Calgary's four quadrants, explained.

The NW holds the University of Calgary, SAIT, Foothills Medical Centre and the Alberta Children's Hospital, and the Red Line LRT runs from downtown out to Tuscany. Nose Hill Park, one of the largest urban parks in Canada, sits in the middle of the quadrant; Bowness Park and the Bow River pathways run along its south edge. Established communities include Brentwood, Varsity, Dalhousie, Edgemont, Hamptons, Bowness, Montgomery and the inner-city districts of Kensington/Hillhurst and West Hillhurst. Newer communities on the north edge include Evanston, Sage Hill, Nolan Hill, Kincora and Carrington; Tuscany and Arbour Lake (built around a residents' lake) sit to the west. Market Mall and Crowfoot are the main shopping centres.

The NE is home to Calgary International Airport and the Blue Line LRT, which runs from downtown to Saddletowne. Peter Lougheed Centre is the quadrant's hospital. The Genesis Centre in Martindale is one of the city's largest recreation facilities, and Prairie Winds Park is a major regional park. Communities range from the inner-city districts of Bridgeland, Renfrew and Mayland Heights, through 1970s, 1990s communities such as Marlborough, Whitehorn, Temple, Falconridge and Coral Springs (a lake community), to the fast-growing northern communities of Saddle Ridge, Skyview Ranch, Redstone, Cornerstone, Cityscape and Savanna, where much of the city's newest townhome and condo construction is concentrated. Sunridge Mall and Marlborough Mall are the main shopping centres.

The SW contains the downtown core and the Beltline, 17 Avenue, Mount Royal University and Rockyview General Hospital. Glenmore Reservoir, the Weaselhead natural area and Heritage Park sit at its centre, and the western half of Fish Creek Provincial Park lies along its southern edge. The Red Line LRT runs south to Somerset. Bridlewood. Inner-city communities include Mount Royal, Elbow Park, Britannia, Bel-Aire, Altadore, Marda Loop and Killarney; the west side includes Signal Hill, Aspen Woods, Springbank Hill, West Springs and Discovery Ridge; Lakeview, Oakridge, Woodbine, Evergreen, Bridlewood and Silverado run south toward Fish Creek. The completed southwest section of Stoney Trail connects the west side to the rest of the ring road. Westhills and Chinook Centre (on the SW/SE boundary at Macleod Trail) are the main shopping centres.

The SE holds the South Health Campus in Seton, the eastern half of Fish Creek Provincial Park including Sikome Lake, and a long stretch of the Bow River with Inglewood, Calgary's oldest neighbourhood, and Ramsay near downtown. Chinook Centre and Southcentre Mall are along Macleod Trail; Deerfoot Trail is the quadrant's freeway, with Stoney Trail closing the ring on the east. Lake Bonavista, opened in the 1960s, was the city's first lake community; Mahogany, Auburn Bay and McKenzie Lake continue that pattern. Other communities include Cranston, McKenzie Towne, Copperfield, New Brighton, Seton, Legacy, Walden, Quarry Park, Douglasdale and Riverbend. The Green Line LRT, planned to serve the SE, is under development; check the City of Calgary for current status and route.

The practical questions are usually commute, transit, schools and the kind of home. Buyers who need the university, Foothills hospital or the west-side offices tend toward the NW and SW; those working near the airport or in the northeast industrial areas toward the NE; those at South Health Campus or Quarry Park toward the SE. Lake communities exist in three quadrants (Arbour Lake NW, Coral Springs NE, and several in the SE). Current listings for any quadrant, with prices and photos, update live on the MLS® search below.