It's not uncommon for those who make the move from the "big city" to the idyllic shores of Lake Chestermere to never look back.

Take, for example, Colleen and Mathew Jones.

One of Rocky View County's best-kept secrets, the picturesque hamlet of Langdon is starting to turn heads, as its wide-open spaces and country charm place it firmly in the spotlight.

New communities are sprouting up in all four corners of the quaint mountain town of Cochrane to meet rising demand for a range of housing types and lifestyles.

You've always headed west for summer vacation because it doesn't get better than lazy days spent on the water. But what if you could get all the perks of a lake vacation, including that laid-back cottage lifestyle, without leaving your neighbourhood?

The Calgary region's two newest lake communities – Harmony in Springbank and southeast Calgary's Mahogany – are both four-season, amenity-rich neighbourhoods built around water.

If you want to have a Calgary community that outpaces all others in population growth, with lots of children and young families, it helps to have a lake.

Crestmont View, the new extension to the established community of Crestmont on Calgary's western edge, offers beautiful views, lots of wide-open space and all the benefits of living in the city.

"This is an estate community and then some," said Cheryl Heilman, marketing director with Qualico Communities, the developer behind the project. "It's both the east and west Artist's View by today's standards – it's a really customizable and elite community."

When it comes to the names of Calgary communities, some honour early pioneers, others are named after the surrounding landscape and some simply sound like a nice place to live.

Pleasant Heights, Scenic Acres and Sunalta (a mash up of sunny and Alberta) sound like they could have come out of a real estate subdivision name generator. But how do developers actually come up with the names for new communities?

Like its namesake, Harmony exudes balance, peace and all things Zen. Tucked into Rocky View County, with the foothills as its backdrop, this artist's and sports-enthusiast's haven offers a fully integrated standalone community, a place where one can truly live, work, shop and play.