grew up in Calgary (now live in Van). You can expect a lot of drinking (the oil and gas sector literally runs the town and the like to party, drink, and occasionally work). That being said it won't come as a surprise to here that the city is incredibly right wing, by canadian standards (you should here the hostile debates at our family dinners). The city is quite young in comparison to many others, and money hungry.. in comparison to NY it will seem very..white... and spread out. You're only an hour or so away from the rockies, so lots of great skiing opportunities. Nice parks in the city as well as good running paths along the rivers. My sole shred of unsolicited advice would be to live in a central area. the suburbs there are getting absolutely out of hand (urban sprawl to the MAX). If you're looking at condo living, the eu claire area is quite nice, 17th ave area is also good, though more noisy and younger. 10th street (NW) is a nice area as well for condo's though well appointed ones are harder to come by. this may or may not be appealing depending on your age. If you're moving with family and looking for a house Elboya, Mt. Royal, Elbow Park, Hillhurst, Sunnyside are all good areas, though not very cheap. Parkdale is a nice cheaper inner city area that would probably be a solid investment for a home. hope this helps. oh also. buy a cowboy hat and boots. yes seriously (if you were living in williamsburg, you probably already own these). and if you don't already, learn to like the flames, or at least pretend to, if you value your life. best of luck and enjoy!
