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City Guide Calgary

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• Inhabitants: 842 338 (April 1999)


• According to current estimates Calgary gains 40-60 inhabitants a day


• City area: 721 km˛, second largest city of Canada


• 1048 m above sealevel

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Calgary is about 250 km north of the border between Canada and the USA and 100 km east of the Rocky Mountains at the confluence of the Elbow and Bow River. The proximity to the Bow River was one of the reasons for founding of the city. At the end of the 19th century the Transcanadian Railroad was built following this river into the mountains.
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Winters are cold. The cold is increased by northerly winds from the Arctic which reach the prairies without hindrance.

A special weather phenomena is the Chinook, a westerly wind coming down from the mountains. This can lead to a sudden temperature increase of up to 30° Celsius within a few hours. The Chinook is said to influence the physical wellbeing of the inhabitants and cause headaches. Within a few hours it can free the area of snow and ice.
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As a growing number of fur traders and settlers moved west the Blackfeet received guns and became one of the influential and powerful tribes who had to defend their position as fur traders. Conflicts with the newcomers from the east developed. In 1877 these were terminated in a peace treaty. Today some Blackfoot reserves lie south of Calgary. Beyond the western town limits the Sarcee live in their reserve.

The first white settlement started to grow around a police fort of the Northwest Mounted Police, that was sent in 1875 to put an end to the smuggling of whisky across the American border. Its first commander MacLeod named the place "Calgary", which is Gaelic for "quickly running clear water".

A growing number of cattle ranchers crossed the border from the US. Here they found ideal conditions for their kind of cattle ranching which became more difficult in their own country because of advancing settlement. Alberta then was an area where only few white settlers lived. This gave cattle ranchers the chance to let their cattle roam on open ranges, while the grazing grounds in their home country was fenced in increasingly. When border wars started to break out between the ranchers and settlers in Montana and Wyoming some of them moved north to look for new pastures north of the border.

Calgary adapted to the new situation by building slaughter houses. The arrival of the railroad in 1883 helped transport the products east, but also brought new settlers to town. Calgary grew steadily. In 1883 600 inhabitants lived there. In 1891 it already had electricity and running water and in 1893 Calgary was incorporated as a town.

The next wave of settlers came when oil was discovered about 60 kilometers south in the Turner Valley at the beginning of the 20th century. This started modern life in Calgary, which quickly became the center of the oil producing industry in Alberta. More than four fifth of all Canadian oil and gas companies are based in Calgary even today. Thus the town has accumulated an enormous economic capital and is one of the financial centers in western Canada.

When the oil prices foundered in the eighties Calgary was hit hard. Unemployment, that formerly had been much lower than the Canadian average, suddenly increased and many projects the city had planned were left undone. The service sector in town suffered during these tough years.

The Olympic Winter Games in 1988 started to improve matters with a new building boom. Today Calgary is one of the most popular cities in Canada again. Many former inhabitants of Vancouver who cannot afford the rising prices in their home town, are moving to Calgary. The western suburbs of Calgary have been growing during the past years.
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Especially western style clothing can be bought for reasonable prices and is of excellent quality. The big department stores offer designer clothes for every taste.

Western style clothes can be found on Stephens Avenue. There everything from golden or silver belt buckles to cowboy boots or Stetson hats can be found. The Calgary Convention and Visitors Bureau, 200-237 8th Ave. S.E., Tel. 403-262 4915, Fax 403-266 6340, even makes anybody who wants to an honorary citizen of Calgary.
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