Live in Applewood Park
A 1982 southeast community boxed in by Stoney Trail and 17 Avenue SE, with East Hills retail immediately across the ring road.
Applewood Park was established in 1982 on Calgary's eastern edge, immediately south of Abbeydale across the CN rail line. It is a small, dense community — 1.3 km² holding 6,830 residents in 2,295 dwellings at the 2021 census, half of them immigrants. Wikipedia's own neighbourhood table lists its quadrant as "SE/NE," which sounds like an error but genuinely reflects the ground: Stoney Trail's own address label switches from NE to SE right at the community's northeast corner. Every street inside the boundaries, though, carries an SE address, and that is the convention this page follows. This is what living here is actually like.
A dense, small community boxed in by a ring road and a rail line
Bordered north by the CN Rail line (shared with Abbeydale), east by Stoney Trail, south by 17 Avenue SE, and west by 68 Street SE. Ward 9. The City's own community map shows Stoney Trail labelled "Stoney Tr NE" at Applewood Park's northern tip and "Stoney Tr SE" along the rest of its eastern edge, because the city's quadrant line crosses the road right there — the source of the SE/NE listing. The Applewood Park Community Association and the Ward 9 councillor's office both place the community itself in the Southeast.
Applewood Park was established in 1982 immediately south of Abbeydale, separated from it only by the CN rail line. At 1.3 km² it is one of the smaller communities on this site, and one of the more densely built — 2,295 dwellings packed into that footprint by the 2021 census.
The quadrant question. Wikipedia's neighbourhood table and the City's own aggregate data list Applewood Park as "SE/NE," and that is not a typo: the City's own community map shows Stoney Trail's own address label switching from "NE" to "SE" right at the community's northeast corner, because the quadrant line crosses the road there. Every street inside the boundaries carries an SE address, and the community association and Ward 9 councillor's office both place the community itself in the Southeast — the convention this page follows.
Housing mix. The 1991–2000 decade alone accounts for 47% of the dwelling stock, and single-detached houses make up 56% of it, with apartments in low-rise buildings the next-largest share at 32%. 38% of households rent, well above the city average of 31%.
Who lives here. 50% of residents were immigrants at the 2021 count, median household income was $87,000, and average household size runs three people — larger than the Calgary average of 2.6. 27% of households spend 30% or more of income on shelter.
- Most homes date to the 1990s build-out — original roofs, furnaces and windows are approaching or past design life
- No K–3 elementary sits inside the community; confirm the designated school for a specific address before you buy
- Bounded by Stoney Trail and a CN rail line — go and listen at different times of day
- Almost no retail inside the boundaries; East Hills across Stoney Trail carries the everyday shop
- At 38% rental and 32% low-rise apartment stock, this is a more mixed community than it first looks
- Getting west to the mountains means crossing the entire city — budget close to two hours to Kananaskis
How Applewood Park got here
- 1982Applewood Park is established in Calgary's southeast, Ward 9, immediately south of Abbeydale across the CN rail line.
- 1990sThe bulk of the community is built in this decade — the 1991–2000 period alone accounts for 47% of today's dwelling stock, more than any other decade by a wide margin.
- 2000A civic count records median household income at $65,724, with 38.6% of residents immigrants and just 1.4% of buildings condominium or apartment.
- 2012City census counts 6,498 residents in 2,215 dwellings, a 1.5% increase on 2011's 6,404.
- 2021Federal census counts 6,830 residents in 2,295 dwellings, with 50% of residents immigrants and 38% renter households — both well above the city average.
- 2024G.W. Skene School shifts from a Grade 3–5 to a Grade 4–6 school for the community; current Grade 5 students move on to Dr. Gladys McKelvie Egbert School for Grade 7 the following year.
- 2025Construction begins on a 2.45 km multi-use pathway along 68 Street and on upgrades to Elliston Park and the CN Rail Playpark inside the community's own transportation utility corridor.
Elliston Park, a rebuilt play park, and East Hills across the ring road
There is no river valley here, so the open space is what the City has built and is now rebuilding: Elliston Park and its lake south of the community, home of the GlobalFest fireworks, and the CN Rail Playpark, a multi-generational space going in inside the transportation utility corridor along the community's own northern edge — a Parks Foundation Calgary and City partnership.
The resident's angle: Applewood Park's own green space is small — three playgrounds, an outdoor rink and a handful of courts — but Elliston Park and East Hills are both a few minutes away, and the 68 Street multi-use pathway under construction through 2026 will connect the community into the City's wider pathway network for the first time.
22 places, with real drive times
Road-adjusted distance and drive time from the centre of the community to each destination, nearest first. Filter by category.
Showing 1–12 of 22 places, nearest first.
Method: distances and drive times are estimated from the centre of the community to each destination using Calgary's road grid, and are rounded to honest ranges rather than presented as precise figures. East Hills and Elliston Park are unusually close; downtown, the airport and the mountains are all a genuine haul from this far southeast corner.
Every gym within reach
As with the rest of the far east side, this community is served by large civic facilities north of Memorial Drive rather than a dense cluster of private clubs, with the nearest paid gyms sitting in the East Hills retail district across Stoney Trail.
- Village Square Leisure Centre adds a wave pool, arena and library branch, north across Memorial Drive
- Genesis Centre is the quadrant's larger hub: gymnasiums, fitness centre, indoor courts and programming
- Bob Bahan Aquatic & Fitness Centre in Forest Lawn is the closest city-run pool, ten to fifteen minutes west
- East Hills has private clubs three to six minutes away, the closest paid option to the community
- The community's own rink, courts and the new CN Rail Playpark are the free option
| Facility | What it is | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Village Square Leisure Centre open | Wave pool, arena, fitness space, gymnasium and a library branch, north across Memorial Drive. | 12–17 min |
| Genesis Centre open | The northeast's anchor recreation facility: gymnasiums, fitness centre, indoor courts and community programming. | 15–21 min |
| Bob Bahan Aquatic & Fitness Centre open | City pool, weight room and group fitness classes in Forest Lawn. | 10–15 min |
| East Hills fitness clubs open | Private clubs in the East Hills retail district directly across Stoney Trail — the closest paid gyms to the community. | 3–6 min |
| Applewood Park community rink & courts open | Free option: the community's own outdoor rink, basketball and tennis courts, plus the CN Rail Playpark a few minutes further. | 1–3 min |
| Chestermere Recreation Centre open | Arena and recreation facilities in Chestermere. Outside Calgary, so confirm non-resident rates. | 18–24 min |
Check Chestermere carefully. Its recreation centre is a genuine option at eighteen to twenty-four minutes, but it is outside Calgary — non-resident rates and programme access differ, so confirm the terms before you plan around it.
One school inside the community, and a lot of confirming to do
G.W. Skene School serves grades 4 through 6 inside the community as of the 2024–25 year, with St. Peter School covering the Catholic K–9 side just west in Penbrooke Meadows. There is no K–3 elementary inside Applewood Park itself, and Grade 7 students move on to Dr. Gladys McKelvie Egbert School — a real consequence of how fast grade configurations have shifted here in the last two years.
| School | Board | Note |
|---|---|---|
| G.W. Skene School | Calgary Board of Education | Public school inside the community, grades 4–6 since the 2024–25 year. |
| St. Peter School | Calgary Catholic | Catholic K–9 school just west in Penbrooke Meadows, serving Applewood Park. |
| Dr. Gladys McKelvie Egbert School | Calgary Board of Education | Public junior high; Applewood Park's Grade 5 students move here for Grade 7 starting the 2025–26 year. |
| Forest Lawn High School | Calgary Board of Education | The community's designated public senior high, west on 17 Avenue SE. |
| Designated K–3 schools | Both boards | No K–3 elementary sits inside Applewood Park itself; confirm the current designation for a specific address with the board before you buy. |
| Calgary Catholic School District | Calgary Catholic | Alberta funds Catholic education the same way it funds public education, so there is no tuition for a resident student at either board. |
Alberta funds Catholic education the same way it funds public education, so there is no tuition for a resident student at either board. Confirm the current designation for a specific address with the board before you buy — G.W. Skene's own grade range changed as recently as 2024, and designations on the far east side keep shifting as enrolment moves around the quadrant.
Month by month, what living here looks like
Not a highlights reel — the actual annual rhythm, including the dates residents have to remember.
- Chinooks reach this far southeast corner late and weak, same as neighbouring Abbeydale
- Stoney Trail and 17 Avenue SE get priority plowing ahead of the community's own residential streets
- The community's outdoor rink at Applewood Park's own playgrounds carries the informal skating season
- MAX Purple keeps running on 17 Avenue SE through most winter weather
- A chinook can clear the rink and East Hills parking lots within an afternoon
- Genesis Centre and Village Square carry the indoor recreation season, both a drive north
- Coldest stretches usually break before month's end
- Longer light noticeable by the last week
- Melt and refreeze on side streets inside the community
- Elliston Park's pathways reopen for the season
- CN Rail Playpark construction, paused over winter, resumes as the ground firms up
- Prairie wind picks up as the snow goes
- The 68 Street multi-use pathway project resumes construction for its second season
- Migratory birds return to Elliston Park's lake
- Playing fields at Prairie Winds dry out, a drive north
- Last hard frosts — planting waits for the long weekend
- Community league and school sport seasons start at G.W. Skene and St. Peter
- Long evenings, sunset past 9pm by month's end
- Hail season begins — the east side of the city gets more than its share
- East Hills patios and parking lots fill on the first warm weekends
- Peak daylight at the solstice, over 16 hours
- School year ends at G.W. Skene and St. Peter
- Thunderstorm season fully under way
- MAX Purple ridership climbs with the longer evenings
- Calgary Stampede, about twenty minutes west
- Evening thunderstorms roll in from the west
- GlobalFest fireworks begin at Elliston Park in late July or August
- Hottest month, with little shade in the community's newer blocks
- GlobalFest fireworks continue at Elliston Park, visible from parts of the community
- Quietest weeks before school returns
- Harvest traffic builds on the rural roads east of Stoney Trail
- Back-to-school shopping picks up at East Hills
- School year restarts at G.W. Skene, now a Grade 4–6 school, and at St. Peter
- Grade 7 students who outgrew G.W. Skene head to Dr. Gladys McKelvie Egbert School
- First frost typically arrives late in the month
- Elliston Park's electrical and irrigation upgrades, begun this month in 2025, continue through the fall
- First snow is normal, and normally melts
- Snow tires go on
- 68 Street pathway construction winds down for the season ahead of the rail-line segment
- Shorter evenings noticeable by mid-month
- Dark by 5pm
- Indoor recreation season restarts at Genesis Centre and Village Square
- East Hills holiday retail season begins
- Construction on the community's active projects pauses for winter
- Zoolights at the Calgary Zoo, a genuine drive northwest
- Holiday quiet across the community
- Chinooks, when they come, arrive late and weak this far east
- MAX Purple and the local Route 87 bus keep running through most weather
36 photographs of the community and its surroundings
All freely licensed and served from this app — nothing loads from a third party. Filter by category.
Showing 1–12 of 36 photographs.
Honesty note. This page uses only the general Calgary, seasonal, Alberta-wildlife and day-trip photography from the site's shared library — the Fish Creek and Midnapore-specific images used on the southwest pages are deliberately excluded, because this community is on the far eastern edge and those are not its surroundings. Nothing here is presented as a photograph of Applewood Park itself.