

The city of Calgary is divided into 4 quadrants: Northwest, Northeast, Southeast and Southwest. For the sole purpose of real estate, the Calgary Real Estate Board has divided the city onto 8 sections. This gives an easier overview for real estate purposes. Following is a description of these 8 districts in Calgary.

Calgary City Centre

With just over 50 communities, Calgary’s City Centre, as defined by the real estate board, is probably the most diverse area, but also the most condensed.

Click to view Calgary’s City Centre communities

Obviously, it is the oldest district, from where Calgary expanded. It is home to downtown Centre Communities with impressive high rises. However, despite being busy, Calgary’s City Centre offers many parks for solace. Several great parks are Prince’s Island Park in the downtown area, River Park & Sandy Beach near Altadore, Stanley Park in the area around Elbow Park, and the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Also, the Bow and Elbow Rivers run right through the centre of Calgary and are easily accessible for enjoyment at many locations. This includes the Bow River Pathway along the Bow River for biking and walking. Besides many smaller shopping areas, available here are two large malls: Chinook Shopping Centre and the Core & Bankers Hall in downtown. Also, there are several popular walkable areas in Calgary’s City Centre with shops and restaurants. Kensington, Inglewood, the Beltline and Marda Loop are all popular areas. SAIT, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, is a well known educational institute offering programs in technology, trades and business. The Foothills Medical Centre and the Tom Baker Cancer Centre just border south of 16^th Avenue.  Public transport in Calgary’s City Centre is very good. From downtown, the C-Train goes to the Southwest, West, Northwest and Northeast, while the Southeast is in the planning stages. City Centre is defined by the real estate board and is roughly considered as west of Deerfoot, just south of 16^th Avenue, north of Glenmore Trail and west of Crowchild Trail.

Calgary North

The north section, as defined by the Calgary real estate board, has approximately 25 communities. It starts in the older communities of North Haven and Thorncliff and goes all the way north to several communities north of Stoney Trail, including Evanston, Livingston and Sage Hill.

Click to view Calgary’s North communities

Panorama Hills and Evanston are the largest communities in this section and both are popular. Obviously, the newer communities are further to the north. Currently, there are new communities in the north section under development, like Rangeland, Glacier Ridge and Ambleton. Nose Hill Park is considered one of the largest urban parks in North America. This park divides the North Division from the Northwest. There are many shopping areas in the North area, but no actual shopping mall. There are many bus routes in the North, but no C-train line. Stoney Trail is the main road in the North and quickly takes traffic to the east and the west. Deerfoot Trail is the boundary on the east side and a main road taking traffic south or north.

Calgary Northwest

The Northwest section, as defined by the Calgary Real Estate Board of Calgary has more than 20 communities. Several popular communities are Varsity, Brentwood, Scenic Acres and Edgemont. Haskayne (Rockland Park) is the latest community being developed.

Click to view Calgary’s Northwest communities

Arbour Lake is the only lake community in this district. Many homes in this area offer gorgeous views of the Rockies. The northwest section is home to the University of Calgary. Nose Hill Park is one of the largest urban parks in all of North America and divides the Northwest from the North section. Most southerly is the community of Bowness, which borders the Bow River and offers more park and green space such as Bowness Park and Bowmont Park. Market Mall is one of the largest malls in Calgary and is located in this Northwest district. Also, here, The Calgary Farmers Market opened in 2023.  The Alberta Children’s Hospital is located in the Northwest, close to the University. Crowchild Trail is the main road with the intersection of Stoney Trail, taking traffic quickly to both east and west. 16^th Avenue (Hwy 1) gives quick access to the forever gorgeous Rocky Mountains. The C-Train comes from downtown and has several stations. Brentwood Station is the first stop and Tuscany is the last station. The University of Calgary has its own C-Train station.

Calgary West

The west region, as specified by the Calgary real estate board, covers 25 communities. The west area is home to some upscale areas such as Springbank Hill and Aspen Woods. Here are several private schools, including the Webber Academy, the Calgary Academy and Rundle College Campus.

Click to view Calgary’s West communities

Also, the University of Mount Royal is in the West, in the community of Lincoln Park. The C-Train comes from downtown and stretches up to 69th Street, up to Springbank Hill. Large parks are around the Glenmore Reservoir and Weaselhead. Other big parks in the west area are Edworthy Park and Griffith Woods. The West has one mall, Westbrook Mall, which is tipping onto the community of Rosscarrock. West Hills Towne Centre is a large shopping area, and Strathcona Square and Aspen Landing are a couple of the many smaller shopping areas here. Sarcee Trail divides this West section with the City Centre region. There are some older communities east of Sarcee Trail such as Glenbrook, Glamorgan and Wildwood. Medicine Hill is the newest community in the west. Glenmore Trail is located in the south end which heads towards Bragg Creek. 16^th Avenue is on the north end and gives quick access to the Rocky Mountains.

Calgary South

The South discrict, as defined by the Calgary Real Estate Board, is actually in the Southwest of Calgary.  It is mainly all west of Deerfoot Trail and south of Glenmore Trail. The south offers a significant number of communities, around 45, both old and new.

Click to view Calgary’s South communities

Currently several new communities are under development:  Yorkville, Pine Creek, Belmont, Wolf Willow and Pine Creek.  A major attraction in the South area is Fish Creek Park. It is one of the largest urban parks in North America and offers amazing wildlife, bike paths and walking paths all year round. Fish Creek Park touches more than 10 different communities. Besides Fish Creek Park, the Glenmore Reservoir and Sikome Lake are also located in this South part. Bayview and Eagle Ridge are two upscale communities touching the Glenmore Reservoir. Also, several lake communities are present in the South. Lake Bonavista, in this area, was actually the first lake community in Calgary. But also, Chaparral, Midnapore and Sundance are lovely lake communities. South Centre Mall here is a large shopping mall. The largest shopping area in the South is Deerfoot Meadows which includes the only IKEA in Calgary. The main hospital in this area is the Rocky View Hospital. Macleod Trail is a major artery cutting through the South area, and also offers many shops and restaurants along its way. Stoney Trail opened its southwest part in 2021, making many commutes faster. The LRT offers many train stations, going as far south as Somerset-Bridlewood. Currently, future plans are on the table to expand this line further south.

Calgary Southeast

The Southeast district, as marked by the real estate board, has around 15 communities. The Southeast stretches from south of Glenmore to south of Stoney Trail (22x). Ogden is the only community in the Southeast, still north of Glenmore, but included in the Southeast section.

Click to view Calgary’s Southeast communities

Ogden and Riverbend are the oldest communities in this area, and Rangeview and Hotchkiss are brand new communities. Hotchkiss is the only community located on the east side of Stoney Trail. Carburn Park and Beaverdam Flats are two impressive parks here where bald eagles have made their home. Several communities in this area including McKenzie Lake, Douglasdale, Riverbend and Cranston border the Bow River, and several more communities border Fish Creek Park, more or less. Fish Creek Park is one of the largest parks in North America and offers an impressive variety of wildlife. The Southeast district has three popular lake communities: Mahogany, McKenzie Lake and Auburn Bay. South Health Campus, one of the few main hospitals in Calgary, is located in the community of Seton, just south of 22x. There are several significant shopping locations in this area, including South Trail Crossing on Deerfoot Trail and 130^th Avenue.  East Sheppard is a large industrial area in the Southeast and includes one of Calgary’s landfills. There is no C-Train line here yet providing transportation to the Southeast, but plans for a C-train line to the Southeast are in the making.

Calgary East

Calgary’s East, as defined by the real estate board, is the section with the fewest communities, around 12. This East section is located between Stoney Trail and Deerfoot, north of Glenmore Trail and south of Memorial Drive.

Click to view Calgary’s East communities

Belvedere and Twinhills are two new communities under development here and the only two located east of Stoney Trail. The major roads give good access from this area to anywhere in Calgary. The East section offers a fair number of industrial areas such as Starfield and Great Plains. Dover and Forest Lawn are the largest communities here. 17^th Avenue SE is considered International Avenue which offers many restaurants from all corners of the world. 17^th Avenue SE also gives quick access to the town of Chestermere. Elliston is a large park located on the east side and hosts Globalfest, a popular yearly event.

Northeast

The Northeast hosts approximately 25 communities and is home to the Calgary International Airport. This Northeast area, as defined by the real estate board, contains all the communities east of Deerfoot Trail.

Click to view Calgary’s Northeast communities

Homestead is the newest community and the only community in the Northeast which is in development west of Stoney Trail. Besides many shopping areas, there are 3 larger shopping malls in the Northeast: Sunridge Mall, Marlborough Mall and Deerfoot City. The Peter Lougheed Medical Centre is one of the main hospitals in Calgary and is located in the Northeast. Coral Springs is one of the few lake communities in Calgary and the only lake community in the Northeast. Prairie Winds Park and Big Marlborough Park are two larger parks located in the Northeast, as well. The C-Train reaches as far north as Saddleridge. Furthermore, the Northeast section is surrounded with the main roads of Deerfoot Trail, Stoney Trail and 16^th Avenue for quick access in any direction.

200 unique communities in Calgary

Calgary has about 200 communities with residential real estate. The city is still growing, and new communities are continuously being added. Each community has its own characteristics which gives Calgary a unique feel. Most communities are also very diverse in real estate and offer a mix of styles, such as detached, semi-detached, townhouses and apartments.

High rise and low rise buildings in Calgary

Views to downtown Calgary with many high rises.

The Calgary Real Estate Board considers high rises as having more than 5 floors. A building with less than 5 floors is considered a low rise. Low rises are located in many communities throughout Calgary. High rises are mainly concentrated in downtown Calgary. Relatively speaking, Calgary has very few high rises located outside of downtown. A few high rises away from the center are The London in Haysboro, University City in Brentwood, the Odyssey Towers in Coach Hill, Varsity Towers in Varsity, and three high rises in Spruce Cliff named Encore, Ovation and Brava.

Love your views in Calgary

Views of the Bow River valley from Patterson.

In Calgary, you don’t need to live in a high rise to enjoy good views. Geographically, Calgary’s location is in between the Rocky Mountains and the prairies.  As a result, Calgary has many hills and ridges that offer stunning views of the city and the Rocky Mountains. Our MLS system gives you the ability to search for only homes that have views.

Driving in Calgary

Sure, Calgary is a big city and sometimes driving to your destination can take a while. But compared to Toronto and Vancouver, driving in Calgary is a breeze. Road construction in the summer and snow conditions in the winter, though, can sometimes delay a commute. In recent years, Calgary did a great job of adding to its infrastructure. Stoney Trail as a ring road is, of course, the prime example.

Driving in Calgary according to Google

The newer communities in Calgary have a wider setup in terms of roads. Boulevards and Drives are wider and make faster commutes possible. Inner city Calgary is denser with narrower streets. Throughout the city are some main roads that move traffic faster such as Deerfoot Trail, MacLeod Trail, Memorial Drive, 16^th Avenue, Crowchild Trail and Sarcee Trail. Stoney Trail, the ring road, opened its first leg in 2009 and adds up to about 100 km’s around the city. It is expected the last leg will be finalized in 2024.

Traveling from Legacy, the southernmost community, to Calgary Airport takes approximately 36 minutes when taking Deerfoot Trail. A similar 36 minutes is required to reach Cornerstone, the northeasternmost area, from Legacy, but taking Stoney Trail. Additionally, a trip from Legacy to Glacier Ridge, located at the far northwest, is estimated at 41 minutes, also via Stoney Trail

From the newest community, Twinhills, which is east of Stoney Trail, to the community Crestmont, which is furthest west, takes 37 minutes via Hwy 1. Alternatively, that trip is 40 minutes via Glenmore and 34 minutes via Stoney Trail.

Every year, the City of Calgary is voted as one of the most livable cities in the world. And for many reasons! Calgary scores high points on affordability, education, infrastructure, and let’s not forget the proximity to the Rocky Mountains. Calgary is the largest city in Alberta with about 1.3 million residents.

Love Acreage living?