Population: City of Calgary: 1.042.892

Culture of the city

The city of Calgary is located in prairie province of Alberta. It is the largest of Alberta’s cities with a diverse population. The urban scene has changed considerably since the beginning of the city's rapid growth.

Calgary is a modern cosmopolitan city that still retains much of its traditional culture of hotel saloons, western bars, night clubs, football and hockey. During the early 2000s  Calgary became the fastest growing city in Canada. This huge increase in population was the result of a shortage of skilled workers and an increase in production of natural resources.  Calgary continues to grow as the housing market is affordable compared to other big cities in Canada.  (Wikipedia)

Languages

The primary language spoken in Calgary is English however as the city is made up of many cultures it is not uncommon to hear languages from all over the world.  Many of Calgary’s residents are bilingual and some even trilingual.

Climate/Weather

Calgary has a climate that is similar to all of Canada’s prairie cities. The city enjoys a great abundance of sunny weather, even in winter, and most of its little rainfall happens in the summer. The summer rain is important to help the many varieties of food grown on the farms surrounding the city.

Meantime, a unique phenomenon called a Chinook can transform Calgary from frosty to toasty in a matter of a day, even in winter. A Chinook is a warm, dry wind that blows down the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, sometimes raising the temperature more than 20 degrees.

What to wear:
• Summer - Pack light clothing, a sweater, light jacket and an umbrella if you're staying within the city. If you're going to be in the mountains, pack good hiking shoes or boots and warm clothing that can be layered.
• Spring and fall - Weather during these in-between seasons can be unpredictable. Pack a warm jacket and clothing that can be layered.
• Winter - Pack a warm coat, boots, gloves, scarf and a hat. If you plan on skiing, be sure to bring your skiwear.

Summer
Summer days in Calgary are normally warm with high temperatures in June, July and August averaging 17C to 23C. Evenings are cooler (7C to 10C) because of Calgary's proximity to the mountains.


Fall
Fall is very mild, lasting from September to the end of October. During this season many of the leaves on the trees change colours and fall to the ground. The changing of the leaves is a spectacular sight to see. November is the start of the colder months and by the end of November winter has started. It is not uncommon to have 2 or 3 days of snow in November however most often the snow does not stay.
Winter
Winter precipitation is low as the mountain areas near Calgary receive significant amounts of snow while Calgary itself normally sees only a moderate snowfall - less than 20cm in the months of December, January and February. Daytime temperatures during these winter months are normally at or below 0C while evening temperatures drop to a frigid -11C to -15C.

Spring
Springtime in Calgary is a mix of weather conditions. Some spring days are sunny and warm, and even hot. Yet there are a few days each year during spring that can be cold and on very rare occasions they may even be snow. During Calgary’s springtime residents and visitors witness the melting of the snow and the renewal of life with trees and flowers starting to grow.

Average Daily High Temperatures

Month	Celsius	Fahrenheit
January	-10.2	13.6
February	-8	17.6
March	3.4	25.9
April	4.1	39.4
May	9.6	49.3
June	22	69
July	23	74
August	23	74
September	10	50
October	8	44
November	-2.5	27.5
December	-7.2	1

Currency

The primary currency used in the city of Calgary is Canadian dollars, however many restaurants and retail stores accept American dollars and the daily exchange rate..

 

 

 

Holidays

There are 10 statutory holidays and one civic holiday celebrated annually in Alberta. Generally, banks and some businesses remain closed. Theatres, restaurants, and corner grocery stores remain open for business as usual. In some centres most shops remain open.

HOLIDAYS	2008	2009	2010
New Year´s Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Good Friday	March 21	April 10	April 2
Easter Monday	March 24	April 13	April 15
Victoria Day	May 19	May 18	May 24
Canada Day	July 1	July 1	July 1
Civic Holiday	August 4	August 2	August 2
Labour Day	September 1	September 7	September 6
Thanksgiving Day	October 8	October 12	October 11
Remembrance Day	November 11	November 11	November 11
Christmas Day	December 25	December 25	December 25
Boxing Day	December 26	December 26	December 26

Tourism office information

Address: 200 - 238 - 11 Ave S.E. Calgary, AB, T2G 0X8 Canadá

Local Phone: 403.263.8510

Accomodations

Calgary has a wide variety of accommodations for every type of traveler.  For most of our students schools provide the safe environment of a home stay family which can be organized through one of our Education Consultants.

Types of accommodation

• Hotels and Motels
• Bed and Breakfasts
• Lodges
• Vacation home rentals
• Hostels
• Inns

Calgary International Airport

Para further information: www.calgaryairport.com

Calgary International Airport, is the main airport that serves Calgary, Alberta, Canada and the surrounding region; It is located 17 km (11 mi) from the downtown core. It is one of Canada's busiest airports by passenger traffic, serving 12.24 million passengers and the third busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements, with 248,548 in 2007.

The airport offers scheduled daily nonstop flights to major cities in Canada, Europe and the United States. In part to its strategic geographical placement in Western Canada, YYC is the base city of West Jet Airlines and is one of Air Canada's hubs. The airport is one of 8 Canadian airports that have US Border Pre-clearance facilities. (wiki pedia)

Things to do

Zoo: This zoo has over 1,000 animals from all corners of the world. The feature attraction is Kamala, the famous painting elephant as well as to the Botanical Garden and a Prehistoric Park for those who love plants and dinosaurs

Glenbow museum: The largest museum in Western Canada has exhibits on everything from traditions of piercing and tattooing to life in certain tribes in Western Africa to Canada's heritage..

Canada Olympic Park: Built for the 1988 winter Olympics the Canada olympic park now  is open year round for training,  Mountain biking, luge rides, bungee trampolining, outdoor wall.

Calaway Park: Calaway Park is Western Canada’s Largest Outdoor Family Amusement Park. The park opened its doors in 1982 and has grown from a small amusement park to one of Calgary and Western Canada’s best attractions and is now celebrating its 27th anniversary in 2008!

The park spans 160 acres (operating on 90 acres) and has a collection of 33 rides! Featuring numerous attractions, rides for the thrill- seekers and top-notch live entertainment. Calaway is fun for the whole family

NHL Hockey: The Calgary Flames are part of the National Hockey League which is considered the fastest team sport in the world. Located in the heart of the Canada Olympic park,  the Saddle dome is an exciting place to watch the local team take on all challengers.

 

 

FARE TYPES	FARE RATES	REMARKS
CASH FARES
Adult fare	$ 2.50
Youth Fare	$ 1.75	Effective January 1, 2009
Children (under 6 years)	FREE	Must be accompanied by a fare paying customer. Limit to 4 children per paying customer.
TICKETS
Adult (book of 10)	$ 23	Effective January 1, 2009
Adult single ticket	$ 2.5
Youth (book of 10)	$ 15	Effective January 1, 2009
Youth single ticket	$ 1.75	Effective January 1, 2009
MONTHLY PASSES
Adult	$ 83	Effective January 1, 2009
Youth (6 - 14 or attending school up to grade 12. )	$ 50.50
DAY PASSES
Adult	$ 7.50	Effective January 1, 2009
Youth (6 -14 or attending school up to grade 12. )	$ 5.25	Effective January 1, 2009
SENIOR YEARLY PASS (Over 65 yrs.)
Regular rate	$ 35
Reduced date	$ 15
LOW-INCOME MONTHLY PASS	$ 37.50	Eligible Residents of Calgary Only
DOGS	$ 2.50	Service Dogs Exempt