Have you thought about Cochrane at all? It's a reasonable commute in to Calgary, the housing selection would probably be much more affordable, it has the small town feel, and would enable you to escape west to the mountains pretty quickly for the weekends.

There are lots of people on here who live there who could answer more specific questions about whats it like to live there.

As others here have said, try the 'commute' from Canmore to Calgary in winter and see how you find it!

Good luck
Flossie

I don't think anyone is arguing with the beauty of Canmore. It is a fabulous spot. House prices are very high because a lot of English/German investors have brought property there which are in rental pools. Then of course the Canadians who have brought second homes there. So house prices are high.

The commute is going to be hard. It is about 100km on the highway and then what ever you have to do to get to where you are in Calgary, so if you are downtown and you are coming from Canmore you could probably add another 20 minutes. So on a bright sunny day with no problems you have a 1 hour and 20 minute drive. I know people that now live in Cochrane and commute to Canmore and they still do not like it.

In Canmore other than safeways, and a few other shops most of the shops cater for the tourist. I remember when I worked in retail that people would come in out of town every few months and buy all the clothes for the season. Great if you like to go once and do all youir shopping at the same time.

I think every english person I have spoken to or dealt with wants to buy in Canmore. None of them have due to the price of the houses and the commute. You may be able to cope with the commute and the price of housing, but just make sure it is an informed decision as there are lots of nice places to raise the children.

Your inital thread asked about the weather. Yes the schools were open yesterday at -32 wind chill -49 but did close to day when it was -28 or something!!! but in Canmore the weather will always be slightly colder and there will be more snow.

Alro lives in Canmore and works in Banff. She may be along to update in due course. I believe her children also bus to Banff for school.

I suspect it is a lovely place to live - and as Helen says, we've all mentioned at some point the wish to buy there. I regularly look and semi-faint at the prices

I recently saw a job advertised in Canmore that would appeal to me - but that drive, daily, would be no fun.

Best wishes with the move - wherever you end up

In the last 20 years, I'm told, the school my kids went to have had to cancel school once because of the temperature.
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Yes you guessed, it was because it was too HOT one day

Which is odd because at least in Ontario the Health and Safety legislation sets minimum temperatures which have to be maintained, but there is nothing solid about at what point its too hot to work.

Honestly, in the places I have worked we have had more problems with the heat in the summer in that respect than we have with the cold in the winter.

The commute from Calgary to Canmore:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wbo9Ko2LCwg

Okay, it's actually the commute to Banff but thats only a little further. I posted this ages ago but this time it seems more appropriate.