As temperatures in Calgary increased in May, so did the city's housing starts.

"The trend of total housing starts increased slightly in May, due to strong construction in both the single-detached and multi-family markets," said Richard Cho, senior market analyst for Calgary with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

For the month of May, housing starts in the city were 11,316 units compared to 11,270 in April. The trend is a six month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR) of total housing starts.

Jumping into the new home pool is first-time buyer Duncan Hall, 25, set to take possession of his newly constructed condo in July.

"I have rented before but found that owning is smarter in the long run," he said. "I didn't like paying someone else's mortgage when I was renting and wanted to own something that would help me in the long run."

Less than 20 minutes away from Calgary's city limits, the town of Cochrane has managed to maintain its strong sense of western history and culture while growing into one of the most modern and bustling towns in the province.

According to building stats from December 2011, the town's current population sits at 18,646 — quite the jump considering the town was home to a mere 900 people as of 1969.