hughe

I'd appreciate anyone's opinions, good or bad, on Bragg Creek. We are hoping to settle in Alberta later this year but still cannot make our minds up where to go. We would like to be rural, in a small town or village but not too far from civilisation. We are after decent schools and a nice community spirit if that is at all possible. We adore the Rockies, well mountains in general actually, and we fell in love with the Banff area which is what started this whole thing in the first place.

We had considered Canmore but we would love a couple of acres of land and that doesn't seem to be possible there (not on our budget anyhow ) The Bragg Creek area would seem to fit the bill. I've read that the scenery is lovely and mountains are fairly close but its not too far from Calgary. I would welcome any other suggestions also as (dare I say it) we haven't completely ruled out going across the other side - Golden in particular.

many thanks

l i s a

Hi Hughe
We had the same impression as you about Bragg Creek and also saw it on TV on a relocation program (can't remember the exact one). So on a trip to Alberta in 2004 (it may have changed since) we took a drive to have a look around. Our immediate impression was that it was not for us. The main street and immediate vicinity was very run down with 'shack' type v old houses in need of some tlc. We didn't stick around too long - just had a gut feeling. I would suggest that you would really need to visit any area you are thinking of settling in to see if it is really what you're after. Sorry to be negative, but hope this helps.

SAW 04

We visited a few years ago and it was expensive then. I would check out property prices on www.mls.ca first. Also from memory it was quite a long drive to downtown Calgary. Im sure one of the many local expats will be able to provide more info.

SAW 04

gryphea

We visited Bragg creek recently on a reccie end of march. We really liked it BUT it is pricey and for us the commute would just be too far. Also as I want to work part-time the commute coupled with childcare would be problematic

Gryphea

gryphea

PS

Banded peak elementary looks nice. Given its very wealthy catchment I suspect it underperforms in terms of the standard tests.

We did see some run down properties that someone referred to. We didn't spend long there as it was too far from Clagary for us.

Gryphea

burton bunch

The programme you are referring to was BBC2's "Get a New Life" and the guy was a Yorkshireman and a paramedic who had specialist training in disasters - from memort he got a really good job in the oil fields.

From what I remember in that programme it was very out in the sticks and very close to nature.

Gay

x

PROLLINSON

They also didn't have a bean to scratch their arse with......and they were so close to nature, they were sleeping with racoons

Linda P

We too saw the programme before we arrived in Canada..
We have since visited Bragg Creek and it certainly is a beautiful setting, I have to say I didn't find it run down at all, but there is not much there.
Great place to visit or for a holiday, but I would miss the lack of retail outlets.
(that's just me )

I personally would not like to live there.....having to commute during the winter would be brutal.

Linda

Judy in Calgary

It depends on whether or not you need to commute to a job in Calgary. Although there are quite a few people who commute from Bragg Creek to Calgary, it is not my idea of a commutable distance, if there is such a word.

Since you also are considering Golden, I'm guessing that commuting to Calgary really isn't an issue for you.

I think Bragg Creek is a charming little town. I like the fact that it has some cute, one-of-a-kind stores (craft shops, art galleries, etc.). They are not the chain stores and the big box stores that one finds in the cities.

Nearby there is some great countryside for hiking and having picnics.

Many of the acreage properties around Bragg Creek are forested. You mentioned that you had Alpacas in the UK, and wanted to get a couple of them in Canada. If you want some open grazing ground, you may want to go just a little further afield than Bragg Creek.

Another issue with Bragg Creek is that some of the land near there is owned by a First Nations (Aboriginal) band. The nearby Redwood Meadows development, for example, is owned by a First Nations band. You can only lease a plot of ground in Redwood Meadows, not buy it. I'm not saying that's necessarily a problem, but it's something to be aware of.

There are other towns in the area that might meet your criteria. I'm thinking of Turner Valley, Black Diamond, Longview, Millarville, possibly even Okotoks.

Basically you should do a recce drive along Highway #22 (also known as the Cowboy Trail), both to the southwest of Calgary (where the previously mentioned towns are located) and to the northwest of Calgary (where Cochrane, Cremona and Sundre are located).

Tiffin Tease

We went briefly to Bragg Creek (partially because Brad Pitt has a house there and I wanted to be nosy.... not that you can see it.... LOL) but it seemed a bit too remote for our tastes. It would be hellish driving into Calgary in the winter and the town did seem a little sparse. Definately beautiful though...

burton bunch

Nice to see you haven't lost your English sayings Phil maybe that is your charm tho

Gay

x

hughe

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Now that she has found out Brad Pitt owns a house there, my wife says its a done deal, she's going with or without me

Pretty mixed responses. I am a surprised a couple felt it was a bit run down. I had thought it was quite a wealthy area but its good to know upfront rather than be disappointed when we got there. I still get the feeling it might suit us so its now on my ever expanding list of places to check out.

thanks again

rwin

I work with two guys who live in Bragg Creek. They drive to the south end of Calgary and take the train downtown. I think the commute that way is at least an hour.

If I wake up to new snow, I can be pretty certain they are calling in to say they're working from home.

rwin

If you can look past the "Watermark" on the photo, here is an overview of Bragg Creek.

claire bob and matt

I've spent the past week in Bragg Creek sorting out where to live. Obviously I've already made my choice and the 40 minute commute is fine for me as I spent that long travelling to work in the UK.

It is quite remote, it is very close to nature and if you're going to need a rental, there as rare as hen's teeth and are averaging about $2500 a month and up, that's if you can get one. To buy somewhere you will need about $650k upwards depending on what you want. There is a place called Redwood Meadows about 10 mins drive back towards Calgary where the houses are cheaper but still nice. Unfortunately, it's reservation land so you may encounter legal issues and that's why Redwood is a bit cheaper.

Hope this helps
C