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Ask Anything Quick Summary Geography & TravelCities & TownsCities & Towns C-G CITE Share Feedback External Websites Calgary: Pengrowth SaddledomeCalgary, with the Pengrowth Saddledome in the foreground, Alberta, Canada.(more) Calgary Alberta, Canada Homework Help Written by Brett McGillivray Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Geography, Capilano University. Author of The Geography of British Columbia: People and Landscapes in Transition; Canada: A Nation of Regions; and other... Brett McGillivray Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Oct. 7, 2026•History Britannica AI Ask Anything Quick Summary Table of Contents Table of Contents Quick Summary Ask Anything News • Canadian masterworks by Kurelek, Riopelle, Emily Carr, Harris showcased at Heffel Gallery Calgary• Oct. 1, 2026, 8:06 PM ET (CTV News) ...(Show more) Calgary expanding list of recyclable materials to include tubes, aerosols and foam packaging• Sep. 30, 2026, 6:35 PM ET (CBC) City taking steps soon to memorialize former Calgary residential school• Sep. 30, 2026, 6:00 AM ET (CBC) Calgary-Edmonton high-speed rail project moves forward with new commitments from Alberta, feds• Sep. 28, 2026, 7:14 PM ET (CBC) Ontario Premier Doug Ford comes to Calgary, urges Albertans vote to remain in Canada• Sep. 28, 2026, 12:46 PM ET (CBC) Show less Top Questions What is Calgary? Calgary is a city in southern Alberta, Canada, located on the western edge of the Great Plains, in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. It is the administrative and financial headquarters of Canada’s petroleum industry. Calgary was originally a North-West Mounted Police post in 1875, and was officially named Fort Calgary in 1876. Its growth was spurred by the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway, linking it to eastern Canada in 1883 and Vancouver in 1886. Calgary is known for the Calgary Stampede, an annual rodeo-centered event. The city also hosted the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. 2 Britannica Sources 1. Calgary 2. Alberta: Cultural institutions This answer is created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. Where is Calgary located in Canada? Calgary is a city in southern Alberta, Canada, situated on the western edge of the Great Plains in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. It lies at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers. This location distinguishes Calgary from other cities in the Prairie Provinces because the surrounding valleys and uplands contrast with the flat prairie landscapes typical of the region. Calgary is a relatively young Canadian city and serves as the administrative and financial headquarters of Canada’s petroleum industry. 1 Britannica Source 1. Calgary This answer is created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. What is Calgary known for? Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is known as the administrative and financial headquarters of the country’s petroleum industry. Calgary retains its history as a cattle ranching capital, enhanced by the annual Calgary Stampede, a 10-day rodeo-centred event. The city is situated on the western edge of the Great Plains, in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, which continue to attract winter sports enthusiasts. 2 Britannica Sources 1. Calgary 2. Alberta: Cultural institutions This answer is created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. What is the Calgary Stampede? The Calgary Stampede is a world-famous rodeo festival held annually in Calgary, Alberta, Canada since 1923. It was founded in 1912 by Guy Weadick, a former Wyoming cowboy, with the backing of major Alberta cattlemen. This 10-day celebration of the Old West takes place each July and features many rodeo events, musical performances, a parade, and other festivities. The Calgary Stampede attracts over one million visitors each year. 2 Britannica Sources 1. Calgary: The contemporary city 2. Calgary Stampede This answer is created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. How has Calgary grown and changed over time? Originally a North-West Mounted Police post in 1875, Calgary officially became Fort Calgary in 1876. Its selection as a stop on the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) spurred growth, linking it to eastern Canada in 1883 and Vancouver in 1886. Incorporated as a town in 1884 and a city in 1894, Calgary's population grew from a few hundred settlers to 3,876 by 1891. As the main shipping center for the cattle industry, Calgary gained a reputation as a "cow town". The discovery of natural gas in 1914 and crude oil in 1936 further cemented Calgary's role as a business center, spurring a new wave of growth centered on petroleum. Today, Calgary is the corporate center of the petroleum industry, attracting related services such as banking, finance, and transportation. 2 Britannica Sources 1. Calgary: History 2. Alberta: History of Alberta This answer is created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. What industries are important to Calgary’s economy today? Calgary's economy is strongly influenced by its role as the corporate center of the petroleum industry, attracting many related services like banking, finance, insurance, and transportation. The city also has a manufacturing sector that includes food and beverage, wood-processing, and machinery and electronics companies. Calgary has also grown as a financial center, with an increasing number of corporation headquarters located there. Additionally, tourism is an expanding industry due to Alberta’s rich wildlife and scenery. 2 Britannica Sources 1. Calgary: The contemporary city 2. Alberta: Services, labour, and taxation This answer is created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. Show more Show less Calgary, Alberta, Canada(more) Calgary, city, southern Alberta, Canada. The physical setting of Calgary distinguishes it from other cities of the Prairie Provinces. It is situated on the western edge of the Great Plains, in the foothills of the spectacular Canadian Rockies (about 60 miles [100 km] to the west), and the surrounding valleys and uplands are a distinct change from the flat prairie landscapes typical of the region. A relatively young Canadian city, it is the administrative and financial headquarters of the country’s petroleum industry. Calgary also celebrates its history as a cattle ranching capital, an image enhanced by the city’s hosting of the annual Calgary Stampede, a 10-day rodeo-centred event. In the early 21st century, Calgary was one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada. Area 319 square miles (825 square km); metro. area, 1,972 square miles (5,108 square km). Pop. (2011) 1,096,833; metro. area, 1,214,839; (2021) 1,306,784; metro. area, 1,392,609. History In 1875 a North-West Mounted Police (later Royal Canadian Mounted Police) post known unofficially as Fort Brisebois was founded on the site of present-day Calgary. The following year it was officially named Fort Calgary for a town on the Scottish island of Mull. The main duty of the police was to bring order to the illegal whiskey trade in the region. In 1877 the British and Canadian governments signed a peace agreement (Treaty 7) with a number of First Nations (Native American) peoples, and the region rapidly converted to a cattle ranching frontier. Calgary, Alberta, Canada(more) Calgary’s growth and development were more directly related, however, to its selection as one of the stops along the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), Canada’s first nationwide railway. It linked Calgary to central and eastern Canada (1883) and to Vancouver (1886) on the west coast. Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thank you for signing up! By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Britannica Quiz Guess the City by Its River Quiz Calgary was incorporated as a town in 1884 and as a city 10 years later, prior to the creation of the province of Alberta (1905). In 1884 it had only a few hundred settlers, but by the 1891 census its population had grown to 3,876. In 1891, after a number of false starts by other companies, the Calgary and Edmonton Railway Company completed a rail connection between the two towns and leased the line to the CPR. The CPR was a major landowner and developer within Calgary as well as a promoter of the vast blocks of agricultural land it owned in the surrounding region. The company was also among a number of private investors in the irrigation of farmland in the early 20th century, which greatly lessened the risk of drought and brought in thousands of farmers, thus leading to the expansion of Calgary’s role as a service centre. With its farming community and railway connections in place, it was not long before Calgary became the main shipping centre for the cattle industry, with stockyards (some of them owned by the CPR), slaughterhouses, tanneries, and meat-processing plants. These early commercial and industrial ventures gained Calgary a lasting reputation as a “cow town.” By the early 1900s other rail lines radiated from Calgary, including a connection to the Canadian National Railway, solidifying its position as a provincial transportation centre. The discovery of natural gas at nearby Turner Valley (1914) spurred a new wave of growth, centred on petroleum, particularly after Alberta’s first refinery opened in 1923. Three years after the discovery of crude oil in those fields (1936), a second refinery was built. These early investments and the location there of head offices of petroleum companies and related industries—such as those dealing with surveying, drill rigs and equipment, transportation, and pipelines—cemented Calgary’s role as the business centre of the petroleum industry. The discovery of the well-known Leduc fields near Edmonton (1947) greatly stimulated the city’s economic expansion as well, although, over time, Edmonton would become the headquarters for oil refining, equipment supply, and the servicing of oil fields. The contemporary city CalgaryThe Bow River at Calgary, Alberta, Canada.(more) Calgary is located at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers, plus several smaller streams. The downtown core of Calgary, located primarily on the south bank of the Bow and west of the Elbow, is marked by its cluster of high-rise office towers. Explore Britannica Premium! The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners. SUBSCRIBE The weather is not easily predictable. Bitterly cold winter days can be altered radically (within hours) by westerly flowing warm Chinook winds. Conversely, it sometimes snows as late as June. CalgaryNight view of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.(more) As the corporate centre of the petroleum industry, Calgary attracts many related services, including banking, finance, insurance, and transportation, as well as petroleum supply. The city also has a manufacturing sector that includes food and beverage, wood-processing, and machinery and electronics companies. Public transportation has been an important component in Calgary’s development. Streetcars were introduced in 1909, and their advent facilitated the growth of suburbs. Bus routes now connect to the city’s commuter rail system, known as CTrain, which runs through the city centre and branches out to the residential and industrial neighbourhoods. In 2001 the CTrain became the first urban light rail system in North America to be powered entirely by wind-generated electricity. The city also has a network of walking and bike paths, and in the downtown area a system of enclosed, climate-controlled, elevated walkways some 15 feet (5 metres) above street level—known as Plus 15 (or +15)—allows pedestrians to avoid extreme weather. The Trans-Canada Highway passes through the city north of the Bow River, and other highways, known locally as “trails,” connect Calgary with other cities in the province, notably Edmonton. An international airport is located in the northeastern part of the city. The Glenmore reservoir, on the Elbow River, serves as a source of potable water. With the rapid growth of Calgary and the surrounding region in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, however, the increasing demands on the water supply in this relatively dry belt of the Prairies has been an ongoing concern, and water conservation is a high priority in the region. University of CalgaryKananaskis Hall, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.(more) Cultural institutions include opera and ballet companies, a symphony orchestra, and several theatre companies. Calgary is the home of the University of Calgary (founded in 1945 as part of the University of Alberta; became independent in 1966) and SAIT Polytechnic (formerly the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology; 1916). The main campus of Mount Royal University (1911) is located approximately 3 miles (5 km) southwest of the city centre. 1 of 2 Calgary StampedeOld West-style covered wagon at the opening of the annual Calgary Stampede, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.(more) 2 of 2 box lacrosseThe Calgary Roughnecks and Toronto Rock playing box lacrosse at the Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.(more) With the ski areas of the Rocky Mountains little more than an hour’s drive west of the city, winter sports feature prominently in the leisure activities of many Calgarians. The city is home to several professional sports teams, including the Calgary Flames (National Hockey League), who play at the Saddledome, the Calgary Stampeders (Canadian Football League), and the Calgary Roughnecks (National Lacrosse League). It is the Calgary Stampede, however, that gains the most international notice. This world-famous rodeo festival was founded in 1912 by Guy Weadick, a former Wyoming cowboy, with the backing of major Alberta cattlemen, and has been held annually since 1923. Held in July, it is a colourful 10-day celebration of the Old West featuring many rodeo events, musical performances, a parade, and other festivities; attendance exceeds one million visitors each year. Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, which left an infrastructurelegacy that continues to attract winter sports enthusiasts. Brett McGillivray Britannica AI chevron\right Calgary close AI-generated answers from Britannica articles. AI makes mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. Load Next Page Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. print Print Please select which sections you would like to print: - [x] Table Of Contents - [x] Introduction - [x] History - [x] The contemporary city verified Cite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style McGillivray, Brett. "Calgary". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Oct. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/place/Calgary. Accessed 9 October 2026. Copy Citation Share Share to social media FacebookX URL https://www.britannica.com/place/Calgary External Websites Official Tourism Site of Calgary, Alberta, Canada The Canadian Encyclopedia - Calgary, Alberta, Canada Official Site of Calgary, Alberta, Canada CRW Flags - Flag of Calgary, Alberta, Canada Britannica Websites Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Calgary - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
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