Calgary Region
This page refers to the metropolitan area surrounding and including the city of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. For other places with the name Calgary, see Calgary (disambiguation)The
Calgary Region is the metropolitan area based around
Calgary, Alberta. The borders of this area are defined differently for each of the
Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) and the Calgary Region. The area is a major transportation hub for southern
Alberta,
Saskatchewan, eastern
British Columbia, and parts of the northern
United States. It is served by the
Calgary International Airport, the fourth busiest airport in the country (by passenger movements).
Unlike many cities, Calgary developed as a "unicity" having incorporated most of its suburbs into the city proper. In the past, when the city limits reached the borders of neighbouring municipalities, they were simply annexed into the population of Calgary. Therefore, the vast majority of the region's population actually lives within the City of Calgary (proper) whose population likely reached 1,000,000 by July 25, 2006 (approximate).
The census metropolitan area is the definition Statistics Canada uses to determine the demographics of greater Calgary (this is the same for other large
Canadian cities). The borders for Calgary's CMA are derived from those of
Alberta Census Division No. 6. Municipalities within the CMA include the
City of Airdrie, the
Town of Cochrane, the
Town of Chestermere, the
Municipal District of Rocky View, and the village of
Beisker. The CMA also includes a number of unincorporated districts such as Springbank and the Hamlet of Bragg Creek. The Calgary CMA is the 5th largest metropolitan area in the country and the largest in
Alberta. In
2005, Statistics Canada estimated the population of the CMA to be
1,060,300. The land area of this region is 5,083 sq. km.
The Calgary Region (economic region) is essentially represented by the Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP). The CRP is a cooperative of economically associated municipalities in the area. Since the CRP is an organization and not an area per se, not all of the municipalities within the sphere of what is effectively greater Calgary are members. Unlike the CMA, the Calgary Economic Region had an estimated population of
1,146,900 at August of 2005. The Calgary Regional Partnership includes the
Municipal District of Rocky View, the
City of Airdrie, the
Town of Cochrane, the
Town of Chestermere,
Town of Okotoks, the
Town of High River, and the
Municipal District of Foothills. It also includes the
Town of Canmore, and the
Municipal District of Bighorn to the west and the
Town of Strathmore to the east. The towns of
Crossfield and
Banff are recent additions to the CRP. The population of the CRP is predicted to reach 1.2 million in 2008 and 1.3 million by 2013.
Municipality | CMA | CRP | Population
|
|---|
| Cities: |
| City of Airdrie | * | * | 29,035 (2006) |
| City of Calgary | * | * | 991,759 (2006) |
| Towns: |
| Town of Banff | | * | 7,327* (2005) |
| Town of Black Diamond | | * | 1,900 (2001) |
| Town of Canmore | | * | 11,442** (2005) |
| Town of Chestermere | * | * | 7,904 (2005) |
| Town of Cochrane | * | * | 12,418 (2004) |
| Town of Crossfield | * | * | 2,603 (2005) |
| Town of High River | | * | 9,522 (2004) |
| Town of Irricana | * | | 1,105 (2005) |
| Town of Okotoks | | * | 13,468 (2003) |
| Town of Strathmore | | * | 9,115 (2004) |
| Town of Turner Valley | | * | 1,600 (2001) |
| Villages: |
| Village of Beiseker | * | | 900 (2004) |
| Rural Districts: |
| Municipal District of Bighorn #8 | | * | 1,298 (2001) |
| Municipal District of Foothills #31 | | * | 17,700 (2001) |
| Townsite of Redwood Meadows | | * | 1,150 (2001) |
| Municipal District of Rocky View #44 | * | * | 30,688 (2001) |
| First Nations Reserve: |
| Tsuu T'ina Nation #145 | * | * | 1,982 (2001) |
(*) - Does not include non-permanent population of 1,025(**) - Does not include non-permanent population of 3,790*
Calgary, Alberta*
Calgary-Edmonton Corridor*
Census Metropolitan Area*
Statistics Canada*
Official Website of the Calgary Regional Partnership*
Official Website Calgary Economic Development*
Rocky View Municipal District - the largest municipality in the Calgary Region
