Hi, I am moving to Calgary end of August and looking for some local contact who can give me some advise on what it is like living there and where would be a best location to live.
I have been to calgary briefly a few years back but dint spend much time in the city.
I am hoping that i could find someone there with whome i could establish a bit of contact to get information so i dont feel completly new when i land there.
Any help/advise would be much appreciated.

Hi there, happy to help. Let me know what you want to know.

Where are you going to be working? Coming alone or with family? What are your interests?

Hi Both,

I am planning to move into calgary lsat week of August or first week of september. Right now i work within Finance/IT in the UK. I am moving there without a job so will have to look for one when i get there. I quite like the outdoor lifestyle hebce choose Calgary.
All i know about the city is what i read online and not a great deal more. I am single so i am moving there alone. Dont know anyone there as of now so trying to get some networking going before i get there .
Information i would like to know,
- Where is the best place to live in the City.
- What is the rent like if i rent a room in a shared place.
- what are the job prospects like in general, is it straightforward to get a job. i got a MBA from here and have been employed/self employed for over 10 years now.
- What are people in Calgary like are they easy to get on with.
Thease are some questions to start with but i am sure will have a lot more to ask.

For a young(?) single professional, I'd say the best area to live is Kensington/ Sunnyside. Lots of bars, restaurants, and a 20 minute walk to the downtown offices. It's not the cheapest area though, like everywhere you'd get better value the further away from the good bits you go.

Rent - probably looking at $800/month to rent a room in a share, I don't really know. Maybe someone else can give pointers on where to find classifieds etc.

Job prospects - I'd say Calgary is the best place in Canada to go to to find work. Lots of recruitment agencies, Google is your friend there.

Calgary people - very polite, friendly on the surface, decent folks. Mostly keen to help.

Thansk Jingsamichty sounds like the places you mentioned above may be better options for renting a room. Here i am very much used to living walking distance from city centre and would like to be in a simular positon there.
The work situation also sounds encouraginign from your post. Hopefully i should find something in a couple of months after moving.
do you know of any banks that offer any deals to new comers to canada.

- Areas: for a young single professional, Kensington, Sunnyside, Beltline (Connaught, Mission etc), Bankview
- Rents: check www.rentfaster.ca
- Jobs: Jobs galore here, although most want some kind of O&G experience. If you interview well, you should be fine
- People: Mostly ok. A few rednecks, terrible drivers, but friendly overall. I find the Canadian people in general a little difficult to get to know. They're private and guarded.

Thansk Photoplex, appreciate the info.

Deals? All the banks will offer new accounts, debit cards etc. Access to credit will depend on your own circumstances, but I don't think there are anything specific like deals for newcomers. Happy to be corrected though.

No worries - you'll be fine. Make some effort to get out there and meet people when you get here. There's all kinds of outdoor clubs; ski, mountain biking, rock climbing, pickup softball/slo-pitch leagues, etc.

You'll meet people through work too - there's always single people at work looking to socialize.

Thanks, guys. Sounds like there is lots going on there. I have already joined the Calgary outdoor club.

Check these guys out too - they have all manner of recreational sport leagues, and there's usually a "singles" team in most leagues. Great way to meet people. Played in various leagues myself for the first 5 years or so when I moved here.

Calgary Sports & Social Club

Thanks Photoplex

I did find ScotiaBank had a program : StartRight Program for Newcomers
Not sure how good it is, but it will get your credit rating up and running!

Good luck

Thansk jbj14