One of the fastest growing communities in the city, Evanston was designed with lifestyle in mind. Located on the city's northern edge and bounded by two major arteries – Shaganappi Trail and Stoney Trail – the community features easy access to the downtown core and the mountains.

"Evanston's vision was wide-open spaces and a place for families to grow and flourish. It was achieved by creating parks, soccer fields, green spaces and amenities right in the community," said Laura Field, marketing co-ordinator for Qualico Communities, the developer behind Evanston.

At first glance, the southeast communities of Ramsay and Ogden may seem as though they have nothing in common. Ramsay is an up-and-coming, inner-city, hipster hangout, while Ogden conjures images of a more family-centric, suburban lifestyle. However, these communities are threaded together by a common denominator that weaves through the city's landscape and is steeped in rich history – the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR).

As one meanders along the narrow and hilly streets of Bankview, it's hard not to be struck by the eclectic nature of the streetscape. Century-old, Craftsman-style homes sit alongside 1960s-era, four-storey, walk-up apartment buildings, and swanky new duplexes and infills. Adding softness to the landscape, fifty-foot-tall trees pepper the greenspaces, arching across the boulevards and creating a canopy of enchantment. Steps away, coffee shops, pubs and the boutique shops on 17th Avenue S.W. thrum with the beat of the bustling city.

When one thinks about Calgary's southeast community of Forest Lawn, one of the first things that come to mind is its lively food scene.

"I try to take a meander through the area at least once a month, exploring new restaurants and grabbing some great ingredients from the local ethnic food stores," said Jenna McNab, who loves to whip up authentic culinary gems. Although she doesn't live in the neighbourhood, like many Calgarians she considers Forest Lawn's International Avenue a can't-miss destination.

However, Forest Lawn is about more than just food. It's also about diversity and inspiration.

One of the first communities to establish a foothold in Calgary's new north, Skyview Ranch has been steadily growing ever since its inception almost 10 years ago. In fact, its population has more than doubled in the past five years, growing from 4,519 residents in 2013 to more than 10,000 in 2017. It has attracted a young and diverse demographic looking for an affordable lifestyle that's close to everything.

The master-planned community is located in Calgary's northeast quadrant and surrounded by several major thoroughfares. Skyview Ranch is bounded by Metis Trail to the west and is minutes away from the Stoney Trail ring road. Where once it stood as the lone new community in the area, Skyview Ranch is now surrounded by a bevy of vibrant and unique new neighbourhoods, including Redstone, Cityscape and Cornerstone.

WestCreek Developments continues to make its mark on Calgary's suburban skyline with two new communities – Cornerbrook in the northeast and Wolf Willow in the southeast.

Rumour has it that a new residential community in Calgary's deep southwest takes its name and heritage from an upscale and eclectic inner-city Toronto borough with oodles of history.

Yorkville, the brainchild of Mattamy Homes, is designed around a family friendly outdoor lifestyle that promotes active and healthy living – the kind of lifestyle that cultivates connectedness and interaction.

The answer to what the new northwest community of Carrington will have when complete is an easy one: pretty much everything.

The neighbourhood, launched as part of the massive Keystone Hills area plan, will include its own high-density housing; an employment and commercial centre built around a planned Green Line CTrain station; direct access to Stoney Trail and downtown; new schools, as well as proximity to existing ones; and acres of parks, wetlands and pathways. It also sits in a high-demand area that is suffering from a shortage of housing supply.

Sitting just south of Silverado between 194th Avenue and 210th Avenue S.W., the new Calgary community of Belmont is touted as a quiet refuge on the edge of the city and a place for new beginnings.

"It's a bright, modern community with a broad appeal for those looking for affordable quality in south Calgary," said Steve LePan, development manager with Anthem United. "As the first new community in the area, it's focused on affordable quality for first-time buyers or those new to Canada."

Carrie and Kevin Wilde moved to Calgary's southeast lake community of Mahogany six years ago with their four children – Tasia, Camebridge, Nicholas and Peirson – and the family pooch, Charlotte. The community's architecture, lake, wetlands and extensive pathway system that connects it all attracted the family. But now that they are settled in (the kids have grown up in the area and now range in age from 15 to 21), Carrie Wilde says Mahogany is about more than the amenities.