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Which one is better to live in, Calgary or Edmonton? Why?

Calgary and Edmonton are the 2 biggest cities in Alberta, Canada. The question is which one is better to live in, Calgary or Edmonton? Why?

What are the pros and cons of Calgary vs Edmonton.




As someone who has lived in both cities for more than 3 years and is still living in Calgary:

  1. Weather: you have more sunshine and less harsh winter in Calgary with occasional positive temperature in the middle of the winter because of the Chinook winds: Calgary wins
  2. Cost of life: Edmonton rent, home ownership, food, clothing is slightly cheaper than same items in Calgary: Edmonton wins
  3. Job Opportunities: more blue collar jobs in Edmonton, more white collar jobs in Calgary: tie
  4. Education: Edmonton has one of the top university in Canada called University of Alberta. University of Calgary has a first class business school called Hayskane school of business. Edmonton wins.
  5. City’s architecture: Calgary seems newer, nicely architected and just more beautiful to me by far: Calgary wins
  6. People: just the same to me, no difference: tie
  7. Size and population: Calgary (1.3 million people, 825 km2) is larger and have more people than Edmonton (1 million people, 684 km2): I won’t call this a win
  8. Mountains and lakes : Banff National Park, Lake Louise, Jasper National Park, Waterton Lakes National Park, are all closer to Calgary than Edmonton: Calgary Wins
  9. Summer festivities: Both cities have great and similar festivals, but Calgary hosts the greatest western festival on earth in July called the Stampede. Calgary wins.
  10. Sunshine: Calgary has way more sunshine that Edmonton. In fact, Calgary is amongst the top city with sunshine exposure in the entire country. Sunshine is happiness. Calgary wins.
  11. Politics: Both cities are economically conservative. Edmonton is a little bit more socially liberal than Calgary. Who cares? Tie.
  12. Sports: Flames(NHL)and Stampeders(CFL)in Calgary, Oiler(NHL) and Eskimos(CFL) in Edmonton. Several amateur leagues, indoor and outdoor facilities for soccer, hockey, basketball, football and baseball in both cities; ShowUpAndPlay in Calgary, ShowUpAndPlay in Edmonton : Tie
  13. Bars and Pubs: Cowboys in Calgary, Black dog free house in Edmonton are the most populars. Cowboy culture in both cities but not violent, no guns. Tie ( The 10 Best Nightclubs in Calgary , The Best Nightlife in Edmonton – TripAdvisor )
  14. Downton: See Calgary Downtown inRealTimeNow.com. See Edmonton inRealTimeNow.com They are both vibrant and Nice: Tie
  15. Cleanliness: Calgary is one of the cleanness cities in the world. I am in awe myself whenever I walk downtown and in my neighbourhood of Walden. Calgary wins by far.

 

With all that in mind, I’ll choose Calgary any day.

Resources:




Learn more about Calgary here.
Learn more about Edmonton here.

Are you planning to visit or move to Calgary or Edmonton?