Downtown Calgary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Downtown Calgary is a region of central Calgary, Alberta. It is not a single neighbourhood per se, but is actually a larger community containing three neighbourhoods and a number of districts.
Generally speaking, downtown Calgary is bordered by 14th Street W. on the west, 3rd Avenue S. and Eau Claire on the north, the Elbow River on the east and the CPR mainline tracks on the south. Within downtown are three city neighbourhoods. They are, the Downtown West End, the Downtown Commercial Core, and the Downtown East Village. The neighbourhoods of Eau Claire to the immediate north, Chinatown to the northeast and the Beltline to the south are usually considered to be part of downtown, but strictly speaking they are not.
The population of Calgary's downtown is still low relative to certain other cities, despite major rejuvenation initiatives and the development of major condominium and apartment projects. The combined population of the three downtown neighbourhoods was 12,470 in 2006. However, this figure does not include the 1,700 that live in Eau Claire, the 1,400 in Chinatown, and the nearly 17,000 that live in the Beltline. The Downtown West End and the Downtown East Village are generally considered to be the downtown's residential neighbourhoods.
Calgary Transit's C-Train light rail system runs down 7th Avenue S. through the middle of downtown, and the ride is free on this section.
[edit] Downtown Commercial Core
Calgary's dense business area comprises the bulk of the downtown community. It is a core of modern, glassy skyscrapers, with perhaps less character and streetlife than many of the other downtown and inner city districts. Some of the tallest buildings in western Canada and indeed, a few of the tallest in the country are in Calgary. Many of the buildings are connected via an 18 km (10 mile) long network of elevated walkways and bridges. The system, known as the "+15" is the largest of its kind in the world.
The area surrounding the Stephen Avenue Walk is Downtown Calgary's primary retail area. Stephen Avenue (8th Avenue SW) itself, is a pedestrian mall lined with stores, restaurants, cinemas, and drinking establishments. Immediately adjacent to the outdoor portion of Stephen Avenue is an indoor complex of three shopping malls. The malls, TD Square, Eaton Centre, and Scotia Centre span a number of city blocks. The luxury department store, Holt Renfrew is one of Eaton Centre's largest tenants. The street is also home to a number of galleries, restaurants, pubs, off-beat cinemas, and nightclubs. Other major attractions in the commercial core include the Devonian Gardens in TD Square, the Calgary Tower, the Art Gallery of Calgary, The Glenbow Museum, Olympic Plaza, The EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts, and the Telus Convention Centre.
The commercial core is also divided into a number of districts. They include the Entertainment District/Stephen Avenue, The Olympic Plaza and Cultural District, and the Government District.
