CALGARY, "HEART OF THE NEW WEST"
BY CLAY LARROY
In
the world of traveling, there are plenty of great resources available to both
new and experienced travelers alike. There are many websites, guides, books,
videos, and other resources available. By writing this blog I hope that I am
providing valuable information about the wonderful vacation destinations in Canada.
When you want to
plan a vacation contact me!
Calgary stands at the point where the vast Canadian prairie meets
the jagged, snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Its young, glittering
skyscrapers rise out of older suburban neighborhoods and seem oddly
superimposed on this breathtakingly diverse western landscape, as though
dropped from the sky onto the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers.
Accordingly,
the land is never far from the minds of the people of Calgary. The oil that
lies beneath it drives the city's vibrant economy; the distant mountains
attract legions of skiers and snowboarders during the chilly winters; and,
during balmy summers, cattle roam the flat expanse of grassland, marking this
out as cowboy country.
As
well as being the gateway to the Rocky Mountains, Calgary has grown into a
tourist destination in its own right. Its cowboy reputation draws over a
million visitors annually to Calgary Stampede, a raucous celebration of Western
heritage, where the city transforms into a giant party town and every second
person seems to be wearing a cowboy hat; even the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
couldn't resist during their 2011 visit.
Calgary
isn't shy in putting itself forward and has beaten competing Canadian cities to
host both the new National Sports Hall of Fame and the upcoming National Music
Centre, which opens in 2014. A snazzy new, hands-on science center opened in
October 2011.
Many
have likened the Calgary of today to a Canadian Dallas, a comparison that is
not without merit. Like Dallas, Calgary is a confident, often brash cowboy town
that grew wealthy on oil, where they play country and western music in noisy
taverns and eat thick and juicy steaks in the restaurants. As an image,
however, this captures only a small part of what the city and its people are
actually like.
Calgary
is also a city of diverse and vibrant neighborhoods, where its citizens relax
in cafés, stroll the scenic streets or take in the opera, although they are
just as likely to head off to the great outdoors. Beyond the city, the stunning
summits and aquamarine lakes of the Rockies, in particular Banff National Park,
are not to be missed, while visitors can delve into dinosaur history in
Alberta's Badlands.
Today
Calgary is known as the New West, a casual, oil-rich, vibrant city growing
faster than its infrastructure can keep pace with its expanding cultural life
as new blood follows its prosperity. Technology and production industries have
grown immensely as oil and gas production has increased, propelling this
one-time one-horse cowboy town into a radically evolving 21st-century city.
Calgary is not resting on
its laurels however. Ongoing reinvestment in its buildings and services
suggests it clearly aims to keep one step ahead of its rivals. A light rail
line extension is under construction, with others in the pipeline, and glitzy
skyscrapers continue to go up - the latest is a Norman Foster-designed behemoth
nicknamed The Bow. This is now the city's tallest tower and is expected to be
completed in 2012, coinciding with Calgary Stampede's centenary celebrations.
REFERENCE SITES:
http://www.travelresearchonline.com
I love touring Canada, and our Calgary fans are among the roughest and toughest.
- Author: Tommy Lee
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