Amp34

My other half and I should be moving to Calgary next summer and we are just starting to narrow down options for where to live. We will both be working downtown and would ideally rather commute by either CTrain or bike (or both).

The two areas that seem most interesting are the NW (Arbour Lake/Silver Springs etc.) and the south (Southward/Lake Bonavista etc.) as they are at the end of the CTrain and houses are a little bigger (ideally a garage or at least a shed for outdoor gear). Are these reasonable places to live/am I missing something? What is the commute like on the CTrain?

Alternatively Cochrane does interest me. It would mean both of us driving in each day but it is closer to the mountains. What is the traffic and commuting times like?

There are so many options but not actually knowing the area it's a little difficult to narrow it down any further! Any other recommendations/tips would be awesome too.

Flossie and Jim

Don't discount the West LRT CTrain line either! Its a pretty fast commute and not as choc a block as the NW/South line (yet).

Any of the areas you mentioned are absolutely fine. It will really be a case of driving round the areas to see what kind of styles and ages of houses you like (and can afford), balanced with the commute time. Also, whether you want to be car based or be able to walk to facilities like shops, etc, and if you desire any community facilities eg lake. Calgary can be pretty homogenous e.g. a 1960's neighbourhood will look pretty similar whether it is in the NW, SW, SE or NE!

IMHO biking to downtown is a little more for the 'hardcore' cyclists, unless you can get close to an off-road cycle path.

Cochrane is certainly doable - 20 ish mins to the end of the CTrain line then about 30-40 mins on the CTrain depending on which end of downtown you are at. It could take you about the same commute time if you lived in the very far new north neighbourhoods and got a connector bus into a CTrain station. The Cochranites will be along in a bit I'm sure.

I'm based in the 1970's NW, and get the CTrain downtown every day. For me its park and ride at the station then CTrain downtown - about 40-45 mins door to door (1 hour if I get a feeder bus). Any specific questions feel free to ask!

Good luck!

Amp34

Thanks for the reply, lots of info there!

I didn't actually realise that extension existed! I knew Tuscany had just been completed but the western line doesn't show up on many maps (on Google). I shall have a look at that area as well.

I've been looking at realtor and the walk score website, along with the area profiles on the "top neighbourhoods" pages, are there my other locations I should be looking to get better profiles of the areas?

When you say hardcore what do you mean? If we go north west we were thinking of commuting down the bow river and then on from there. Not a huge fan of cycling on major roads, but then I do live in London and everyone there appears to be trying to kill you... On the off road/cycle route point, what sort of speed to people go on them? Are they more leisurely cycle routes or is it acceptable to go at "speed" (15-20mph)?

what is the parking like at the LRT stations in the NW? I've heard it can be a major pain to get parking, especially at the end of the line of coming from Cochran. Is that the case or do you find it easy to get a spot?

Almost Canadian

It is possible to cycle to downtown from virtually any community in Calgary without having to use roads until you get into the downtown core, as there are cycle paths everywhere.

The community that you mention in the southeast is nowhere near a c-train station and would require you to catch a bus or drive a car from it to a station. There is talk of an extension to the C-train in the southeast, but that will not happen for some time. In the meantime, there is also talk of a new bus service to the south east that will take the same route as the proposed south east C-train prior to the C-train line being completed. I don't know if that runs anywhere near Bonavista.

I would be amazed if you were unable to find the size of house/garage that you would like in most of Calgary's communities as there are usually all sizes of properties from 1000 sq ft to 2500 sq ft in most communities. What you will prefer community wise will very much depend upon what you like.

Amp34

Don't the Canyon Meadows and Anderson stations service both those and surrounding areas? We would be looking within 1-2km of the stations, which I'm guessing involves a premium in house prices.

The biggest questions we have at the moment is how packed are the LRT, whether it's fairly easy to cycle to do town in the morning during warmer periods and how much of a pain it is to drive during rush hour. I've been to Calgary before but only used the LRT outside of rush hour and not driven through it.

I'm sure there are houses available in every area that that suit our needs, however they also need to suit the budget! From what I understand the East is the cheapest area and obviously downtown and surrounding areas the most expensive area, from Realtor however most of the other areas (for example NW, South and West) appear to be much of a muchness, where you'll pay more for living closer to the station/lake and Cochrane slightly cheaper?

Almost Canadian

Both of those stations are west of Macleod Trail. While they "serve" the southeast communities, getting to and from them without using a car will take some planning. Waiting for a bus that is late in the winter is not fun.

I used to live in Somerset and I now travel to the Somerset LRT from 15 minutes south of Calgary. The Somerset LRT parking lot is full by 6:10 a.m. As Somerset is the end of the line, it is always possible to obtain a seat travelling downtown as one simply waits for the next train if no seats are available.

If buses turn up shortly before a train leaves, there may be no seating room at the time the train leaves Somerset. I get on the train at 6:00 a.m. ish. I can only assume that space is even less closer to rush hour.

Travelling home, from 3:30 p.m. to about 5:30 p.m. the trains are full going south. After 5:30 p.m. the ridership drops off considerable. The earlier trains are packed with students.

I know lots that cycle downtown year round. They do not use the roads at all.

There are cheap and expensive houses in most communities and it doesn't seem to matter where in the city those communities are. You will always pay a premium for having a house on a lake community.

Amp34

Is the footbridge no good then? I ask because they seem very well placed and easy to get to on foot from both sides.

Thanks for the breakdown, as long as you can actually get on the LRT I'm not too bothered about seats. From a london perspective if you can actually get on the train without a contortion degree then it's a good train...

I see, so it's less like the UK again when there are good and "bad/cheap and expensive suburbs?

Thanks for the help so far?

Photoplex

The West LRT has been on Google Maps since before it opened... Search for Westbrook LRT Station. It'll show you the station and line, and it's located about midway between downtown and the end station.

TanieBird

The footbridge at Anderson station gets you across McLeod to Southcentre mall. You would have to find a way of getting to the bridge first. Canyon Meadows is pretty much the same, it's just to ease passage across McLeod. The SE may be slightly cheaper as it has no direct access to the C-Train. The newer areas of McKenzie Towne, Copperfield and New Brighton are more expensive as they have the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) in place if the C-Train there. BRT is an express bendy bus that goes downtown. I have never taken it, but it certainly seemed popular and full when I passed it.

If you think you will drive to catch a C-Train, then most lots offer paid-for reserved parking. Only people who pay monthly can use these spots during the peak times (can't remember the exact times), but after 10am they are open to anyone.

At peak times, it can be a struggle to get on the train anything after the first 2 stops on the line. I have had to let 3 trains pass before being able to even cram myself in. This can be worse in the winter if one breaks down causing delays and don't forget the joy of trying to take a c-train during stampede.......

I'm not trying to put you off using the c-train, just giving some of my experience of using both from on the SW line and the NE line. I haven't used the West expansion, no need as I'm in Airdrie now so the NE is closer.

The main thing I will say about community is chose one that "feels" right to you. They may all look the same, but the feeling/atmosphere can be very different.

Best of luck with the move.

gryphea

I know lots of people who cycle almost exclusively on paths from NW to downtown. Look for the cycle map and communities that tie into the path along the bow valley. Also some people drive to Edworthy park and bike from there

Flossie and Jim

You can also check out Calgary Communities And Community Associations as it has links to community pages so you can check out their newsletters and see if they are quite active community associations and what kind of things are happening.

If you want to park free at the NW LRT stations you need to get there quite early - I pay for a space (because I need the certainty of being able to pick the kids up on time after work) and the lot at Dalhousie is full when I get there around 7, maybe a bit before that. You can put your name down on the wait list for the stations on the Calgary Transit website if you want to pay to secure a spot and by the time you get here it might be your turn If your job allows you to stagger your hours outside the main rush hour then you should be fine, even from Cochrane.

My definition of "hardcore" is those cyclists I see weaving through the traffic in a blizzard and minus 25! If you can get pretty much downtown on a regional cycle path then thats awesome! Drivers have absolutely no awareness when it comes to cycles here!

Personally, I think the western communities get a little bit overlooked, and if I was looking to live somewhere now then I would give the communities along that line serious consideration.

Amp34

TanieBird, that's some excellent info there, just what I was looking for. it gives me an idea of what it's actually like commuting in the LRT. I didn't know about the BRT so will look into that too.

Flossie and Jim, thanks for the link. I will look into that. I'll also put some more serious consideration into the western communities. We should be going out in May to do the house hunting so only a few months left!

maore

The good news is you are coming just at the right time to find a place ,rental period run on a 6 months from January onwards so people change places quiet a lot.
Personally I live downtown :beltline area- swimming pool,20 mins walk to work,irish pub to watch the football match that were my requirements - price wise I get murdered with 1300 $/month rent => minimum living cost for me is 2000 $/month (rent,food,phone,internet,electricity,socialising) .
You are in sunny Calgary so make sure you get an apt or house facing south so you get and your house plant maximum sun exposure.Another piece of information which might also help you in your choice ublic transport downtown is free (i.e. reduce your transport charge bearing in my a monthly path cost around 100 $)

Welcome !

xxdb

So... The people I know from the SE bitch about not being able to find parking to get onto the C-Train. The NW is not as bad but in almost all cases if you want to get free parking you have to be there early like 6.30 or something so if you are an early riser by nature it's all good. Otherwise you're stuck with one of two options: either get the bus (which means you could end up stuck outside while it's baltic) or else you have to pay the parking. I'm assuming you don't fancy the third option of driving and paying $20 a day for parking or else $200 some for parking per month. This is downtown of course. If your work happens to not be downtown you often will get free parking.

Steve_

Good of an answer as any.