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 third busiest airport in the country.
Unlike many major North American urbanized areas, yet similarily to other prairie centres in Canada, Calgary developed as a unicity as it incorporated most of its suburbs into the city proper. In the past, when the city limits reached the borders of neighbouring municipalities, such as Bowness, Montgomery and Midnapore, they were simply annexed into the population of Calgary. As Calgary's city limits encroach north of the airport to Airdrie and eastward to Chestermere, it is highly unlikely that these populous centres will meet the same fate as did their predecessors. Still, the vast majority of the region's 1.26 million inhabitants reside within the City of Calgary proper whose civic population has itself well surpassed the 1,000,000 mark.
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Calgary's census metropolitan area
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 CMA's boundary takes in the City of Calgary along with the Municipal District of Rocky View and all the municipalities enclosed within the MD of Rocky View—these include the City of Airdrie, the Town of Cochrane, the Town of Chestermere and the village of Beiseker. Rocky View also includes a number of unincorporated hamlets such as Springbank and Bragg Creek. The Calgary CMA is the 5th largest metropolitan area in the country and the largest in Alberta. In 2007, Statistics Canada estimated the population of the CMA to be 1,139,100. The land area of this region is 5,083 square kilometres (1,962.6 sq mi)
Alberta Census Division No. 6
Statistics Canada also uses an additional area centred on Calgary, Census Division 6, for regionalized statistical purposes. It is somewhat larger than the CMA, extending further south to include the Municipal District of Foothills and the municipalities that MD encloses (most notably Okotoks) and further north to include Mountain View County.
Calgary Regional Partnership
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 1,263,447 in 2009. 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. Many of the communities of the CRP are also part of the Calgary Health Region. The population of the CRP is predicted to reach 1.3 million by 2012.
The CRP and its member municipalities have drafted a regional plan that outlines the Partnership's vision for a sustainable region and its concept for development over the next 60 - 70 years. They have begun sharing the draft plan with the public at a series of open houses in March and April. According to an article in the March 4, 2009 issue of the Western Wheel newspaper in Okotoks, opposition to the plan is mounting.
Municipalities of Calgary Region
| Municipality | CMA | CRP | Population | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cities | ||||
| City of Airdrie | * | * | 38,091 | 2009 |
| City of Calgary | * | * | 1,065,455 | 2009 |
| Towns | ||||
| Town of Banff | * | 8,721[1] | 2007 | |
| Town of Black Diamond | * | 1,900 | 2006 | |
| Town of Canmore | * | 12,005[2] | 2008 | |
| Town of Chestermere | * | * | 13,760 | 2009 |
| Town of Cochrane | * | * | 15,424 | 2009 |
| Town of Crossfield | * | * | 2,648 | 2006 |
| Town of High River | * | 11,582 | 2009 | |
| Town of Irricana | * | 1,243 | 2006 | |
| Town of Okotoks | * | 21,690 | 2009 | |
| Town of Strathmore | * | 11,335 | 2008 | |
| Town of Turner Valley | * | 2,022 | 2008 | |
| Villages | ||||
| Village of Beiseker | * | 837 | 2008 | |
| Rural districts | ||||
| Municipal District of Bighorn | * | 1,454 | 2006 | |
| Municipal District of Foothills | * | 19,736 | 2006 | |
| Municipal District of Rocky View | * | * | 34,171 | 2006 |
| First Nations reserves | ||||
| Tsuu T'ina Nation | * | * | 1,373 | 2007 |
| Total | 1,263,447 |
Footnotes
See also
External links
- Statistics Canada
- Official Website of the Calgary Regional Partnership
- Official Website Calgary Economic Development
- Rocky View Municipal District
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