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-   -   where to live in calgary with kids (https://britishexpats.com/forum/canada-56/where-live-calgary-kids-753592/)

Kendeb Apr 2nd 2012 2:02 pm

where to live in calgary with kids
 
hi would really like some information my husband has just been offered a job in calgary and we are wondering where are the best places to live? ,we are still in uk at the moment and dont know were to start, we have 3 kids aged 17,15 and 5 any info would be great especially on schools :)

Jingsamichty Apr 2nd 2012 2:18 pm

Re: where to live in calgary with kids
 

Originally Posted by Kendeb (Post 9985060)
hi would really like some information my husband has just been offered a job in calgary and we are wondering where are the best places to live? ,we are still in uk at the moment and dont know were to start, we have 3 kids aged 17,15 and 5 any info would be great especially on schools :)

I recommend a house of some sort, with several bedrooms.

el_richo Apr 2nd 2012 2:29 pm

Re: where to live in calgary with kids
 

Originally Posted by Jingsamichty (Post 9985087)
I recommend a house of some sort, with several bedrooms.

+ 1

And a driveway to park the car.

christmasoompa Apr 2nd 2012 2:32 pm

Re: where to live in calgary with kids
 
Hi again, and welcome to the forum.

I don't know if you've seen my reply to your post in the other thread, but as you can see from the responses above, you do need to give a bit more info for people to be able to help you.

Things like where your husband will be working and what length of commute he's after, your housing budget and what sort of thing you want for it, what kind of amenities you're after etc, and hopefully people who live in Calgary will then be able to advise you better.

Good luck.

Former Lancastrian Apr 2nd 2012 2:35 pm

Re: where to live in calgary with kids
 
Large condos might offer underground parking that will save you having to plug in the car overnight and not having to brush off the snow or scraping ice off the windshield.
There again you could read these threads
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...t=calgary+kids
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...t=calgary+kids
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...t=calgary+kids
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...t=calgary+kids

Piff Poff Apr 2nd 2012 2:37 pm

Re: where to live in calgary with kids
 
Did you try doing a search? This is one of the more popular questions so there should be a few threads to help you narrow down your choice and then you could come back with more specific questions?

TheThornes Apr 2nd 2012 4:35 pm

Re: where to live in calgary with kids
 

Originally Posted by Kendeb (Post 9985060)
hi would really like some information my husband has just been offered a job in calgary and we are wondering where are the best places to live? ,we are still in uk at the moment and dont know were to start, we have 3 kids aged 17,15 and 5 any info would be great especially on schools :)

Whereabouts in Calgary will your husband will be working? This may impact your choice of where you would like to live. Also, do you specifically want to live in the city or would you consider one of the smaller satellite towns and commute in to Calgary? Will he be driving to work or relying on public transport? Do you prefer older neighbourhoods, new developments, lake communities; there's so much to take into consideration. Although I don't believe there's any real problem areas to avoid the only part of the city that has a bit of a reputation for being less favourable is the NE of the city.

Personally, I don't know much about the schools in Calgary itself as we live in one of the towns just outside. There was mention recently on the forum of one school which didn't have a very good reputation (I forget which one) but, other than that, I haven't heard anything else negative.

Also, although there are obviously school buses for getting your kids to school, would you want to be near public transport for your older kids to use for evenings/weekends too? Calgary transit only operates within the city itself; there are no public buses or trains extending out of the city to other towns or areas.

Also, check out www.realtor.ca to view houses for sale. OK, so it doesn't let you know about areas but it will give you an idea of housing styles and prices etc.

All the best. :)

cheeky_monkey Apr 2nd 2012 6:31 pm

Re: where to live in calgary with kids
 
i have just moved from Edmonton to Calgary with my three kids and have chosen the south east to live because it suits our needs..new development lots of parks schools and shops close by and plenty of children..but the north west and the south west are equally good..also depends on your budget and waht your expectations are???..oh and my kids are similar ages to yours...nearly

kwazywabbit Apr 2nd 2012 7:31 pm

Re: where to live in calgary with kids
 
When I first moved out here i settled in the SW. Somerset. I also like chaparral, Evergreen, Midnapore,Shawnessy. Just to name a few. There are plenty of shops close by as well as the C-train for getting down town.

YoshiPal2010 Apr 2nd 2012 11:07 pm

Re: where to live in calgary with kids
 

Originally Posted by TheThornes (Post 9985365)

Also, although there are obviously school buses for getting your kids to school, would you want to be near public transport for your older kids to use for evenings/weekends too? Calgary transit only operates within the city itself; there are no public buses or trains extending out of the city to other towns or areas.

The two oldest children seem to be of high school-age, so they would not be be riding on the traditional yellow school bus. Calgary runs transport to the high schools, so the OP would probably be wise to look into Calgary Transit routes, as the school buses, although numbered differently, tend to shadow established bus routes.

Kendeb Apr 3rd 2012 7:40 am

Re: where to live in calgary with kids
 

Originally Posted by cheeky_monkey (Post 9985532)
i have just moved from Edmonton to Calgary with my three kids and have chosen the south east to live because it suits our needs..new development lots of parks schools and shops close by and plenty of children..but the north west and the south west are equally good..also depends on your budget and waht your expectations are???..oh and my kids are similar ages to yours...nearly

the south east sounds like it has everything i was looking for i have been looking at the lake communities on the rentfaster site they are stunning !just need to read up on schools now .

YoshiPal2010 Apr 3rd 2012 5:36 pm

Re: where to live in calgary with kids
 

Originally Posted by Kendeb (Post 9986418)
the south east sounds like it has everything i was looking for i have been looking at the lake communities on the rentfaster site they are stunning !just need to read up on schools now .


http://www.cbe.ab.ca/schools/pdfs/20...Designated.pdf
This link is from the CBE Web Page (I hope it works) It lists all the districts in Calgary and their designated schools -- regular program only.

danfolkestone Apr 3rd 2012 10:18 pm

Re: where to live in calgary with kids
 
If your husband is working at Flynn Roofing in the Southeast, that's probably the best quadrant for you. Presumably your husband will commute by car, since transit service to the industrial area is poor to non-existent.

I have friends in Fairview, which is about as close to Flynn as you can get. The community is served by bus 10 which connects to the c-train, and also runs to both the nearby Chinook Mall and Market Mall in the northwest. My friends tell me that the schools are good, but there's no lake or even a community hall there.

I also know people in Dover, who love it. I'd avoid it personally because it's known for being a comparatively rough area with higher crime rate than most of the city. Being from Folkestone, I'm also biased against anywhere called Dover! The same goes for neighbouring areas like Forest Lawn and International Avenue. That whole area really feels like "the wrong side of the tracks" to me.

Further south, McKenzie town is attractive and has good community facilities. It looks more like an English town, with a high street and a chippie. Neighbouring McKenzie Lake is (unsurprisingly) a lake community. I don't know that area well though. I know that a lot of people complain about public transport that far southeast though, although that's primarily commuters to downtown. More central locations tend to have more frequent bus service.

A bit more expensive, Windsor Park, Britannia and Elboya are all nice areas to the west of your husband's work. I don't know about schools, but there a good local shops in Britannia especially and the area is well served by buses.

We also drove around Riverbend when we first started looking for a house, and quite liked the area. It's comparatively cheap for such a central location, possible because it's next to Ogden. There used to be an oil refinery in Ogden, and some land is contaminated from a high profile spill in the 90s. Hence, cheaper houses!

Since you don't drive, www.calgarytransit.com is a site you should check out. It has route maps and timetables. Bus times/stops are also on google maps. Generally, buses are more frequent nearer the centre of the city, since almost all public transport is geared towards commuters.

YoshiPal2010 Apr 3rd 2012 11:58 pm

Re: where to live in calgary with kids
 

Originally Posted by danfolkestone (Post 9987846)

I have friends in Fairview, which is about as close to Flynn as you can get. The community is served by bus 10 which connects to the c-train, and also runs to both the nearby Chinook Mall and Market Mall in the northwest. My friends tell me that the schools are good, but there's no lake or even a community hall there.

.

Fairview does, indeed have a community hall, but the junior high is French Immersion, the English program having been moved to David Thompson (in the neighbouring Acadia district), in 2008.

danfolkestone Apr 4th 2012 9:25 pm

Re: where to live in calgary with kids
 

Originally Posted by YoshiPal2010 (Post 9987968)
Fairview does, indeed have a community hall, but the junior high is French Immersion, the English program having been moved to David Thompson (in the neighbouring Acadia district), in 2008.

When did you last go to Fairview community hall? It closed on Dec 31, 2006! The building is still there, but it is an arts facility catering exclusively to disabled adults.


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