With all the trappings of the big city yet still closely tied to its country roots, Airdrie presents the best of both worlds in many ways. And judging by the regularity with which homes in the city are being sold, it would appear that the homebuying public is in agreement.

According to CREB®, MLS® sales activity in Airdrie improved by nearly 23 per cent in 2012, with an unadjusted single-family benchmark home price of $336,000 in December, slightly lower than the previous month, but higher than levels recorded in 2011. The annual average benchmark price in 2012 for Airdrie totalled $334,133, a 3.6 per cent increase over 2011.

It seems fitting that over the last year Airdrie has grown by roughly one sizeable family every day. Home to just over 17,500 people in 1998, the city has welcomed plenty of new additions over the last 25 years, nearly tripling in size according to the most recent census.

Growing by such leaps and bounds, Airdire has had to adapt from being a small town on the outskirts of Calgary to a full-fledged city with more than enough attractions and amenities to keep the 45,711 residents happy. Over the last year, Airdrie's population grew by 2,556, or seven new residents per day.

While they may trail their metropolitan neighbor in stature, Calgary's surrounding communities are no slouch when it comes to sales. Buoyed by affordability, Airdrie, Cochrane and Okotoks all recorded double-digit sales growth in the third quarter and represent nearly half of the sales activity surrounding Calgary.

"We chose Airdrie over Calgary because our money went a lot further when buying a house as far as size and yard," said Jody Paterson, who recently purchased a single-family home in Airdrie with her fiance after living in an apartment in Calgary.