Inglewood
Calgary's Original Main Street, Still the Best

Inglewood was Calgary's first neighbourhood — 9th Avenue SE was the city's original main street — and it somehow managed to stay interesting through all the decades that followed. Located at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers, just east of downtown across the Elbow River bridge, it was named Canada's Greatest Neighbourhood by the Canadian Institute of Planners in 2014. The main commercial strip on 9th Avenue runs for several blocks and contains over 75 boutique shops and 45 restaurants — an improbable density of independent businesses that makes it feel more like a curated small city than a Calgary neighbourhood. The area used to be called Brewery Flats, and the brewing tradition has returned: Cold Garden Beverage Company leads a cluster of breweries that have set up in the historic industrial buildings.

Walking 9th Avenue feels different from walking any other commercial strip in Calgary. You'll pass Rosso Coffee Roasters (the original location), Canela Vegan Bakery, Change is Good (a thrift store with genuinely good finds), Silk Road Spice Merchants, The Nash (fine-ish dining in a converted 1900s hotel), Cold Garden (massive patio, dog-friendly, very communal), Rain Dog Bar (specialty beer bar hidden in plain sight), and the Esker Foundation contemporary art gallery — all within a few blocks. If Kensington is pleasant and walkable, Inglewood is its more interesting, harder-edged cousin who actually has something going on Friday night. The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and Pearce Estate Park provide genuine wildlife habitat and riverside trails along the Elbow River just south of the residential area.

The rental market here is tighter than people expect. The neighbourhood is popular, housing stock is limited (only 36% of dwellings are rentals), and most of what comes available is older: heritage homes converted to suites, older low-rise apartments, and a small number of newer purpose-built units. Expect to compete for anything good, especially in spring. Bus routes 1, 101, 302, and 307 run along 9th Avenue, giving good downtown access without needing a car.