Sunalta (1909 - )

With Calgary growing rapidly and land prices increasing, the CPR developed the Sunalta Suburb in 1909. Believed to be a derivation of ‘Sunny Alberta’, the new community west of 14th Street SW featured a grid pattern of 25-foot lots that were sold for $250. Early residents were carpenters, labourers and railroad workers. The 1909-1911 Sunalta homes are modest, one to one-and-a-half storey structures, whereas houses built during the 1912 boom are larger, 2-storey homes. A notable early Sunalta resident was Alexander Calhoun, Calgary’s first librarian. During the 1950s, the community was rezoned, allowing walk-up style apartments, and the Sunalta Community Hall became a hive of activity centred around dances, hockey, football and bingo nights. The advent of the C-Train and a fresh coat of red paint have made the hall a hub again of an inclusive and diverse community. Sunalta Suburb has become Sunalta, a desirable, inner-city Calgary neighborhood.

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