Calgarians like playgrounds more than backyards says Avenue neighbourhoods ranking

Avenue magazine (Redpoint Media Group) has once again published its list of the 25 best neighbourhoods in which to live in Calgary. The list is based on reader definitions of what's important and hard data from the city of Calgary, all of which is crunched by Leger Marketing. 

"The survey says low crime, good commute times and pedestrian-friendliness are highly desirable," says a posting on the Avenue website. "Calgarians want their neighbours to be friendly and the homes along their streets to be well maintained.

"We care more about playgrounds and recreation facilities than we do large yards and low density. While we don’t necessarily need to live near family or friends, we do want access to pubs, restaurants and coffee shops where we can meet them. And we love good value, which means keeping a keen eye on neighbourhoods where property values are on the rise."

The number one neighbourhood is Varsity, next door to the University of Calgary; number two is Arbour Lake and number three is Bowness. You can download a pdf of the whole database.