Bearspaw is part of Rocky View County, a horseshoe-shaped region that encompasses over 16 communities, including the upscale estate areas of Springbank, Elbow Valley and Bragg Creek. Today, Rocky View County has a population of almost 40,000 people, living in 13,620 dwellings, mostly on acreage-type lots, with Bearspaw making up a much smaller portion of those numbers through a combination of farms, ranches, acreages and master-planned communities.

Finding the right home in a welcoming community

When Chris and Carly Dykstra sold their home in Victoria's Oak Bay neighbourhood last spring, they debated what their next step would be. They had lived on the West Coast for close to 10 years, raising their three girls who are six, 10 and 11. But when push came to shove, the Dykstra family decided to move back to Calgary, where Chris had started his career and the couple's two eldest girls had been born. They found their perfect home, one that would accommodate three children, three Golden Retrievers, a cat and a bunny – a 4,500-square-foot, open-concept, custom home in the family-friendly neighbourhood of Watermark in Bearspaw.