Hi folks,
I know this thread has been posted before, but it wasn't Calgary.
I have been reading a lot of posts and there is so many difference of opinion, that I am getting

Please let me know what it's like to live in Calgary, jobs,pay,buying house,renting, places & things to do, etc, etc

Thanks alot,

Sorry, but it's really just so subjective!

What is it that YOU and YOUR family are looking for exactly? If you like city life, then you'd probably like it here - if you don't then maybe you won't.

Having said that - I hate big cities, but I love it here, it doesn't 'feel' like a big city to me (in the way that London UK does for example). We live outside of the city now, but used to live in the 'burbs during our first six years here.

Even when 'downtown' it doesn't feel like a big city to me. I feel safer there than I do in my old small hometown in SE UK.

As for what to do - there's just about something for everyone. Renting a place here now is not cheap! The vacancy rate is about .6% according to the news recently. My son rents a tiny 2 bed 1 bath condo (flat) for $1,350 per month. Family houses are much more.

The average house price is over $400K now.

I'm sorry but I agree with Calgal. Of course you will get conflicting opinions.

We love living here. Some people don't. There are jobs galore, but whether you get the job that you want at the rate of pay that you want with the holidays that you want is another question, and will depend on your circumstances.

The weather is mostly very dry here. People complain of dry skin and yes, nose bleeds and static shocks off everything, but on the other hand we have lots of lovely sunny days and blue skies. It can be cold here, but from the weather point of view I'd rather live here than anywhere else I have heard of in Canada. We have Chinook conditions today, and temps about 16 degrees. The snow was about a foot thick on the ground a few days ago, but it's gone! We had the BBQ going this evening!

Housing prices and shortage of rentals is a big and ongoing concern. I don't like the volume of traffic, and the standard of driving is often poor. I am horrified that we had about 70 people die on Calgary roads last year. If 70 people died of eg mad cow disease in one city, there'd be a world-wide outcry!
I don't agree that people are generally aggressive drivers here (of course you get some, but not as many as I remember from the UK) and if there is a road-rage incident it is headline news. I also find that people will normally let me change lanes, and contrary to what others have said, I always see folks waving thanks when others let them in.

I have found people here to be friendly and welcoming, on the whole. My workplace is friendly and relaxed (ish) even when we are frantically busy like last week! I love the proximity to the mountains, but I do wish we had more time to enjoy them.
We could have had a smaller, cheaper house and cars, and maybe I could get by with not working full-time then. It often feels like we do not have enough time together, and maybe that is something we need to address, cos there's more to life than working and sleeping .... and right now it feels like that is all we are doing.

Having a bit of a blue right now, but I am tired after two full days of training, and losing an hour's sleep and my weekend!

If I regret anything it is mostly that we didn't come here many years ago, when the boys were little, and they have said the same thing. They love living here!

Hi Morwenna
How long have you been here in Calgary? What people normally do on the weekend?

Thank you

Padthai