WaldenCalgary
8,190 people call this neighbourhood in Calgary home. Of Calgary’s 152 neighbourhoods, this is one.
Is Walden a good place to live?
Walden does the important things well, at a cost. Its strongest is health (A). The neighbourhood grades A− overall and ranks #91 of 473 in Alberta. That leaves it better than 79% of Canadian towns. Add schools to its strengths (A). What counts against it is cost of living (C). Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for safety and B for jobs & income.
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.
How Walden grades
Each subject compares Walden 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 →
What makes Walden stand out
The 3 things Walden does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Walden.
Walden earns an A for health
Age-standardised, 56% of the region’s adults put their health at very good or excellent, above Alberta’s towns (51%) and Canadian towns (52%) alike. A baby born in the region can expect 83.0 years, 85.0 for a girl and 80.9 for a boy (2022/2024). What sets Walden apart within its region is distance, and at 4.4 km to a hospital it is ordinary (3.7 km typical). Smoking is rarer than in the province: 7.9% of adults, against 11% for Alberta.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Walden | 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 · Data for health survey and life expectancy covers the Calgary Zone
In the top two fifths in Alberta: 6 of the 9 schools around Walden with results
10,704 students attend the 9 elementary schools, 3 secondary schools and 3 schools for every grade in or within 3 km of Walden. All Saints School is the biggest, at 1,845 students. Catholic schools make up 7 of 15, above the 18% in Alberta. Its elementary schools are big ones, 453 students on average, against 274 in Alberta.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cranston SchoolLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades K–4 | Elementary · Grades K–4 | 608 | English public |
| All Saints School CatholicLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 10–12 | Secondary · Grades 10–12 | 1,845 | English Catholic |
| St. Gianna School CatholicResults in the top fifth in AlbertaElementary · Grades K–6 | Elementary · Grades K–6 | 383 | English Catholic |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Walden | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
27% of households in Walden spend 30% or more of their income on shelter, against 18% in the typical Canadian town
Measured across the Calgary metro area: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom
83% of households own their home. The median home value was $428,000, above 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 | Walden | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 27% | 21% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 83% | 74% | 74% |
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.
Walden is on Canada’s flood inventory: 2 listed, led by Government of Alberta
Radon around Walden is ordinary for Canada: nearly a tenth of tested homes over the guideline (6.6% typical). Earthquake risk locally is ordinary: NRCan’s model puts building losses at $0.023 a year per $1,000 of value, close to the typical town’s $0.030. Nobody publishes earthquake risk for Walden alone, so this card uses the figure for the city of Calgary.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Walden | 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 · Radon tests: one figure for all of the Calgary Health Region
Commuters in Walden travel further than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns, 29 min on average
88% of commuters drove, about level with both Alberta’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Walden | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 29 min | 26 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 88% | 88% | 89% |
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.
Walden is drier than four in five Canadian towns: 445 mm of rain and snow a year
A normal July day peaks at 23.5°C, close to Alberta’s towns (23.5°C) and below Canadian towns (25.5°C). The most precipitation falls in June: 113 mm in a normal year. Between the last spring frost, 21 May, and the first in autumn, 18 September, lie 119 days. Snow peaks in March: 24 cm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Walden | 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))
Visible minorities make up more of Walden than of Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 49%
1.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity, below both Alberta’s towns (4.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
50.6% of Walden’s residents are women
Women numbered 4,150 and men 4,045 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Walden | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 72% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 5.7% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 8.9% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 67% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
What November brings in Walden: −8°C at night, 4°C by day
Then December: freezing by day, −12°C at night. Snow is normal by November, about 19 cm over the month. In November, the normal is 16 mm of rain and snow. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Okotoks forecast.
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
A 27,321-vote win for Stephanie Kusie made Calgary Midnapore safer in 2021 than nine in ten ridings
Walden has no council of its own: it is a neighbourhood of Calgary, run by the city council.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
More loans per person served than four in five Alberta’s town libraries: Calgary Library lends 12.7
The library figures on this page are Calgary’s: Calgary Library serves all 1,285,711 people of the city, Walden among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Walden earns a B− for safety
Source area for Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000: the Calgary service area
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). Its police area records 10.6 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year. The force’s area logs 31.9 thefts, break-ins and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Walden | 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
Walden borders Fish Creek Provincial Park
Parks and reserves take up 3.2% of the ground within 10 km, higher than both Alberta’s towns (0.4%) and Canadian towns (2.3%). For a national park, Banff National Park is 89 km away.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Walden | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 3.2% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Walden
Spruce Meadows and 13 more within 40 km
2 places to visit are mapped within 5 km of Walden; with them, the best known within 40 km.
MuseumGlenbow Museum19 km north · 149K visitors a year (2019)
AttractionCalgary Tower19 km north
ZooCalgary Zoo19 km north
MuseumTelus Spark Science Centre20 km north · 380K visitors a year
CathedralSt. Mary's Cathedral18 km northPhotos: 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
About Walden
Neighbourhood in Calgary
Census areas put together by TownRatings make up Walden, 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
- 8,190 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- City
- Calgary
- Census subdivision
- 4806016
Walden’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
Questions about Walden
Is Walden a young town or an old one?
Half its people are older than 33.6 (the middle of Canadian towns: 45.2); children under 15 make up 22%, people 65 and over 6%.
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).