MY STORY
I moved to Airdrie as a child around 1998. My family looked for an affordable alternative to Calgary but still allowed them to work in the city. My mother lived in Airdrie for some of her teenage years as well and went to Bert Church high school. I always joke that people from Airdrie never leave and I think it’s true because it’s such a great community. I’ve lived in many different places (Lloydminster, Provost, Vermilion, Butte Montana to name a few) between college, university, and work. The Calgary area always finds a way to pull me back in. My brother and I both took university degrees in the U.S. and guess where we are now… Calgary and Airdrie. I want to share why I think Airdrie is a great opportunity for those moving to the area or trying to stay close to Calgary. Maybe you already live in Airdrie and find something new about wehat this wonderful place has to offer. I hope this offers information valuable to anyone who reads it.
WHAT AIRDRIE HAS TO OFFER
In Airdrie, it seems hard to believe you are in a city of 70,000+ residents. It has the small town feel when compared to Calgary, yet still has all of the amenities you expect in a larger city like a shopping mall, grocery stores, recreation center, plusna large selection of programs for sports, hobbies, and education. It was a surprise to me that there are a variety of schools providing opportunities like K-12 French Immersion, Catholic Education, Theatre, trades hours for jobs like mechanics and welders, competitive athletics, and the list goes on. I don’t remember all of these opportunities when I was in the school system even if they were available. I hope this helps others take advantage of what's available. For sports outside of schools Airdrie has almost every sport you can think of available locally (listed further down). A lot of these are for youth, yes, but let’s touch on adults. What is there for Adults? Or the entire Family? A lot! I will share all the details in the last section of this post so please read though until the end.
SMALL TOWN FEEL
There are some really interesting things about Airdrie that most people may not know and I believe gives it that small town welcoming feeling.
1. There are about 2900 Airdrie based businesses and I would like to mention Airdrie’s small business environment is lively. It seems as though every street has some sort of small and local business on it whether that’s a clothing store like The Store Upstairs which is above a local pharmacy as well, restaurant like Paros on Main (Greek), or a Dog Daycare like Airdrie Puppy Pals. There is a large variety of community driven businesses to explore.
2. Airdrie has a low population density of about 830 people per square km. Calgary has about 1620 people per square km.
3. Low crime rate. Maclean’s ranks communities in Canada from highest to lowest crime rate. Airdrie is ranked 197/237 municipalities which puts it in the top 20% for lowest crime. https://www.macleans.ca/canadas-most-dangerous-places-2020/
4. Downtown Airdrie - the city counsel set out goals to revitalize the downtown area and make it more inviting for the community (see rendering below of potential plans) Although these changes are expected to vary and may take up to 20-30 years, bit by bit we hope to see a beautiful city center like the render shine through!
5. When I got into Real Estate as an agent my initial plan was to reach out to as many people I knew as possible. That number was around 400 people with the majority being folks from Airdrie that I met over the years. To find out the mso many were still around or planning to move back was comforting that the city still offered that feeling of knowing someone every time you go to the grocery store, or the gym, or for dinner, or at the golf course.
(Propsed Downtown Airdrie)
EDUCATION
There are many schools in Airdrie and too many to go through individually so what I have done is provided the list below to show them all. There are 2 not on the list due to being a part of CCSD (Calgary Catholic School District). Our Lady Queen of Peace (Catholic K-8) and St. Martin de Porres High School (Catholic 9-12). The rest of the schools are as follows:
• FI – French Immersion
• Christian – Christian programs offered
• EN – I have no idea what this means so if someone does please help me!
Many of the high schools have unique opportunities such as theatre at Bert Church, all offer programs to earn hours towards trades certificates, religious studies in St. Martin de Porres, football in Bert Church and George Macdougall (unsure about WH Croxford). Having the diverse education opportunity for our children is high on most families wish list and it’s one of the reasons I like Airdrie so much.
FOR OUR YOUTH - SPORTS
On the topic of families, sports are also an important factor when looking for a community to settle in. I’m a big advocate for sports and athletics. There are so many sports available locally and some of them are extremely affordable. Lets start with the sports available for youth. I have listed many below with the first 3 being the sports I love and still participate in on a weekly basis.
- Hockey
- Golf
- Rock Climbing (not in Airdrie but there are gyms within 20 minutes of the city)
- Ringette
- Soccer
- Track & Field
- Lacrosse (This is my brothers sport, he went to the U.S. on a scholarship. He still plays and coaches in the community now)
- Gymnastics
- Dance
- Football
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Softball
- Volleyball
- Swimming
- Racquet Sports
I’m sure there are many more but this should give you a great idea of how our kids can hopefully decide to get involved in at least one of these. I have posted a couple links to these youth sports below:
Baseball - http://www.airdrielittleleague.ca/
Basketball - http://airdriebasketball.ca/
Hockey - https://www.airdriehockey.com/
Lacrosse - http://www.rockyviewlacrosse.com/
Soccer - https://www.airdriesoccer.com/
Softball - https://airdriegirlssoftball.com/
FOR OUR YOUTH - CLUBS AND CAMPS
Not everyone just loves sports but that's alright because there are a number of clubs, camps, and activities offered within the city for youth to explore their interests like:
Airdrie Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, and Vents
WHAT ABOUT ADULTS?
For adults, there are many public sports to be played in Airdrie as well like hockey, soccer, slo-pitch/baseball, ringette, volleyball, curling and basketball. There are also mixed sport leagues were some couples and friends can play together without being gender restricted. I had a great time playing in the ARHL hockey league below which is very well managed and has multiple skill level based divisions. Also, I am an avid golfer at the local Woodside golf Course. I have linked a few of the sites below for you but there are many more and a good google search or community Q&A on Facebook pages, reddit, etc. could help you find more sports and information.
Golf - https://woodsidegc.com/
Hockey - http://arhlhockey.com/
Soccer - https://www.airdriesoccer.com/adult-pro-info/
Volleyball - https://www.volleyballalberta.ca/node/708
Do you like breweries? Airdrie has 4 and they are all great so I’ve heard. Unfortunately, I have a medical condition that prevents me from consuming gluten and dairy. It’s called EOE (Eosinophilic Esophagitis) so I cannot drink beer anymore. You’ll have to try them out without my review. The 4 breweries are Fitzsimmons Brewing Company, Balzac Craft Brewing Company, Atlas Brewing (new to me), & 948 Brewing Company.
FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Being close proximity to Calgary as well you can adventure into the city and enjoy what it has to offer while returning home at the end of the night. That’s what makes satellite communities so great. Families have such great opportunity to create traditions and enjoy growing together. I have listed below great family events and activities within Airdrie that I take part in myself as often as possible.
- Jan 1st - New Years Eve fireworks - At East Lake on Airdrie's eastern side, a great setting for the annual new year fireworks.
- July 1st - Canada Day Parade & Fireworks - Main street downtown becomes a lively place waiting for the parade and usually has some great pancake breakfasts, fundraisers and eventually candy for teh kids as teh parade rolls through.
- July 1st & 2nd - Airdrie Pro Rodeo - Just a few minutes west of Airdrie are the rodeo grounds. Live music at night and a great rodeo during the day, don't miss it!
- Sep 10th - Airdrie Fest - Community based event where businesses and citizens enjoy everything Airdrie. Part of main street is closed down and many families come out to enjoy the festivities
- Dec/Jan - Festival of Lights - Nose Creek Park in town holds the Festival Of Lights for Christmas where there is lots to do. Walk around the lights, hang out by a fire, drink hot chocolate and bring your furry friend. I take my dog and she loves it (minus the train that drives the kids around, it's apparently quite scary).
Airdrie will always be considered my home at some capactiy and I hope others can share the same enthusiasm as I do for the city. The Calgary area actually. I love it here and I plan to shed light on more communities throughout Calgary. It's where I plan to call home for a long time and grow my business helping people enjoy the area as much as I do. Thanks for reading and if you would like to get in touch, or have any comments, please feel free to reach out.
"Why do golfers take an extra pair of socks when they go golfing?" "In case they get a hole in one!"
Matt Halladay
403-700-3182
halladayrealestate@gmail.com
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