Downtown Calgary

Downtown Calgary
Neighbourhood

Downtown Calgary seen from Bow Trail

Location of Downtown Commercial Core in Calgary

Coordinates: 51°02′53″N 114°04′17″W / 51.04806°N 114.07139°W / 51.04806; -114.07139
Country  Canada
Province  Alberta
City  Calgary
Quadrant SW
Wards 7, 8
Established 1875
Government[1]
 • Mayor Naheed Nenshi
 • Administrative body Calgary City Council
 • Councillors Druh Farrell
Evan Woolley
Area
 • Total 1.2 km2 (0.5 sq mi)
Elevation 1,045 m (3,428 ft)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 8,071
 • Density 6,725.8/km2 (17,420/sq mi)
 • Average Income $30,126
Website Calgary Downtown

Downtown Calgary is a region of central Calgary, Alberta. It is not a single neighbourhood per se, but is actually a larger community containing three neighbourhoods and a number of districts.

Generally speaking, downtown Calgary is bordered by 14th Street W. on the west, 3rd Avenue S. and Eau Claire on the north, the Elbow River on the east and the CPR mainline tracks on the south. Within downtown are three city neighbourhoods. They are, the Downtown West End, the Downtown Commercial Core, and the Downtown East Village.[3] The neighbourhoods of Eau Claire to the immediate north, Chinatown to the northeast and the Beltline to the south are usually considered to be part of downtown, but strictly speaking they are not.

The population of Calgary's downtown is still low relative to certain other cities, despite major rejuvenation initiatives and the development of major condominium and apartment projects. The combined population of the three downtown neighbourhoods was 12,455 in 2009; however, this figure does not include the 1,700 that live in Eau Claire, the 1,300 in Chinatown, and the 18,000 that live in the Beltline.[4] The Downtown West End and the Downtown East Village are generally considered to be the downtown's residential neighbourhoods.

Calgary Transit's C-Train light rail system runs down 7th Avenue S. through the middle of downtown, and the ride is free on this section.

Downtown commercial core

Downtown Calgary seen from Prince's Island

Calgary's dense business area comprises the bulk of the downtown community. It is a core of skyscrapers. Some of the tallest buildings in western Canada, 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. 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.

The area surrounding the Stephen 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 the Scotia Centre are bordered at either end by the historic Hudson's Bay Company store and Holt 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 the Devonian Gardens in The Core, the Calgary Tower, the Art Gallery of Calgary, The Glenbow 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.

Government district

Calgary Municipal Building, designed by WZMH Architects

The government district is an informal subdivision of the downtown core, and is centered along Macleod Trail, between the commercial core, Chinatown and Downtown East Village. It contains the City Hall, the Calgary Public Library, the Calgary Police headquarters, the Harry Hays building (federal government), Bow Valley College, the United States consulate and the Calgary Board of Education among other buildings.

Cultural district

The cultural district is centered on the Burns Building and Olympic Plaza, and contains educational and cultural venues such as Bow Valley College, Glenbow Museum and Arts Commons, including The Big Secret Theatre (home of One Yellow Rabbit theatre company), Jack Singer Concert Hall (home of Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra), Max Bell Theatre (home of Theatre Calgary), Martha Cohen Theatre (home of Alberta Theatre Projects), and Engineered Air Theatre.

A statue of The Famous Five stands between Stephen Avenue and Olympic Plaza.

Entertainment district

Historic buildings on Stephen Avenue

The entertainment district is located along 8th Avenue South. It contains the pedestrian mall of Stephen Avenue, lined with restaurants and shops, enclosed shopping centres (including The Core, Scotia Centre, Bankers Hall and The Bay), as well as Calgary's only art house movie theater (the Globe Cinema) and recreation areas such as the Devonian Gardens. Landmark buildings found in this district include the Hyatt Regency Hotel, which incorporates several historic buildings into its facade, the Calgary Marriott and Fairmont Palliser Hotel. Landmark skyscrapers in this district are Scotia Centre, Bankers Hall, and Eighth Avenue Place.

The "Udderly Art Legacy Pasture", a collection of decorated fiberglass cows built in 2000,[5] is hosted mainly in the Centennial Parkade, while other particular exponates are spread throughout the city.

Demographics

Calgary Skyline

In the City of Calgary's 2012 municipal census, Downtown Commercial Core had a population of 8,015 living in 5,121 dwellings, lower than that of downtown Edmonton and a 0.7% decrease from its 2011 population of 8,071.[6] With a land area of 1.3 km2 (0.50 sq mi), it had a population density of 6,170/km2 (16,000/sq mi) in 2012.[6][7]

Residents in this community had a median household income of $30,126 in 2005 with 41.4% of the population reported as low income residents.[2] As of 2006, 44.3% of the residents were immigrants. A proportion of 99.7% of the buildings were condominiums or apartments, and 95.9% of the housing was used for renting.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Calgary Elections". City of Calgary. October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 City of Calgary (2012). "Downtown Commercial Core Community Statistics" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-08-03.
  3. ↑ Downtown Calgary Association (2005). "Downtown Districts". Archived from the original on October 6, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
  4. ↑ City of Calgary (2009). "Community Population Comparison" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  5. ↑ View Calgary (2000). ""Udderly Art" Exhibition". Retrieved 2007-06-01.
  6. 1 2 "2012 Civic Census Results" (PDF). City of Calgary. 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Community Boundaries" (Esri shapefile). City of Calgary. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Downtown Calgary.
 Kensington
Sunnyside		 Crescent Heights
Eau Claire		 Bridgeland
Chinatown
Downtown West End Downtown East Village
   Downtown Commercial Core  
Sunalta Beltline Inglewood

Coordinates: 51°02′58.3″N 114°04′12.2″W / 51.049528°N 114.070056°W / 51.049528; -114.070056

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