BownessCalgary
It is one of the 152 neighbourhoods that make up Calgary. 11,548 residents make their home in this neighbourhood in Calgary.
Is Bowness a good place to live?
People here tend to be in good health (A). Pupils here do better than most (A). The drawback is cost of living (D). Put together, the subjects come to a B overall, ranking #209 of 473 in Alberta. It comes out better than 60% of Canadian towns.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety less sure: this is the whole city's figure, because the city doesn't publish open neighbourhood crime rates. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
What makes Bowness stand out
The 3 things Bowness does most differently from other towns.
How Bowness grades
Each subject compares Bowness with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bowness.
Bowness earns an A for health
Source area for health survey and life expectancy: the Calgary Zone
The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Bowness’ is long: 5.2 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical. In the health survey, 56% of adults in the region rated their health very good or excellent, above Alberta’s towns (51%) and Canadian towns (52%) alike. Lives in the region last 83.0 years on average (2022/2024): 85.0 for women, 80.9 for men. At 7.9%, the share of adults who smoke sits under the 11% for Alberta.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Bowness | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 56% | 51% | 52% |
| Smokers | 7.9% | 12% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 83.0 | 81.2 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Rent takes more of local pay in Bowness than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 32% of household income
28% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, above Alberta’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike. The median home value was $400,000, near both Alberta’s towns ($400,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Bowness | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 32% | 20% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 28% | 21% | 18% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates. · Data for rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom covers the Calgary metro area
The schools around Bowness answer to 8 boards
Within 3 km of Bowness are 27 elementary schools, 9 secondary schools and 15 schools for every grade, teaching 22,974 students. 23 of 37 schools with results score above the middle in Alberta. The largest is Sir Winston Churchill High School, with 2,165 students. Of the 51, 2 teach in French (2% of schools in Alberta).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Springs SchoolLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades K–4 | Elementary · Grades K–4 | 594 | English public |
| Sir Winston Churchill High SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 10–12 | Secondary · Grades 10–12 | 2,165 | English public |
| École Terre des Jeunes FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades K–6 | Elementary · Grades K–6 | 385 | French public |
| Calgary French & International School IndependentResults in the top fifth in AlbertaAll grades · Grades K–12 | All grades · Grades K–12 | 794 | Independent |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Bowness | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 6 | 3 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Working-age people in Bowness have jobs less often than in 72% of Canadian towns
Driving is how 84% of commuters got to work at the census. Commutes averaged 28 min, higher than both Alberta’s towns (26 min) and Canadian towns (26 min).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Bowness | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 84% | 88% | 89% |
| Average trip | 28 min | 26 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.
Flood mapping exists for Bowness: 1 on record, latest by Government of Alberta
The radon tests numbers here cover the Calgary Health Region
About as many homes carry radon around Bowness as elsewhere, 8.1% over the guideline where the typical town has 6.6%. Seismic risk in Bowness sits near the middle: $0.023 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Bowness | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 8.1% | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.023 | $0.013 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Earthquake risk published for the city of Calgary, not by town
Bowness is drier than 82% of Canadian towns: 445 mm of rain and snow a year
Gardeners get 119 frost-free days, from 21 May to 18 September. Rain and snow peak in June, at 113 mm. A normal July day peaks at 23.5°C, near Alberta’s towns (23.5°C) and lower than Canadian towns (25.5°C). Most of the snow comes in March, about 24 cm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Bowness | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precipitation a year | 445 mm | 431 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 23.5°C | 23.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 193 | 193 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Calgary (Airport))
More of Bowness’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 8.1%
Children under 15 make up 14%, below Alberta’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (16%) alike. People 65 and over make up 17% of the town.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
51.2% of Bowness’ residents are women
5,645 men and 5,920 women lived here in 2021, against a share of women of 50.9% for Canada.
| Bowness | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 69% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 17% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 55% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
In Bowness, November normally means 4°C afternoons and −8°C nights
ECCC’s forecast for Calgary (Olympic Park) is on the Weather page, hour by hour. The month after, December, normally sees freezing afternoons and −12°C nights. Snowfall in a normal November: 19 cm. Expect about 16 mm of rain and snow over November.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −1°C | −12°C | 34 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −2°C | 108 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 9°C | 232 mm |
| Autumn | 11°C | −1°C | 71 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Calgary (Airport)); the forecast is on the Weather page
Bowness sends Corey Hogan (Liberal Party of Canada) to the Commons from Calgary Confederation
Local decisions for Bowness are made by Calgary’s council; neighbourhoods don’t have their own.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Calgary Public Library lends 12.7 items per person served, more than 82% of Alberta’s town libraries
Calgary Public Library serves the whole of Calgary, so the library figures on this page are the city’s: 1,285,711 people, Bowness among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Bowness earns a B− for safety
Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 67 over 2023–25, below Alberta’s towns (110) and close to Canadian towns (67). Where it is policed, 10.6 violent incidents per 1,000 residents are recorded each year. Property crime in the area its police cover: 31.9 per 1,000 people a year. For Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, the only official count covers all of the Calgary service area, Bowness included.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Bowness | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 67 | 110 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 79 | 109 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 31.9 | 45 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 10.6 | 14.2 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
6.3 km from Bowness to Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park
Within 5 km are 2 beaches; Bowmont Beach is the nearest. For a national park, Banff National Park is 67 km away. CPCAD lists 2 protected areas within 10 km. 0.9% of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%).
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Bowness | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.9% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Bowness has 1 historic place on the registers
Before 1961 is when 24% of the homes went up, above both Alberta’s towns (4.5%) and Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Bowness | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 24% | 4.5% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Canada's Sports Hall Of Fame and 13 more within 40 km
2 places to visit are mapped within 5 km of Bowness; with them, the best known within 40 km.
MuseumGlenbow Museum10 km southeast · 149K visitors a year (2019)
AttractionCalgary Tower10 km southeast
ZooCalgary Zoo12 km southeast
MuseumTelus Spark Science Centre12 km southeast · 380K visitors a year
CathedralSt. Mary's Cathedral11 km southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- Glenbow Museum: Darthrussel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Calgary Tower: Qyd, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Calgary Zoo: Qyd, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Telus Spark Science Centre: CharlesAPhillips63, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St. Mary's Cathedral: Dr Haggis at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Everything we know about Bowness
Bowness’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowness | 11,548 | — | B | D | B− | A |
| Silver Springs | 9,042 | 2.1 | A− | C− | B− | A |
| Cougar Ridge | 7,101 | 2.2 | A | B | B− | A |
| Varsity | 12,605 | 2.8 | B+ | D | B− | A+ |
| Montgomery | 4,456 | 2.8 | A− | D | B− | A+ |
| Coach Hill | 3,383 | 3.2 | A− | C− | B− | A+ |
| Dalhousie | 8,617 | 3.5 | B+ | D | B− | A+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Bowness
How old are the people of Bowness?
Its median age is 40.4, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2.
About Bowness
Neighbourhood in Calgary
Census areas put together by TownRatings make up Bowness, one part of Calgary; the city’s map or OpenStreetMap gives it its name.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 11,548 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- City
- Calgary
- Census subdivision
- 4806016
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).