1 : Calgary, Alberta
2 : See also
na:Calgary
A city in the province of Alberta, Canada, Calgary is situated towards the south of the province, in a region of hills and high plains east of the Rocky Mountains. As of 2002, the metropolitan population was 993,200. By 2005 the population is expected to reach over 1.2 million. It is the largest city in Alberta and the third largest in Canada.
Calgary's economy is largely centered on the petroleum industry, with agriculture and high-tech industries contributing to the city's rapid economic growth. Calgary is Canada's wealthiest city, and Alberta is also the wealthiest province (based on per capita income).
Before Calgary was settled by white Europeans, it was the domain of the Blackfoot native, whose presence has been traced back 11,000 years. The first recorded European presence in the region around Calgary took place in 1787 and by 1860 settlers began arriving to hunt buffalo and sell illegal whisky.
The first recorded settler in Calgary was rancher Sam Livingston in the early 1870s, and in 1875 the site became a post of the North West Mounted Police (now the RCMP). The detachment was assigned to protect the western plains from whiskey traders from the United States. Calgary was named by Colonel James Macleod after Calgary Bay on the http://www.mediaworx.freeserve.co.uk/mulltour Isle of Mull, Scotland. When the Canadian Pacific Railway constructed a major rail station in the city, Calgary began to grow into an important commercial and agricultural centre. (The Canadian Pacific Railway headquarters are located in Calgary today.) Calgary was officially incorporated as a city in 1894.
With the discovery of oil in Alberta in the mid–20th century, Calgary became the centre of an accompanying oil boom. Calgary's economy grew when oil prices increased with the Arab of 1973. The city's population grew from 325,000 in 1974 to 650,000. During this time, Calgary were constructed at a pace seen by few cities anywhere. With the announcement of the National Energy Program in 1981 the oil boom started to subside (The Program was cancelled in the Mid 80's by the Mulroney government, Calgary has since largely recovered).
Calgary remains the oil capital of Canada and second only to Toronto for corporate Head Offices. The beef industry is also very important to Calgary, as it is a distribution centre for the outlying rural areas. Lakeside and Cargill near Calgary are some of the most modern, state-of-the-art beef processing facilities in North America.
Calgary is rated as one of the cleanest, safest and friendliest cities in North America. It attracts many new residents from around the world and the rest of Canada.
Calgary is world famous for its Calgary Stampede, a large festival and rodeo in July of each year and has quite a history. The Calgary Stampede, was inaugurated (1912) by Guy Weadick, an American trick roper. Weadick wanted to put on a world-class rodeo event and Wild West show that would bring the best cowboys from across the continent. The first Stampede was the richest rodeo competition in North America with prize money totaling $20,000. It drew more than 100,000 spectators. For the year 2000, the attendance to the 10 day rodeo and exhibition totalled 1,218,851 people. During "Stampede Week" as it is called by locals, the city's residents dress in western attire. Nearly all the retail businesses decorate their stores western style. The is often called "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth."
Calgary is affectionately called the Nashville of the North.
Calgary held the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. The remaining venues have become a training site for atheletes around the world. The1988 welcomed 1,423 athletes from 57 Nations. They included 176 events and extended for the first time ever the Olympic Winter Games program from 12 to 16 days.
Calgary is the site of three major post-secondary educational institutions: the University of Calgary, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, and Mount Royal College.
Professional sports teams in Calgary include the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League and the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. The city also has an A-League Soccer franchise, the Calgary Mustangs. Calgary's multipupose arena, the Saddledome is shown at the right.
Calgary International Airport serves the city.
Calgary is still home to a sizeable military presence, including HMCS Tecumseh, a unit of the Naval Reserve, the HMCS Tecumseh Band, and 746 Communications Squadrom (Communications Reserve), as well as several units of the Army Reserve, including:
- The King's Own Calgary Regiment (Royal Canadian Armoured Corps)
- Regimental Band of The King's Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC)
- The
- Regimental
- 14 Service Battalion
- 33 Field Engineer Squadron (Canadian Military Engineers)
- Calgary Detachment, 15 Medical Company (Canadian Forces Medical Service)
- Militia Training Detachment Calgary
- Headquarters, 41 Canadian Brigade Group
- As well as several squadrons of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, Navy League Cadets, Royal Canadian Army Cadets and Royal Canadian Air Cadets
See also
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