Silverhorn acreage development focuses on conservation and enhancement of nature

For 25 years, Mark Kwasnicki has not only been living in the Bearspaw area on the doorstep of Calgary's northern boundary, he has also been building large, custom homes for some who would become his neighbours.

He knows what people want when it comes to acreage homes – including the high-end construction specs, impressive designs, and all the bells and whistles – but he also knows what they want from the development itself.

High River and Okotoks are burgeoning film hubs

Even for those who don't watch CBC's family-drama series Heartland – now in its 11th season – the town of High River has become synonymous with the show.

"Heartland has become a part of the community," said Irene Kerr, the curator and director of High River's Museum of the Highwood. High River poses as the town of Hudson on Heartland. One of the show's most well-known locales, Maggie's Diner, is a building right along High River's Main Street.

"We noticed a shift around 2015, when people who were visiting High River stopped asking about the 2013 flood and wanted to see where they were filming Heartland," said Kerr.

Priddis provides picturesque, rural lifestyle in Calgary's shadow

Ed Osborne, the president of the Priddis Community Association and a former agricultural consultant, recalls when he relocated from the Calgary community of Woodbine to Priddis some 15 years ago.

"I grew up on and off my uncle's farm in Manitoba. I always wanted to live in the country," said Osborne, adding the allure of rural living is what drew him to the tiny hamlet about 10 kilometres west of Calgary's city limits.

Calgary region has rich history and bright future on film

You're watching a movie or TV show when something catches your eye.

"I know that place!" you exclaim, as a character enters a pizza place on a city street, or rides a horse through a wheat field with a majestic mountain backdrop.

Calgary and its surrounding areas are becoming increasingly popular as filming locations for major movie and television productions – making famous places that Calgarians know well.

"We have 100 years of history here," said Luke Azevedo, Calgary film commissioner and CEO of the Calgary Film Centre. "We're one of the oldest locations outside of Hollywood for production."

Finding the right home in a welcoming community

When Chris and Carly Dykstra sold their home in Victoria's Oak Bay neighbourhood last spring, they debated what their next step would be. They had lived on the West Coast for close to 10 years, raising their three girls who are six, 10 and 11. But when push came to shove, the Dykstra family decided to move back to Calgary, where Chris had started his career and the couple's two eldest girls had been born. They found their perfect home, one that would accommodate three children, three Golden Retrievers, a cat and a bunny – a 4,500-square-foot, open-concept, custom home in the family-friendly neighbourhood of Watermark in Bearspaw.

New developments in surrounding areas limited price growth in 2017

When it comes to Calgary's housing market, there's a lot of activity on the outskirts and in surrounding areas.

"We have a number of new communities and areas with many new developments offering competing products for the resale market," said CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie.

Chestermere's local government gets a facelift, with new mayor and councillors on the job

In October's municipal election, residents of the City of Chestermere elected both a new mayor and an entirely new city council. The fact that no incumbents were re-elected would have been notable, except that in Chestermere's case, no members of the previous council chose to run again.

As a result, the new council is planning a fresh start for the community after several tumultuous years that saw rampant complaints from residents over utility rates that increased by more than 50 per cent in five years and property taxes that some homeowners claimed had doubled over the course of a decade.

Jeff and Jessica Huynh found their forever home in Calgary's eastern neighbour

When it came to finding their forever home, sussing out a family friendly community that offered a healthy, outdoor lifestyle, and was close to family and amenities, was top of mind for Jeff and Jessica Huynh. The Huynhs had been living in Coventry Hills in Calgary's northwest. They enjoyed the neighbourhood, but with two young children, the couple wanted to be closer to family who live in Calgary's northeast areas of Pineridge, Coral Springs and Marlborough.

Chestermere maintains its charm amidst rapid growth and development

When Toni Lynne Cousineau and her husband, Larry, moved to Calgary in 1996, they weren't familiar with the city. Even though they initially lived in Applewood Park, on the city's eastern edge, they did not know about Chestermere. "We didn't even know it existed," said.

It was through her employment with a local builder that Cousineau first discovered Chestermere, when she ended up working in a show home there. It was a case of love at first sight.