The soft summer breeze rustles through the tall stands of mature Aspen trees and prairie grasses in the lush valley on the northwest edge of the city. Here nature sits untouched, a picture perfect backdrop for the homes that grace the ridge above. Nearby, the voices of happy children ring out, as they ride their bikes in the cul-de-sacs connecting the homes. And anchoring it all is a beautiful 18-hole golf course. This is Valley Ridge, home to almost 6,000 residents. Most live in single-family homes (93 per cent) and the area is almost entirely owner-occupied, leading to a connected community with a vibrant and engaged feel.

Don Boykiw has come full circle.

The president of the Willow Ridge Community Association grew up in the southeast Calgary neighbourhood of Willow Park before moving away to carve his own path. As fate would have it, he returned to the community 13 years ago.

Longtime Acadia resident Diane Darragh has been nurturing a colourful perennial garden in the backyard of her home for more than 20 years, adding plants, carving new beds and enjoying sunny days spent under shady flowing branches of Willow trees.

"I really love this neighbourhood," she said, especially the mature trees and the sense of community. "It's just so connected here."

It could be said that until recently, this southeast community was flying under the radar. But Avenue Calgary put it on the charts in 2015, when the community ranked third overall on the magazine's list of Calgary's top neighbourhoods – it dropped one spot to fourth overall in the 2016 rankings. The area is peppered with 1960s bungalows, most of them original. Tall, mature trees line the quiet and scenic streets. And with an abundance of schools within its boundaries, including Lord Beaverbrook High School, plus a variety of pubs and restaurants, the area holds appeal for both families and singles alike.

Humming with an eclectic, urban vibe, Calgary's inner-city community of Connaught attracts a variety of residents, from millennials to empty nesters. The community brims with multi-family housing, tree-lined parks, community vegetable gardens, purpose-built dog playgrounds, and a variety of unique restaurant and retail offerings. As an added bonus, many of these businesses, such as Kalamata Grocery and Analog Coffee, are spearheaded by local entrepreneurs.

"There is just this huge appeal – there are the parks and the trees and you are also in the thick of it. It's a real community where there is something for everyone," said Connaught resident Patricia Insole.

Peppered with century-old birch and popular trees, the southwest neighbourhood of Britannia offers old-world charm and a magical aesthetic.

Anne Johnson and Jessica Klassen are two Tuxedo Park residents that can't say enough about the community's funky vibe and small-town community spirit.

"It's a really great place to live," said Johnson, who moved to the neighbourhood four years ago.

Klassen and her husband moved to the neighbourhood in 2004 as newlyweds, purchasing a charming, 1920s-era bungalow with an oversized backyard. They were drawn to the home by the location and the home's curb appeal, sense of history and great bones. They now have two boys who attend the local elementary school and ride bikes through the tree-lined streets with friends they have known since kindergarten.

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.