Canmore is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, Canada, located approximately west of
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
near the southeast boundary of
Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest National Parks of Canada, national park, established in 1885 as Rocky Mountains Park. Located in Alberta's Rockies, Alberta's Rocky Mountains, west of Calgary, Banff encompasses of mountainous terrain, wi ...
. It is located in the
Bow Valley
Bow Valley is a valley located along the upper Bow River in Alberta, Canada.
The name "Bow" refers to the reeds that grew along its banks and which were used by the local First Nations people to make bows; the Blackfoot language name for th ...
within
Alberta's Rocky Mountains. The town shares a border with
Kananaskis Country
Kananaskis Country is a multi-use area west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the foothills and front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. The area is named for the Kananaskis River, which was named by John Palliser in 1858 after a Cree acquaintance. Cove ...
to the west and south and the
Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8
The Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8 is a municipal district (MD) situated in Census Division No. 15 of Alberta, Canada. It is located between Calgary and Banff National Park, north of Kananaskis Improvement District. Highway 1 (the Tran ...
to the north and east. With a population of 14,798 in 2020, Canmore is the
ninth-largest town in Alberta.
History
Canmore was officially named in 1884 by
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
director
Donald A. Smith (later 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal). It was named after
Malcolm III of Scotland
Malcolm III ( mga, Máel Coluim mac Donnchada, label=Medieval Gaelic; gd, Maol Chaluim mac Dhonnchaidh; died 13 November 1093) was King of Scotland from 1058 to 1093. He was later nicknamed "Canmore" ("ceann mòr", Gaelic, literally "big head" ...
who was also nicknamed Canmore. Canmore is
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
for "Big Chief".
In 1886,
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
granted a
coal mining
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
charter to the town, and the No. 1 mine was opened in 1887.
By the 1890s, a
North-West Mounted Police
The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian para-military police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert’s Land and North-Western Territory ...
barrack had been instated on Main Street, but it was vacated in 1927. The building was restored in 1989 and it is under the care of the
Canmore Museum and Geoscience Centre.
The coal mining industry in Canmore boomed well into the 20th century. In 1965, with a population of 2,000, Canmore was incorporated as a town. By the 1970s the market for coal was diminished, and in 1979 Canmore Mines Ltd. ceased operations. As a result of safety and reclamation policies instigated by the province of Alberta, all but a few mining structures were demolished in the following year; only the lamp house and a few mine entrances remain today.
Canmore's economic future seemed dismal until the announcement in the early 1980s that
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
would be hosting the
1988 Winter Olympics
The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games (french: XVes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Calgary 1988 ( bla, MohkÃnsstsisi 1988; sto, Wîchîspa Oyade 1988 or ; cr, Otôskwanihk 1998/; srs, Guts†...
, and that Canmore would play host to the Nordic events. This resulted in an increase in tourism, and Canmore began to develop into the recreational tourist destination it is today.
The Canmore Hotel was built in 1890 on the main street. In 2015, the building received a heritage designation and was being renovated to restore it. The hotel celebrated its 120th anniversary in October 2010.
[
]
Geography
Concerns over Canmore's urban growth adjacent to provincial and national parkland has led to many efforts to place a limit on future development. The town was at one time expected to reach its maximum "build out" following the completion of Silvertip Resort and Three Sisters Mountain Village developments by 2020, but developers have continued the push for permits to construct additional housing. In 2021 the developers of the Three Sisters Mountain Village project sued the town of Canmore for $161 million over a decision that prevented them from building the project. In May 2022, the Land and Property Rights Tribunal of Alberta overruled town officials and ordered that development for the two projects can proceed to completion.
Bisected by the Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway ( French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean o ...
, located on the Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
and run through by the Bow River
The Bow River is a river in Alberta, Canada. It begins within the Canadian Rocky Mountains and winds through the Alberta foothills onto the prairies, where it meets the Oldman River, the two then forming the South Saskatchewan River. These w ...
, Canmore is ideally situated on a number of major transportation routes, which has influenced its tourism-based economy and historical mining industry.
Much of the Canmore area has been designated a wildlife corridor
A wildlife corridor, habitat corridor, or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities or structures (such as roads, development, or logging). This allows an exchange of individuals between ...
. This corridor allows animals such as bears, cougars, wolves, and elk to move between habitat patches, where they can find food, escape predators, breed, give birth, and establish territories.
Despite its modest population and environmentally friendly image, Canmore is highly sprawled and segmented (due to wildlife corridors, highways, the railway, and the Bow River) and takes over one and a half hours to traverse on foot. The pedestrian-friendly town centre surrounds 8th Street, or "Main Street" (as it is known colloquially), which was originally a residential road with some of the oldest architecture in the town; now, however, it is lined with small shops, restaurants, and galleries. Much of the recent development is taking place in Three Sisters Mountain Village, Silvertip Resort, and around the town centre.
A series of hiking, mountain biking, equestrian, and paved trails traverse the Canmore area. Major trail systems are located on the Benchlands of Mount Lady Macdonald, at the Canmore Nordic Centre
Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park is a provincial park in Alberta, Canada, located immediately west of Canmore, west of Calgary.
This provincial park is situated at the foot of Mount Rundle within the Canadian Rocky Mountains along Bow ...
, and along the north slope of Mount Lawrence Grassi. Many of these trails, and others around the community, are located within Bow Valley Wildland Provincial Park and Kananaskis Country
Kananaskis Country is a multi-use area west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the foothills and front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. The area is named for the Kananaskis River, which was named by John Palliser in 1858 after a Cree acquaintance. Cove ...
. Some of these, including the Montaine Traverse Trail and the Highline Trail, have been improved by the Town of Canmore, the Government of Alberta
The government of Alberta (french: gouvernement de l'Alberta) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Alberta. As a constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor—i ...
, the Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8, and various stakeholders (Bow Valley Mountain Bike Alliance, the B.V. Riding Association, and local hiking groups) in order to balance recreational opportunities with environmental sustainability. Much of the upgrading has been accomplished by volunteers organized by the Trail Care Program of The Friends of Kananaskis Country.
Mountains located adjacent to and visible from the townsite are:
*Mount Rundle
Mount Rundle is a mountain in Canada's Banff National Park overlooking the towns of Banff and Canmore, Alberta. The Cree name was ''Waskahigan Watchi'' or house mountain.
In 1858 John Palliser renamed the mountain after Reverend Robert Rundle ...
();
* Mount Lawrence Grassi (2,685 m / 8,809 ft);
** Ha Ling Peak ();
* Three Sisters (2,936 m, 2,769 m, 2,694 m or 9,633 ft, 9,084 ft, 8,839 ft)
*Grotto Mountain
Grotto Mountain is a mountain located in the Bow River
The Bow River is a river in Alberta, Canada. It begins within the Canadian Rocky Mountains and winds through the Alberta foothills onto the prairies, where it meets the Oldman River, t ...
(2,706 m / 8,878 ft);
*Mount Lady Macdonald
Mount Lady Macdonald is a mountain located within Bow Valley Provincial Park in the Bow River valley at the Town of Canmore, which is located just east of Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.
The mountain was named in 1886 after Susan Ag ...
(2,606 m / 8,550 ft).
Climate
Canmore's climate is relatively mild compared to some other regions of Alberta. It does not have an Environment Canada weather observation station, but the nearby town of Banff has an average high of in January, with relatively low humidity. Summers are short with daytime temperatures ranging from .
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
, the Town of Canmore had a population of 15,990 living in 6,804 of its 9,173 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 13,992. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Town of Canmore recorded a population of 13,992 living in 5,738 of its 7,963 total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of 12,288. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.
The population of the Town of Canmore according to its 2014 municipal census is 13,077, a change from its 2011 municipal census population of 12,317. At its current population, Canmore is one of the largest towns in the province and is eligible for city status. According to Alberta's ''Municipal Government Act'', a town is eligible for city status when it reaches 10,000 residents.
About 1.5% of residents identified themselves as aboriginal at the time of the 2006 census.
As recorded in the 2016 Census, about 81% of residents identified English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
as their first language
A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...
. About 5% of the population identified French as their first language and 2% identified German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
as their first language.
Economy
The Town of Canmore originally depended on the coal mines. The 1988 Winter Olympics
The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games (french: XVes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Calgary 1988 ( bla, MohkÃnsstsisi 1988; sto, Wîchîspa Oyade 1988 or ; cr, Otôskwanihk 1998/; srs, Guts†...
revived the economy and set the grounds for a high-end bedroom and get-away community which would depend on construction and tourism income.
Arts and culture
Canmore has one museum, the Canmore Museum and Geoscience Centre (CMAGS) located along 7th Ave in the Canmore Civic Centre. In 2006, the Museum entered a Fee for Service agreement with the Town of Canmore to "act as the custodian of the Town's heritage, maintaining and preserving its artifacts, archives and to built heritage and to interpret this heritage through exhibitions and interpretive programming for residents and visitors on a year-round basis".
The town has a large number of writers, and also of painters and photographers.
Many feature films have been shot in the Canmore area, including ''Brokeback Mountain
''Brokeback Mountain'' is a 2005 American neo-Western romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Adapted from the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx, the screenplay was written by O ...
'', ''The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
''The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'' is a 2007 American epic revisionist Western film written and directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Brad Pitt as Jesse James. Adapted from Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same ti ...
'', ''Open Range
In the Western United States and Canada, open range is rangeland where cattle roam freely regardless of land ownership. Where there are "open range" laws, those wanting to keep animals off their property must erect a fence to keep animals out; th ...
'', ''The Edge
David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...
'', ''Legends of the Fall
''Legends of the Fall'' is a 1994 American epic Western drama film directed by Edward Zwick and starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn, Julia Ormond and Henry Thomas. Based on the 1979 novella of the same title by Jim Harrison, the fil ...
'', ''Shanghai Noon
''Shanghai Noon'' is a 2000 martial arts western action comedy film starring Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson and Lucy Liu. The first in the ''Shanghai'' film series and marking the directorial debut of Tom Dey, ''Shanghai Noon'' was written by Alfred ...
'', ''Mystery Alaska
''Mystery, Alaska'' is a 1999 American sports comedy-drama film, directed by Jay Roach, about an amateur ice hockey team from the fictional small town of Mystery that plays an exhibition game against the National Hockey League (NHL)'s New York Ra ...
'', ''Snow Dogs
''Snow Dogs'' is a 2002 American adventure comedy film directed by Brian Levant, and produced by Jordan Kerner. The film stars Cuba Gooding Jr., with a supporting cast of James Coburn (in one of his final roles), Joanna Bacalso, Sisqó, Nichell ...
'', the pilot episode of ''Everwood
''Everwood'' (known as ''Our New Life in Everwood'' in the United Kingdom) is an American drama television series created by Greg Berlanti. Berlanti, Mickey Liddell, Rina Mimoun, Andrew A. Ackerman and Michael Green served as executive produce ...
'', and others. The town was also popularized by the late John Morgan of the Royal Canadian Air Farce
The Royal Canadian Air Farce was a comedy troupe that was active from 1973 to 2019. It is best known for their various Canadian Broadcasting Corporation series, first on CBC Radio and later on CBC Television. Although their weekly radio series ...
with his monosyllabic character " Mike from Canmore".
Festivals and annual events
* The award-winning food festival, Canmore Uncorked, is hosted every April for 13 days of special set-price menus from local restaurants, culinary events, cooking courses, and a long table dinner.
* The 24 Hours of Adrenalin is a mountain bike race series held at a variety of locations across North America, with annual stops in Canmore. The race consists of hundreds of solo or team riders competing to ride as many laps as possible within 24 hours, on a challenging 16 km circuit at the Canmore Nordic Centre.
* The Canmore Winter Carnival is a celebration of the season and a popular community tradition for more than 20 years with events including ice carving, snow sculpting, dog sled racing, the Bonhomme Carnival, and more!
* The Rocky Mountain Ski Challenge is an annual ski marathon hosted by the Canmore Nordic Ski Club.
* The Rock and Fossil Clinic is co-presented by the Canmore Museum and Geoscience Centre (CMAGS) and APEGGA. Anyone can bring their rock or fossil find to have it evaluated by a professional geologist. The event is usually held in October.
* The Canmore Miners' Day Reunion takes place each year on the dates closest to the anniversary date of July 13 commemorating the closing of the Canmore coal mines in 1979. The occasion is marked with an evening reunion reception on Friday and on Saturday a parade, a free lunch for the public and a special picnic for ex-miners and their families.
* The Canmore Folk Music Festival is held annually on the Heritage Day long weekend in August at Centennial Park on the Stan Rogers Stage. The festival has played host to the likes of Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, an ...
, Stan Rogers, Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his father, Woody Guthrie. Gut ...
, The Arrogant Worms
The Arrogant Worms are a Canadian musical comedy trio founded in 1991 that parodies many musical genres. They are well known for their humorous on-stage banter in addition to their music. The members since 1995 are Trevor Strong (vocals), Mike McC ...
, The Paperboys
The Paperboys (sometimes billed and credited as Tom Landa and the Paperboys) are a Canadian folk music band from Vancouver that formed in 1991. The Paperboys blend Celtic folk with bluegrass, Mexican, Eastern European, African, zydeco, soul a ...
, The Rankin Family
The Rankin Family (originally known as The Rankins) are a Canadian musical family group from Mabou, Nova Scotia. The group has won many Canadian music awards, including 15 East Coast Music Awards, six Juno Awards, four Society of Composers, Author ...
, Moxy Früvous
Moxy Früvous was a Canadian politically satirical folk-pop band from Thornhill, Ontario, Canada. The band was founded in 1989, and was active until 2001. Common themes in Früvous songs include Canada and the "human experience".
History
The ...
, Oscar Lopez and many other notable artists. The Canmore Folk Music Festival is the longest running music festival in Alberta, and in 2007 celebrated its 30th year.
* The Canmore Highland Games are presented annually by the Three Sisters Scottish Society on the September long weekend. They are in their 17th year. The games host a ceilidh, heavy lifting competitions, piping and drumming, and highland dance events.
* Mozart on the Mountain is an outdoor concert presented annually by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.
* The annual Festival of Eagles is a celebration of the golden eagle
The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...
autumn migration over Canmore and the Bow Valley. The weekend celebration, currently in its 13th year, includes guided hikes, bird walks, interpretive displays, theatrical performances and guest speakers. Spotting scopes are set up at Canmore Collegiate High School.
* The Vic Lewis International Band Festival is held every November. It is in its 11th year. The festival hosts up to thirty-two concert bands, wind ensembles and jazz bands from across Alberta who play for some of the most well-known band directors in North America. Previous directors have included Tim Salzman, Paul Read, Gillian Mackay
Gillian Audrey Mackay (born 1991) is a Scottish Green politician who has served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Central Scotland region since the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. She is the first Green MSP ever to be ele ...
, and Tommy Banks
Thomas Benjamin Banks (December 17, 1936 – January 25, 2018) was a Canadian pianist, conductor, arranger, composer, television personality and senator.
Television and musical career
Banks was the host of nationally - and internationally ...
. More than 800 students in junior high and high school bands perform for adjudicators, participate in workshops, listen to faculty recitals and give public performances during the two days and two nights of the festival. The festival takes place at Canmore Collegiate High School and the Canmore Recreation Centre with evening gala performances at the Oh Canada, Eh?! Theatre.
* The annual Canmore Children's Festival is a two-day event providing an array of children's entertainment, including acrobats, magicians, jugglers, music, theatre, storytelling, crafts, stilt-walking, dancing, face painting, and clowns.
* The Canmore ArtsPeak Arts Festival and the Canmore Winter Carnival give participants the opportunity to discover local venues such as the Octave
In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...
featuring live music produced events, including the work of local artists and cinematographers.
Attractions
Elevation Place
Elevation Place opened in April 2013 as Canmore's new recreation facility. Construction of the facility began in 2012 to replace the ''Canmore Recreation Centre'' (the community's old facility). The facility offers an 8-lane 25m lap pool, a world class climbing wall developed by Walltopia
Walltopia AD is a Bulgarian climbing wall and active entertainment manufacturer. It was founded in 1998 by Ivaylo Penchev and Metin Musov. Originally exclusively a climbing wall and other artificial rock surfaces manufacturer, since 2012 the compan ...
, two cardio rooms, a strength room, and a host of fitness programs. Elevation Place also houses the community's library and a local art gallery.
Canmore Nordic Centre
The Canmore Nordic Centre was originally constructed for the 1988 Winter Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
. Cross-country skiing, biathlon
The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not tim ...
, Nordic combined, and blind cross-country skiing events were held here.
The Canmore Nordic Centre provides world-class trails for use by cross-country ski
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...
ers, mountain bikers, unicyclists, trail runners, roller skiers, and hikers. It also has disc golf courses and orienteering. It has provincial park status and is administered by Alberta Parks. The centre was re-developed for the 2005 Cross-country World Cup and future international events. The Nordic Centre hosts national training camps for Canada's biathlon and cross-country ski teams, in addition to providing winter and summer recreational facilities to the general public. It has some of world-class cross-country and biathlon trail systems designed to meet international Nordic competitive standards. The trails are groomed and track set to accommodate both classic and skating techniques on the same trail. A track is illuminated for night skiing.
The Day Lodge at the Canmore Nordic Centre offers services such as a cafeteria, meeting rooms, maps and information, day lockers, showers, washrooms, equipment rentals, and lessons. During the summer months the Centre converts to include mountain biking facilities and plays host to several national and international mountain bike events annually. The Nordic Centre also operates an 18 "hole" disc golf
Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. Most disc golf discs are made out of polypropylene plastic, otherwise known as polypropene, which ...
course during the summer months.
Grassi Lakes
The Upper & Lower Grassi Lakes lie at an elevation of about 1,525 m in the southern Canadian Rockies overlooking the town of Canmore, Alberta. They receive their water from natural springs. There is a trail route that takes you up to the Upper Grassi Lake, with decent parking at the bottom. The trail is 4.3 km. It’s appropriate for all skill levels. The water is a beautiful Caribbean green / blue & very clear. It’s surrounded by stunning snow covered mountains & shear soaring cliffs. There are two options for the hike, one easy & one more difficult. It takes approximately 60 minutes to hike the loop.
Banff National Park
Canmore is the closest major town to Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest National Parks of Canada, national park, established in 1885 as Rocky Mountains Park. Located in Alberta's Rockies, Alberta's Rocky Mountains, west of Calgary, Banff encompasses of mountainous terrain, wi ...
, the main gate of which is just northwest of the town limits. It is a 22-kilometre drive from Canmore to the park's main townsite at Banff.
Sports
Canmore is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts. Climbing is popular with traditional
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
, sport
Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...
and multi-pitch climbs throughout the Bow Valley
Bow Valley is a valley located along the upper Bow River in Alberta, Canada.
The name "Bow" refers to the reeds that grew along its banks and which were used by the local First Nations people to make bows; the Blackfoot language name for th ...
, and the area is a world destination for ice climbing. Kayakers
A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word '' qajaq'' ().
The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each s ...
and canoeists
A canoe is a lightweight narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle.
In British Englis ...
can enjoy guided trips with one of the many local outfitters, or independently navigate the surrounding rivers and lakes. Caving
Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology i ...
enthusiasts will enjoy the extensive Rat's Nest Cave. Mountain bikers will enjoy the extensive trail network in the Canmore area and can check for updated trail reports.
The local Alberta Junior Hockey League
The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) is an Alberta-based Junior A ice hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It was formed as a five-team league in 1964. There are currently 16 teams in the league. The reg ...
team is the Canmore Eagles
The Canmore Eagles are a junior A ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). They play in Canmore, Alberta, Canada at the Canmore Recreation Centre.
History
The Eagles franchise was established for the 1995–96 season as the Bo ...
. In 2001, Canmore resident and Eagles goalie "Double Blocker" Dan Blackburn
Daniel Clark Blackburn (born May 20, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 63 regular-season games for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), going 20–32–11 with 1 shutout.
Minor league ca ...
, was drafted into the National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
to play for the New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
. The two-time Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
-winner Brayden Point
Brayden Point (born March 13, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Lightning selected Point in the third round, 79th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. P ...
has played for Eagles. The local Bantam hockey team is the Canmore Eagles. The hockey movie ''Mystery, Alaska
''Mystery, Alaska'' is a 1999 American sports comedy-drama film, directed by Jay Roach, about an amateur ice hockey team from the fictional small town of Mystery that plays an exhibition game against the National Hockey League (NHL)'s New York Ran ...
'' (1999) was filmed in Canmore.
Canmore is the official home to the Canadian National cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...
and biathlon
The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not tim ...
teams. This, combined with the Canmore Nordic Centre
Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park is a provincial park in Alberta, Canada, located immediately west of Canmore, west of Calgary.
This provincial park is situated at the foot of Mount Rundle within the Canadian Rocky Mountains along Bow ...
has resulted in the town becoming a magnet for aspiring athletes in both sports. Full and part-time athletes can be seen training around town and in the local area all year around.
On February 22, 2006, Canmore local Chandra Crawford
Chandra Crawford (born November 19, 1983) is a Canadian cross-country skier who has competed since 2001 at the age of 16. Prior to this, she was a biathlete for five years. She was born in Canmore, Alberta, Canada.
Career
On February 22, 2006, ...
won the gold medal in the women's cross-country 1.1-kilometre sprint at the 2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second t ...
in Turin, Italy
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...
. Beckie Scott
Rebecca "Beckie" Scott, (born August 1, 1974) is a Canadian retired cross-country skier. She is Chair of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Athlete Committee, and served as an International Olympic Committee member by virtue of being elected ...
, gold medalist in the women's cross country skiing pursuit race in the 2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléà 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internation ...
in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
also makes her home in Canmore.
The Canmore Nordic Centre is a destination for many large sporting events. During the summer season, mountain bike races (including the World 24 Hour championships in 2009 and the Canadian National Championships in 2010) are held there. During the winter season, the facility sees several cross-country ski races, ranging from local events to the FIS World Cup in 2005, 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
.
Canmore United is the highly popular and successful local soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
team, participating in the summer Bow Valley Soccer League, as well as tournaments in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
The Canmore Youth Skate Park was built in the summer of 2009.
Media
The primary newspapers for the town are the Rocky Mountain Outlook
The ''Rocky Mountain Outlook'' is a weekly local newspaper based in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. The ''Rocky Mountain Outlook'' is delivered across the Bow Valley in Banff, Canmore, Lake Louise, the Municipal District of Bighorn and the Sto ...
and the Banff Crag & Canyon which took over the Canmore Leader
The ''Canmore Leader'' was a weekly newspaper based in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. Its final issue was published on June 26, 2013. The final editor was Russ Ullyot and the final publisher was Shawn Cornell. The paper was closed and staff were ama ...
in 2013. The only radio station operating out of Canmore is CHMN-FM
CHMN-FM is a Canadian radio station serving Canmore and Banff, Alberta at 106.5 FM, and airs an adult contemporary format under the name ''106.5 Mountain FM''.
History
The station began broadcasting in 1983 as CFHC on the AM band at 1450  ...
, an adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
station run by Rogers Media
Rogers Media Inc., operating as Rogers Sports & Media, is a Canadian subsidiary of Rogers Communications that owns the company's mass media and sports properties, such as the Citytv and Omni Television terrestrial television stations, Sportsnet, ...
. Former Much Music VJ, Bradford How
Bradford How was a MuchMusic VJ from 2000 to 2003. He won the 2000 MuchMusic VJ Search, and became one of the channel's most well-liked video jockeys. After stints hosting '' Electric Circus'' and '' Gonna Meet A Rockstar'', among other shows, he ...
was employed by the Rogers owned, Mountain FM (broadcast at 106.5 FM) before he won the MuchMusic VJ Search competition in 2000.
Housing
Many of the new developments, fractional projects, and vacation suites were built with sustainable development in mind, and in 2006 the Three Sisters Mountain Village development was the recipient of an international award for being the best sustainable development in North America. Unfortunately, new owners of the 'future land assets' of this project defaulted on their financial commitments following the world economic crisis, putting the future development lands into receivership in the spring of 2009, but this does not affect current developments that are ongoing within the project and long term development will eventually continue under new ownership. In early 2010, several projects are beginning to show signs of life, and real estate pricing has begun to recover.
As of June 2014 Canmore has the lowest vacancy rate in Canada for rental properties according to a CMHC Spring report. This in turn is having an effect on the housing market and pushing prices up. Along with the uptick in the oil industry and second home buyers coming back into the market from Calgary, the housing market is showing signs of not only recovering but becoming very strong as inventory levels are at a 6-year low.
Within the town, there are also some buildings using geothermal energy, and the town's new Municipal Services Building is the first building in Alberta to achieve LEED Silver certification status.
However, due to the local landscape being very complex, not everyone can install solar or wind energy devices on their property. Bylaws are also very strict and "aesthetic alterations" are not widely accepted.
Canmore is a very difficult place to find affordable housing, and pet owners or families may have difficulty arranging accommodation. To alleviate the housing crunch, Canmore has pursued several affordable housing projects. In 2000, the Town of Canmore established the Canmore Community Housing Corporation (CCHC) to provide housing solutions for a healthy and balanced community. CCHC administers a Perpetually Affordable Housing (PAH) Program consisting of 41 ownership and 60 rental housing units at below-market purchase prices and rental rates. Mountain Haven Co-operative Homes Ltd. administers its own PAH development that provides 44 equity and non-equity (lease to own) units.
Infrastructure
Health care is provided at the Canmore General Hospital
Canmore General Hospital is a medical facility located in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. Alberta Health Services is responsible for the operations of the hospital. It is a referral centre for surgical services within the province of Alberta. It conta ...
.
Transit is provided by Roam
Real-time optimally adapting mesh (ROAM) is a continuous level of detail algorithm that optimizes terrain meshes. On modern computers, sometimes it is more effective to send a small amount of unneeded polygons to the GPU, rather than burden the C ...
transit.
Notable people
* Paige Cooper, Canadian writer
* Brian McKeever
Brian McKeever (born June 18, 1979) is a Canadian cross-country skier and biathlete, who became Canada's most decorated Winter Paralympian when he won his 14th medal at the 2018 Winter Paralympics. He finished the 2018 Games with a career total ...
(1979), paralympic skier and biathlete, Olympic medallist
* Chandra Crawford
Chandra Crawford (born November 19, 1983) is a Canadian cross-country skier who has competed since 2001 at the age of 16. Prior to this, she was a biathlete for five years. She was born in Canmore, Alberta, Canada.
Career
On February 22, 2006, ...
(1983), cross-country skier
* Sarah Murphy (1988), biathlete
* Rosanna Crawford (1988), biathlete
* Tristan Tafel
Tristan Tafel (born February 26, 1990) is a Canadian freestyle skier specializing in ski cross
Ski cross is a skiing competition which incorporates terrain features traditionally found in freestyle skiing with courses which include big-air j ...
(1990), freestyle skier
* Macx Davies
Macx Davies (born December 24, 1992) is a Canadian biathlete. He was born in Calgary, Alberta. He has competed in the Biathlon World Cup, and represented Canada at the Biathlon World Championships 2016
The 48th Biathlon World Championships was ...
(1992), biathlete
* Connor Howe
Connor Howe (born June 10, 2000) is a Canadian professional speed skater.
He won the silver medal in the team pursuit event at the 2021 World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships
The 2021 World Single Distances Speed Skating Champions ...
(2000), speed skater
See also
*List of communities in Alberta
The province of Alberta, Canada, is divided into ten types of local governments – urban municipalities (including cities, towns, villages and summer villages), specialized municipalities, rural municipalities (including municipal district ...
* List of towns in Alberta
* List of cities in Canada by elevation
References
External links
*
*
{{Coord, 51.089, -115.359, type:city_scale:30000_region:CA-AB, display=title, name=Canmore
1884 establishments in the Northwest Territories
1965 establishments in Alberta
1988 Winter Olympics
Canadian Rockies
Towns in Alberta
Climbing areas of Canada
1884 establishments in Alberta