Located at the confluence of Nose Hill Drive and Crowchild Trail in Calgary's northwest, the community of Ranchlands – developed in the 1970s – retains some of the unique, natural features of its namesake ranching lands.

In the centre of the community, Ranchlands Park sprawls across 12 hectares and provides examples of some of the last remnants of the typical northwest geological formations known as knobs and kettles. Retreating glacial deposits of ice carved these small rounded hilltops (knobs) and depressions (kettles). Much of Calgary's northwest featured these fields of undulating hills before development reshaped the landscape.

When it comes to location and convenient access to major thoroughfares, you can't beat Calgary's northwest neighbourhood of Dalhousie.

Bounded on four sides by major roads – John Laurie Boulevard, Shaganappi Trail, Crowchild Trail and Sarcee Trail - Dalhousie is at the heart of it all. Getting to and from downtown, or out to the mountains, is a breeze.

"Definitely the proximity to downtown attracted us," said Sean French, president of the Dalhousie Community Association, who moved to Dalhousie 10 years ago from nearby Varsity.

Calgary's urban parks offer nearby residents a slice of the great outdoors in the heart of the city

At the beginning of July last year, John and Ildi Arlette took their first-ever walk through Confederation Park.

By the end of that month, they had bought a home in Mount Pleasant sitting near the crescent-shaped green space that stretches across 162 hectares – including eight hectares of wetlands – in northwest Calgary.

"We were on a date night and someone had told me about Confederation Park," said John Arlette. "Ildi is from Ontario and I realized I hadn't shown her much of Calgary – I hadn't even been to the park myself."

After that visit, the Arlettes sold their home in Signal Hill, becoming both inner-city – and park-side living – devotees.