The residential community of Banff Trail lies in Calgary’s north-west
about a mile north of downtown.
History:
Annexed over a hundred years ago by the City of Calgary, most of Banff
Trail was developed in the 1950s.
Descriptively named, the community sits on both highways that lead to
the world-class tourist location of Banff just an hour out of town.
Bordered to the south by 16th Avenue (the Trans-Canada Highway) and to
the west by Crowchild Trail (the old route to Banff via Cochrane),
Banff Trail was later surrounded by Charleswood to the north.
The SW corner of the community is known as “Motel Villiage” for the
densely packed lodging that sprung up in the area.
Demographics:
Some 4,200 people called Banff Trail home in 2014, residing in
approximately 2,000 dwellings, 36% of which were condos or apartments.
The median household income of $50,000 is well below Calgary’s $93,000
average, an expected figure for the many now-pensioners and students
that live in the area. 25% of the residents were classified as low
income, 15% were immigrants, and nearly half were renting.
Nearby Features:
– Three C-train stations on the NW line: “Lion’s Park”, “Banff Train”
and “University”
– Adjacent to University of Calgary to the west and SAIT/ACAD to the south.
– Adjacent to McMahon Stadium (where the Calgary “Stampeder” CFL
Football team plays), and Foothills Stadium (formerly “Burns” Stadium,
home of the Cannons and Vipers), and other sports facilities in the
Foothills Athletic Park.
– Foothills Hospital about 1km to the west
– Confederation Park
– Near to Jubilee Auditorium
– Near to the University of Calgary