calgary tower

Calgary is the largest city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, making Calgary the third-largest city and the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Canada. Calgary is at the confluence of the Bow River and the Elbow River in the southwestern portion of Alberta, in the transitional area between the Rocky Mountain Foothills and the Canadian Prairies. It is about 80 kilometres (50 miles) east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies, 280 km (170 mi) south of the provincial capital, Edmonton, 295 km (183 mi) northwest of Medicine Hat, and approximately 240 km (150 mi) north of the Canada–United States border. Greater Calgary is home to Canada's second-largest number of corporate head offices among the country's 800 largest corporations, and Downtown Calgary has more skyscrapers than any other municipality in Western Canada. In 2015, Calgary had the largest number of millionaires per capita of any major Canadian city. In 2022, Calgary was ranked alongside Zürich as the third most livable city in the world, ranking first in Canada and in North America. In 1988, it became the first Canadian city to host the Olympic Winter Games, at the Scotiabank Saddledome, Olympic Oval, McMahon Stadium, and other venues The University of Calgary is ranked #249 globally in the 2027 QS World University Rankings and #208 in the U.S. News Best Global Universities. 200th in World University Rankings 2026 by Times if Higher Education. The Calgary Tower is a 190.8-metre (626 ft) free-standing observation tower in the downtown core of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Originally called the Husky Tower, it was conceived as a joint venture between Marathon Realty Company Limited and Husky Oil as part of an urban renewal plan and to celebrate Canada's centennial of 1967. The tower was built at a cost of CA$3,500,000 and weighs approximately 10,884 tonnes, of which 60% is below ground. It opened to the public on June 30, 1968, as the tallest structure in Calgary and the tallest in Canada outside Toronto. It was renamed the "Calgary Tower" in 1971.