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Neighbourhood Profile: Beltline, Calgary

December 17, 2015

Voted Calgary’s number one neighbourhood in 2015 by the prestigious Avenue Magazine, the Beltline is home to over 20,000 Calgarians and is a growing, vibrant, amenity-rich community. The Beltline is Calgary’s most densely populated area in with many high rise and low rise condominium developments. Encompassing both Connaught and Victoria Park communities, the Beltline lies north of 17th Avenue, south of 10th Avenue, east of 14th Street West and west of the Elbow River.

In Calgary, the Beltline — or more specifically 17th Avenue — is where the action is, this energetic eclectic neighbourhood is truly the heart of the Calgary’s urban core. Here you will find the city’s trendiest, and often locally-owned, restaurants and pubs. 17th Avenue is a well known retail and entertainment district housing many of Calgary’s most impressive shops and boutiques. The Beltline resonates with those who are looking for a walkable and convenient lifestyle. 

Home to many of Calgary’s first warehouses, due to its proximity to the Canadian Pacific Railway, the area was named after the 1912 streetcar route on 17th Avenue southwest – the “belt line”. In the early 20th century the streetcar circled from the Beltline to the downtown core.

Grosvenor Americas, a company with over 300 years of worldwide development experience, has made a deep commitment to Calgary’s fastest growing community by spear-heading the development of two boutique multi-family residences just off of 17th Avenue: Drake and Smith. The success of Drake (which completed in the Winter of 2013) was Grosvenor Americas’ first residential development in Calgary and led to the development of Smith located at the other end of the block at the corner of 15th Avenue and 6th Street. Envisioned as Drake’s more sophisticated “brother”, with more expansive floorplans and higher end finishes, Smith is attracting young professional homebuyers who enjoy life’s finer things. Moving forward, Grosvenor has several other exciting residential opportunities in early planning stages in this beloved neighbourhood.

Bentall Kennedy, one of North America’s largest real estate investment firms, is also investing in the Beltline with two rental buildings currently under construction. Portfolio, in Victoria Park, is set to launch in early 2016 and their other project is coming in the Summer of 2016. 

With area redevelopment plans to accommodate up to 40,000 residents by 2035, homeowners, investors and business owners alike are seeing incredible value in this exciting and dynamic neighbourhood with no plans to slow down development and investment.

Did you know...

  • The first established district in the Beltline was Connaught in 1905 followed by Victoria Park in 1914.
  • “Belt Line” was the name of Route No. 5’s Calgary Municipal Electric Railway. The trolley circled the area and connected it to Downtown.
  • Two Public schools are located in the Beltline Connaught Community School and Victoria Community School.
  • The Beltline also has two private schools serving the area Western Canada High School and St Mary’s High School.
  • 17th Ave is home to more than 70 restaurants and over 10 cafés and specialty food shops.