Downtown Calgary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Downtown Calgary seen from the north | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  Location of Downtown Commercial Core inCalgary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates:51°02′53″N114°04′17″W / 51.04806°N 114.07139°W /51.04806; -114.07139 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Province |  Alberta | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| City |  Calgary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Quadrant | SW & SE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wards | 7,8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Established | 1875 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| • Mayor |
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| • Administrative body | Calgary City Council | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| • Councillors |
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| Area | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Total | 6.0 km2 (2.3 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 1,045 m (3,428 ft) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Population (2016)[3] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Total | 38,663 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| • Density | 6,400/km2 (17,000/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| • Average Income | $30,126 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Calgary Downtown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Downtown Calgary is a dense urban district in centralCalgary,Alberta. It contains the second largest concentration of head offices in Canada, despite only being the country's third largest city in terms of population.[4] The downtown is divided into several residential, commercial, corporate, and mixed-use neighbourhoods, including the Financial District (CBD),Eau Claire,Chinatown,East Village,Beltline, and theWest End.[5]
Downtown Calgary is bordered by 14th Street W. on the west, theBow River andPrince's Island Park on the north, theElbow River on the east and theCPR mainline tracks on the south. The neighbourhoods of theBeltline andMission to the immediate south are often considered part of downtown, due to the high concentrations of businesses, high population densities, and occurrence of retail and nightlife opportunities, but strictly speaking they are not technically part of downtown.
The population of Calgary's downtown has grown substantially in recent years, growing by several thousand between 2011 and 2016.[6] With the population of the five combined downtown neighbourhoods surpassing 18,000 as of 2016[update],[7] Downtown Calgary now has a significantly larger population than that of other Canadian cities of similar size, such asOttawa andEdmonton.[8][9] While Downtown Calgary continues to grow, the Beltline neighbourhood to the immediate south, with a population of 21,958 as of 2016[update], is taking up the majority of residential development in inner city Calgary.[10]
Calgary Transit'sCTrainlight rail system runs down 7th Avenue S. through the middle of downtown in an east–west direction, and the ride is free on this section. The futureGreen Line will run underground through downtown under 2nd Street, in a north–south direction.
Calgary's dense business area comprises the bulk of the downtown community. It is a core of skyscrapers. As of February 2017[update], eight of theten tallest buildings in westernCanada, and a few of the tallest in the country, are in Calgary. It is arguably the densest downtown area of any city of its size in North America[citation needed]. Many of the buildings are connected via an 18 km (11 mi) long network of elevated walkways and bridges. The system, known as the "+15" is the largest of its kind in the world.[citation needed]
The area surrounding theStephen Avenue Walk is Downtown Calgary's primary retail area. Stephen Avenue (8th Avenue SW) is a pedestrian mall lined with historic buildings containing stores, restaurants, cinemas, and drinking establishments. Immediately adjacent to the outdoor portion of Stephen Avenue is an indoor complex of two shopping malls. The malls,The Core Shopping Centre (formerly TD Square/Calgary Eaton Centre) and theScotia Centre are bordered at either end by the historicHudson's Bay Company store andHolt Renfrew's upscale department store. The street is also home to a number of galleries, restaurants, pubs, off-beat cinemas, and nightclubs. Other attractions in the commercial core include theDevonian Gardens in The Core, theCalgary Tower, the Art Gallery of Calgary, TheGlenbow Museum, Olympic Plaza,Arts Commons, and the Telus Convention Centre.
The commercial core is also divided into a number of districts. They include the Entertainment District/Stephen Avenue, The Olympic Plaza and Cultural District, and the Government District.
The government district is an informal subdivision of the downtown core, and is centered alongMacleod Trail, between the commercial core,Chinatown andDowntown East Village. It contains the City Hall, theCalgary Public Library, theCalgary Police headquarters, theHarry Hays building (federal government),Bow Valley College, theUnited States consulate and theCalgary Board of Education among other buildings.
The cultural district is centered on theBurns Building and Olympic Plaza, and contains educational and cultural venues such asBow Valley College,Glenbow Museum andArts Commons, includingThe Big Secret Theatre (home ofOne Yellow Rabbit theatre company),Jack Singer Concert Hall (home ofCalgary Philharmonic Orchestra),Max Bell Theatre (home ofTheatre Calgary),Martha Cohen Theatre (home ofAlberta Theatre Projects), andEngineered Air Theatre.
A statue ofThe Famous Five stands betweenStephen Avenue and Olympic Plaza.
The entertainment district is located along 8th Avenue South. It contains the pedestrian mall ofStephen Avenue, lined with restaurants and shops, enclosed shopping centres (includingThe Core,Scotia Centre,Bankers Hall andThe Bay), as well as Calgary's only art housemovie theater (theGlobe Cinema) and recreation areas such as theDevonian Gardens. Landmark buildings found in this district include theHyatt Regency Hotel, which incorporates several historic buildings into its facade, the Calgary Marriott andFairmont Palliser Hotel. Landmark skyscrapers in this district areScotia Centre,Bankers Hall, andEighth Avenue Place.
The "Udderly Art Legacy Pasture", a collection of decorated fiberglass cows built in 2000,[11] is hosted mainly in the Centennial Parkade, while other particular exponates are spread throughout the city.
The East Village is an area to the east of the Downtown Commercial Core. This area was plagued by crime and homelessness for a long time. However, the area has seen a great amount of redevelopment since the late 2000s. In 2007, theCalgary Municipal Land Corporation began construction on $357 million worth of infrastructure upgrades to the neighbourhood, bringing all streets above flood plain levels, upgrading sewers and storm drains, and building plazas.
The neighbourhood has since become a new hot-spot for the downtown area, playing host to the award-winningRiverWalk, several restaurants in the historic Simmons Mattress Factory building, and several new condo towers, with several more under construction. The neighbourhood is host to the $191 millionNational Music Centre of Canada, and will be host to the $245 millionNew Central Library of theCalgary Public Library system. Since the redevelopment has started, the neighbourhood has seen $2.7 billion worth of investment.[12]
The West End is a high-rise, high-density residential neighbourhood to the west of the Downtown Commercial Core. The neighbourhood is home toMillennium Park, which plays host to a large skate park, and is the home of theCalgary Pride celebration every September. TheDowntown West - KerbyC-Train station serves the community. Downtown West End is also well connected into thePlus 15 skywalk system.
Chinatown is located directly north of the Downtown Commercial Core and northwest of the East Village. The neighbourhood is characterized by high-density living and a high density of East Asian retail and restaurants. Calgary's Chinatown is home to the largestChinese Cultural Centre in North America. Designed in a traditional style, the cultural centre's roof is modelled after theTemple of Heaven inBeijing. Chinatown Calgary has anarea redevelopment plan in place with work continuing towards revitalizing the neighbourhood. The neighbourhood also contains Dragon City Mall, the only traditional Chinese-inspired shopping mall in Alberta.
Eau Claire is a neighbourhood located directly north of the Downtown Commercial Core. The area, which was developed from reclaimed industrial land, fronts theBow River and sits immediately north of 3rd Avenue South. North of Eau Claire isPrince's Island Park, a large urban park on an island in the Bow River and the site of many summer festivals, including the Calgary Folk Music Festival, Carifest,Shakespeare in the Park and variousbuskinghappenings. Within Eau Claire is Eau Claire Market and a variety of pubs and restaurants. It is also located on the city's large network of pedestrian pathways and trails, along
As of the 2016 Canadian Census, the population of Downtown was about 38,663 people living on approximately 6.0 km2 (2.3 sq mi) of land. Also as of 2016, there were approximately 137,030 jobs in Downtown Calgary.[13]
Residents in this community had amedian household income of$30,126 in 2005 with 41.4% of the population reported as low income residents.[14] As of 2006[update], 44.3% of the residents in the commercial core wereimmigrants. A proportion of 99.7% of the buildings werecondominiums orapartments, and 95.9% of the housing was used forrenting.[14]
In the May 2023-May 2024 data period, theDowntown Commercial Core had a crime rate of 12.705/100, a decrease from the previous data period.[15][16]
This puts it at this comparison to other Calgary communities:Saddle Ridge (1.358/100),Whitehorn (1.741/100),Rundle (2.342/100),Brentwood (2.348/100),Acadia (2.542/100),Bowness (2.934/100),Shawnessy (3.296/100),Inglewood (3.438/100),Sunnyside (3.650/100),Marlborough (4.703/100),Southwood (5.147/100),Sunalta (5.307/100),Montgomery (5.483/100),Forest Lawn (6.528/100),Rosscarrock (7.049/100), Downtown Commercial Core (12.705/100),Downtown East Village (15.605/100), Manchester (43.368/100).
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51°02′58.3″N114°04′12.2″W / 51.049528°N 114.070056°W /51.049528; -114.070056
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