Calgary Alberta is the largest city in Alberta and the sixth largest metropolitan area in Canada, the largest between Toronto and Vancouver.

It is located centrally in the western province, and is about 50 miles to the east of the front range of the Rocky Mountains. Today Calgary has a reputation as a destination for winter sports and ecotourism with a number of world-class ski resorts within a short distance.

Calgary was also the host of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, and as such, some of the facilities originally constructed for that event are used for training today.

Economic activity in Calgary is mostly centered on the petroleum industry; however, agriculture, tourism, and high-tech industries also contribute to the city's fast economic growth. Calgary holds many major annual festivals, the most famous of which is the Calgary Stampede.

Others are the Folk Music Festival, the Lilac Festival, Calgary's International Festival of the Arts, Wordfest: Banff-Calgary International Writers Festival, Calgary International Spoken Word Festival, One World Festival (GlobalFest), and the fourth largest Caribbean festival in the country (Carifest).

Calgary was named as the world's cleanest city in 2007 by Forbes magazine as well.

So those are the specs, but there is more. Many don't realize the extent to which the city was built on the oil and gas industries. Calgary's location in close proximity to some of the world's largest oil and gas fields has inspired many of the world's biggest producers and refiners locate large corporate offices in Calgary. Indeed, downtown Calgary is home to large office buildings that belong to many oil companies whose names are recognizable throughout the world.

Calgary's economy is Canada's fastest growing economy and many thousands of Calgarians are employed by these companies, as the economic backbone of the community is still dependant upon the oil industry, if only slightly less-so recently.

As such, there are many cottage industries that support this oil economy as well. Companies that rent condos and apartments for long-term visiting executives find profit in outlying areas to the city, like the community of Airdrie, and others abound throughout the area. Airdrie condos are often rented in a furnished state, to these companies for permanent visiting employees.

Although Calgary and Alberta have traditionally been affordable places to live, substantial growth (much of it due to the prosperous energy sector and the northern oil sands projects) has led to increasing demand on real-estate.

In 2006, Calgary was rated the most expensive city in Canada for commercial/downtown office space, and the second most expensive city (second to Vancouver) for residential real-estate. And that's why many companies prefer to rent long-term apartments and condos for visiting employees. Many of those employees often stay for 4, 6, or even 12 months when working on a specific project.

Over the years Calgary has grown into a rich and diverse city with arts, sports, and cultural events that run year-round, and has become a support for many auxiliary industries and businesses that support the oil industry.

Alberta Condos (http://albertacondos.com/) offers Airdire condos for rent, lease and sale in Airdrie, Alberta. Art Gib is a freelance writer.