Canmore

Today I made a trip to Canmore. If you're not aware, Canmore is about 80 kms from Calgary and about 20 kms into the mountains.

Much of the land to the west of Calgary is under the control of certain Native bands. It occurred to me this is probably a good thing, otherwise, the entire trip to the mountains would be nothing but vapid suburbs and "estate" homes for the wealthy who want a view. Thank god it's Native land and I hope they DON'T sell it.

Canmore is a nice little place, I'd guess about 10 000 people & modern in every sense. It's not a tourist trap like Banff is, so you're not overwhelmed by the usual tourist rubbish when you get to town. It was easy to find a parking spot & easier to walk around. The town is a mix of local stores and stores geared towards tourists that sell the usual touristy t shirts & stuff like that.

I did note that the housing costs are about the same as Calgary. This surprised me, because I think if I was to shell out the money for a 400K townhouse, maybe it's better to live in Canmore. I understand that you need to either have a job or own a business in town, but that's not hard when I am my own business. I'll just work out of Canmore vs Calgary ;-)

When you visit Canmore, you can't help but not want to move there just to experience what it would be like. The city is 90 kms from Calgary, but feels a world away from the rat race of the core of Calgary.