It's early morning and the sun has just crested the horizon, casting a trail of sparkling rays across the still water. The shimmering lake ripples as a brook trout breaks the surface momentarily, before plunging back down into the depths. High in the sky, a bald eagle soars, gliding gracefully, while 100-foot-tall fir trees sway in the soft summer breeze. In the distance, a kayak quietly slices through the water like a hot knife through butter.

It's a typical day at Lake Sundance.

"I love it here," said longtime Sundance resident Anne Radic. "I wouldn't live anywhere else."

She's lived in the community for almost 40 years and watched it evolve from raw land into a mature and established neighbourhood with stately homes, excellent schools and mature trees that create a pretty canopy along the quiet streets. "We moved here in 1986 and basically bought a plot of earth," she said, laughing.

It's early afternoon on a chilly Saturday in January, and in Calgary's southeast community of Sundance, groups of teenagers gather to play a friendly game of shinny on the frozen, manmade lake that serves as a hub for the community. There is camaraderie here – an old-fashioned feeling of belonging. A fire pit takes centre stage at the upper skating rink, and an oversized sculpture of Santa Claus and his sleigh – remnants from holiday festivities – graces the promenade level of the park.

It's widely known that lakes in and around Calgary provide both recreational opportunities and some highly desirable residential and vacation real estate.

However, here are five things you might not know about Calgary-and-area lakes:

For a 19-year-old just starting his career, Dana Murzyn's decision to buy his first house in the picture-perfect town of Farmington, Connecticut, 10 miles west of Hartford, seemed like nothing more than a logical step.

For many Calgarians, the idea of living beside a lake is extremely appealing. Thankfully, Calgary is home to several lake communities, and each has its own unique character and mix of amenities.

For those thinking about buying their own lakefront oasis, here's a look at each of Calgary's established lake communities to help you find the one that's right for you:

Snapshots of Calgary's lake communities

Life at the water's edge may not be the defining Calgary experience. But for thousands of Calgary homeowners, life by the lakeside was a key reason they chose to buy in one of the city's many man-made lake communities. Here's a look at each of the Calgary neighbourhoods with a blue jewel of H2O at its heart, making them among the most desirable communities in
the city.

Mix of young and old call Calgary's established lake communities home

When D'Arcy Duquette and his family moved to Calgary from Montreal, a lake in their new community was a must-have for his son and daughter.

"I moved them from a home where we had a big in-ground pool in the backyard and were surrounded by lakes," said the 60-year-old transportation industry retiree. "They were spoiled."

After moving into McKenzie Lake, with its 17.5-hectare man-made lake, Duquette's children happily spent summers "in their bathing suits."

McKenzie Lake is one of the older lake communities in Calgary, established in the late 1980s. Like the other more mature lake communities in Calgary, including Lake Bonavista (the first man-made lake in Canada, completed in 1968), Midnapore, Chaparral, Sundance, McKenzie Lake, Arbour Lake and Coral Springs, the majority of homes in McKenzie Lake are single-family and the resale market is the only option for prospective buyers.

Lake communities merge city and cottage life for an experience you can't get anywhere else in Calgary

Greg Macdonald is a self-described "fishing fool."

"I'm either fishing, or thinking about fishing," he said, laughing.

This love of fishing is one of the reasons Macdonald and his wife are buying back in to the community of McKenzie Lake.

"We first bought a house in McKenzie Lake in 1999," said Macdonald.

"We sold it a couple of years ago when the market started to turn, but we just bought back in the area, because we loved lake living so much."

Granary Road will offer more than the traditional farmers-market experience

A new farmers market set to open just south of Calgary city limits is reimagining the traditional market as a family entertainment venue.

Granary Road will have a variety of shops in its public market, but also an active learning park that is a mash-up of a children's playground and an interpretive centre.

"Parents are always looking for something to do with their children and while we have some amazing attractions in Calgary, there aren't enough," said Jane Walter-Lockwood, director of business development for Granary Road.