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Calgary Metropolitan Region
Metropolitan area
Downtown Calgary skyline
Downtown Calgary skyline
Member municipalities of the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board
Member municipalities of the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board
Location of the region in Alberta
Location of the region in Alberta
Country Canada
Province Alberta
Area
 (2016)
 • CMA 5,107.55 km2 (1,972.04 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)
 • CMA
1,392,609
 • CMA density 272.5/km2 (706/sq mi)
Time zone UTC-7 (MST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-6 (MDT)
Area code(s) 403, 587, 825, 368

The Calgary Metropolitan Region (CMR), also called the Calgary Region, is a group of cities, towns, and other communities. It is built around Calgary, which is the largest city in Alberta, Canada.

In 2017, the Government of Alberta created the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB). This board set the official borders for the Calgary Metropolitan Region. The region includes the City of Calgary, Foothills County to the south, and Rocky View County to the west, north, and east. It also includes a part of Wheatland County further east.

Inside these borders, you'll find the cities of Airdrie and Chestermere. There are also seven towns: Cochrane, Crossfield, Diamond Valley, High River, Irricana, Okotoks, and Strathmore. Two villages, Beiseker and Longview, are also part of the region. Finally, there are two First Nations communities: Tsuu T'ina 145 and Eden Valley 216. Not all of these communities are official members of the CMRB.

The Calgary census metropolitan area (CMA) is a smaller area defined by Statistics Canada. It includes Calgary, Rocky View County, Airdrie, Beiseker, Chestermere, Cochrane, Crossfield, Irricana, and Tsuu T'ina 145.

The Calgary Metropolitan Region is a very important place for transportation. It connects southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, eastern British Columbia, and parts of the northern United States. The Calgary International Airport is located here. It is the fourth busiest airport in Canada for how many planes take off and land.

What is the Calgary CMA?

The Calgary CMA is a special area defined by Statistics Canada for counting people. It includes nine different communities:

In the 2011 Census, the Calgary CMA had a population of 1,214,839 people. This was a 12.6% increase from 2006. This makes it the largest CMA in Alberta and the fourth largest in Canada. The land area of the CMA is about 5,107.55 square kilometres. In 2011, there were about 237.9 people living in each square kilometre.

Some areas like Foothills County are often seen as part of Calgary's larger metropolitan area. This is because they share a border with Calgary. Also, towns like Okotoks, High River, and Diamond Valley are often called "bedroom communities." This means many people who live there travel to Calgary for work.

People and Languages

Who lives in Metro Calgary?

Metro Calgary is a very diverse place, meaning people from many different backgrounds live there. The table below shows the main groups of people who have lived in the area over the years.

Panethnic groups in Metro Calgary (2001−2021)
Panethnic group 2021 2016 2011 2006 2001
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
European 849,560 57.98% 869,555 63.26% 828,330 69.08% 805,825 75.29% 756,500 80.2%
South Asian 153,200 10.46% 122,900 8.94% 84,870 7.08% 57,700 5.39% 36,855 3.91%
Southeast Asian 117,445 8.02% 93,900 6.83% 71,245 5.94% 41,320 3.86% 28,940 3.07%
East Asian 112,825 7.7% 106,240 7.73% 89,345 7.45% 77,885 7.28% 59,585 6.32%
African 75,645 5.16% 54,190 3.94% 32,985 2.75% 21,060 1.97% 13,665 1.45%
Indigenous 48,625 3.32% 41,645 3.03% 33,370 2.78% 26,575 2.48% 21,915 2.32%
Middle Eastern 48,180 3.29% 39,130 2.85% 25,765 2.15% 17,670 1.65% 11,390 1.21%
Latin American 34,390 2.35% 27,710 2.02% 20,595 1.72% 13,410 1.25% 8,605 0.91%
Other/Multiracial 26,265 1.79% 19,385 1.41% 12,620 1.05% 8,840 0.83% 5,865 0.62%
Total responses 1,465,180 98.88% 1,374,650 98.71% 1,199,125 98.71% 1,070,295 99.16% 943,310 99.15%
Total population 1,481,806 100% 1,392,609 100% 1,214,839 100% 1,079,310 100% 951,395 100%
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses

What languages are spoken?

Many different languages are spoken in Metro Calgary. The most common language is English. The table below shows other languages spoken by at least 1,000 people, based on the 2021 Canadian Census.

Knowledge of Languages in Metro Calgary
Language 2021
Pop. %
English 1,430,255 97.62%
French 98,320 6.71%
Oromo 2,115 0.14%
Somali 2,430 0.17%
Amharic 8,450 0.58%
Arabic 34,975 2.39%
Hebrew 2,065 0.14%
Tigrigna 7,655 0.52%
Khmer
(Cambodian)		 1,255 0.09%
Vietnamese 19,290 1.32%
Bisaya,
n.o.s.		 1,115 0.08%
Cebuano 3,530 0.24%
Hiligaynon 1,365 0.09%
Ilocano 6,560 0.45%
Indonesian 1,250 0.09%
Pampangan
(Kapampangan,
Pampango)		 1,145 0.08%
Tagalog 70,230 4.79%
Kannada 1,085 0.07%
Malayalam 3,850 0.26%
Tamil 4,425 0.3%
Telugu 2,425 0.17%
Albanian 1,865 0.13%
Bulgarian 1,015 0.07%
Czech 2,130 0.15%
Polish 9,110 0.62%
Russian 15,020 1.03%
Serbo-Croatian 6,600 0.45%
Slovak 1,440 0.1%
Ukrainian 4,620 0.32%
German 16,305 1.11%
Afrikaans 2,070 0.14%
Dutch 4,540 0.31%
Danish 1,075 0.07%
Greek 2,335 0.16%
Bengali 6,140 0.42%
Gujarati 11,115 0.76%
Hindi 44,965 3.07%
Kacchi 2,320 0.16%
Marathi 2,290 0.16%
Nepali 2,925 0.2%
Punjabi 68,240 4.66%
Sinhala 1,380 0.09%
Urdu 31,625 2.16%
Kurdish 1,420 0.1%
Dari 4,760 0.32%
Iranian
Persian		 6,960 0.48%
Italian 9,510 0.65%
Portuguese 6,780 0.46%
Romanian 5,875 0.4%
Spanish 58,975 4.03%
Japanese 5,155 0.35%
Korean 12,225 0.83%
Akan
(Twi)		 1,395 0.1%
Igbo 3,030 0.21%
Swahili 3,405 0.23%
Yoruba 6,335 0.43%
Mandarin 46,240 3.16%
Min Nan
(Chaochow, Teochow,
Fukien, Taiwanese)		 2,380 0.16%
Cantonese 42,805 2.92%
Thai 1,300 0.09%
Turkish 2,600 0.18%
Hungarian 3,665 0.25%
Total
Responses		 1,465,175 98.88%
Total
Population		 1,481,806 100%

Working Together: Boards and Partnerships

Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB)

The Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB) was created in 2017. It officially started on January 1, 2018. This board helps different communities in the region work together on important issues.

The members of the CMRB include the cities of Airdrie, Calgary, and Chestermere. Also, the towns of Cochrane, Okotoks, High River, and Strathmore are members. The municipal districts of Foothills No. 31, Rocky View County, and Wheatland County are also part of the board.

Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP)

The Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP) started in 1999. It is a group of 15 urban communities in the Calgary area. They work together to plan for growth and other regional issues. Their motto is: Thinking regionally... acting locally...

The CRP currently includes three cities: Airdrie, Calgary, and Chestermere. It also has eight towns: Banff, Canmore, Cochrane, Diamond Valley, Irricana, Nanton, Okotoks, and Strathmore. One townsite, Redwood Meadows, is also a member.

Some communities have left the CRP in the past. For example, the MD of Bighorn No. 8 left in 2009. Crossfield and High River also left later. They felt the CRP was becoming too much like another level of government.

Communities in the Calgary Region

This list shows the communities in the greater Calgary area. It tells you if they are part of the Calgary Metropolitan Region (CMR), the Calgary census metropolitan area (CMA), or the Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP).

Municipality Municipal
status 		 Calgary
CMA 		 CMR
member		 CRP
member 		 Population

(2021)

 Population
(2016) 		 Population
(2011) 		 Population
(2006) 
Airdrie City Y Y Y 74,410 61,581 42,564 28,927
Banff Town Y 8,305 7,851
Beiseker Village Y 828 819 785 804
Calgary City Y Y Y 1,306,784 1,239,220 1,096,833 988,193
Canmore City 15,990 13,992 12,228 12,039
Chestermere City Y Y Y 21,425 19,887 14,824 9,564
Cochrane City Y Y Y 34,467 25,853 17,580 13,760
Crossfield Town Y (Formally a member) 3,599 2,983 2,853 2,648
Diamond Valley Town Y 5,341
Eden Valley 216 First Nations reserve 644 596 587 370
Foothills No. 31, MD of Municipal district Y (Formally a member) 23,199 22,766 21,258 19,736
High River City Y (Formally a member) 14,324 13,584 12,920 10,716
Irricana Town Y Y 1,179 1,216 1,162 1,243
Langdon Hamlet Y 5,497 5,305 4,211 2,595
Longview Village 297 307 307 300
Nanton Town Y 2,167
Okotoks City Y Y 30,405 28,881 24,511 17,145
Redwood Meadows Town 1,053
Rocky View County Municipal district Y Y (Formally a member) 41,028 39,407 36,461 34,171
Wheatland County Municipal district (Formally a member) (Formally a member) 9,299 8,788 8,551 8,343
MD of Bighorn No. 8 Municipal district (Formally a member) 1,598
Strathmore Town (Formally a member) Y 14,339 13,756 12,305 10,225
Tsuu T'ina Nation 145 First Nations reserve Y 2,710 1,643 1,777
Total Calgary CMA 1,487,303 0Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character ","..Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character ",".1,397,914 0Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character ","..Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character ",".1,219,050 1,081,905
Total Calgary Metropolitan Region 1,589,775 0Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character ","..Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character ",".1,482,887 0Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character ","..Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character ",".1,295,478 1,144,205

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See also

  • Calgary
  • Calgary-Edmonton Corridor
  • Edmonton metropolitan region
  • Census Metropolitan Area
  • Calgary Metropolitan Region Board Official Website: https://www.calgarymetroregion.ca/


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