HELLO CALGARY: With a Banff National Park Visit 2022-23 in Full Color

In Alberta Calgary and Edmonton are today so close in population that to say one is bigger than the other carries little meaning. Yes Edmonton is the provincial capital, giving it a status as the province’s seat of government. But economically Calgary became the center of finance for the oil industry, giving it a dramatic skyline of high rise buildings housing banks, brokerage houses and the corporate offices of the country’s major oil companies. While Edmonton had the oil refineries and was looked upon as a working man’s city, the business suits of the Calgary corporate executives dominated. Their higher salaries meant the city had more elegant and luxurious residential neighborhoods, fancier restaurants and more elegant shops in its downtown. This comparison could be seen in oil rich Texas where Dallas was the sophisticated center of corporate activity while Fort Worth was the grass roots productive center. How many remember the Ewing Family of the TV drama “Dallas?” Well that was the Calgary of Texas while Edmonton was more the Fort Worth.Of all the cities in Canada, Calgary and Vancouver both have the most spectacular natural setting. In the case of Vancouver it is a combination of high, snow-capped mountains on the city’s north and the inner harbor and Georgia Straits defining along with the Fraser River a peninsula upon which most of the city has developed. In Calgary, the Bow River and its tributary the Elbow River cut a swath through the city where the flowing water and the banks lined with trees interject a slice of nature into the urban area. And standing like a sentinel to the west of the city, highly visible on the skyline are the magnificent Canadian Rockies, snow covered and presenting an elegant visage.This edition presents the beauty of Calgary in full color. Read more