What I Wish I Knew BEFORE Moving to Airdrie, Alberta
- Brad Walker
- Mar 11, 2022
- 3 min read
Here are 5 things that are good to know BEFORE making your move to Airdrie. These are not necessarily make or break items, but may be helpful to keep in mind when purchasing property and living here.
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1. HAIL
Before my family and I moved to Airdrie, we were constantly hearing that it was the worst place to be for hail storms. It didn't help that we moved in 2015, right after a huge hail storm in 2014 that caused about $450m worth of damage. I believe a ton of stigma was raised about hail because of that year in particular, but since I've lived here, all of the major storms have happened in other parts of Alberta.
So, there's a good chance if you're coming to any part of southern Alberta, you're probably going to experience hail at some point. It certainly doesn't occur all the time, but having insurance coverage just in case is definitely a must in my opinion.
2. no city provided black bin
Here in Airdrie, we don't have any city provided black bins for garbage collection. This is something that typically surprises a lot of people when they move here, as many other cities and towns give you a bin that gets collected every week.
We do however have a green bin for organics (compost) and a blue bin for recycling. For garbage, all you do is put your bag on the street and they come pick it up. So, you may want to buy your own bin to keep your bags of trash in. Not a huge deal, but important to know as a ton of people move here and think their black bin is missing.
3. wind
Now if you live on the west side of the city, you are going to encounter quite a bit of wind fairly often. So when buying a home or looking at a place to rent, especially if you're in the first couple rows in from the west side of Airdrie, anticipate the wind so you can make whatever preparations for it. It's not uncommon for a few singles to be missing on houses after a windy day. If you aren't used to heavy winds, this may be an aspect to consider, but if you're moving from somewhere like Lethbridge or more southern Alberta, the wind won't phase you and will probably be a lot more tame.
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4. no local hospital
There is no hospital in Airdrie or in direct proximity to Airdrie. This comes as a shock to many people, as the size of Airdrie is approximately 75,000 people that go without a dedicated hospital in the area. You are about 25 - 30 minutes away from a hospital in Calgary, which to most people isn't a big deal and gives plenty of time to get there, although it can be more depending on rush hour or traffic.
We do have urgent care in Airdrie for emergencies or if you need care right away.
If you are in a situation that requires you to be close to a hospital or make frequent visits, then that's something to consider when choosing where to settle down.
5. RESIDENTIAL SPEED LIMIT
All of our residential roads here in Airdrie have a speed limit of 30km per hour. So any time you're on a road with houses on it (minus only a couple I can think of) they're all 30 kilometres, whether you're in a school zone or not.
This catches new residents of guard, who are used to 40km or 50km residential speed limits in other places in Alberta. At first it can seem excessively slow, but after
living here for a few years you begin to appreciate the slower speed, especially if you have kids playing out on the road. It's nice to have cars moving at a pace where they can slow down fast enough if they need to.
Now, I find when I'm driving in Calgary, I'm going 30km in a residential with a big line up behind me and going 50km seems super unsafe.
We do have marked school zones that are 30km per hour, but your speed shouldn't change too much in those areas as most schools tend to be in neighbourhoods anyway.
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- Brad Walker
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