Live in Patterson
A 1983 escarpment community built on the site of the 1988 Winter Olympics' broadcast village, with the highest rental rate of Calgary's four western hillside communities.
Patterson was annexed to the city in 1956 and established as a neighbourhood in 1983, on a plateau the CFCN television tower once made famous as Broadcast Hill: 2.0 km², 4,145 residents in 1,905 dwellings at the 2021 census, with 29% renting — the highest rate on this stretch of the escarpment. The 1988 Winter Olympics housed its Broadcast Hill media village here, and those same apartment blocks were converted to condominiums afterward, which is most of why the rental and apartment numbers run so high today. Steep, view-oriented lots along the escarpment above Edworthy Park sit next to that condo stock, and the two markets barely resemble each other. This is what living here is actually like.
A 1983 escarpment community still shaped by its Olympic year
Bounded by Sarcee Trail to the north and east, Bow Trail and Old Banff Coach Road — the same route, renamed as it bends — to the south, and 69 Street SW to the west. Ward 6.
The land was annexed to the city in 1956, known locally at the time as Broadcast Hill for its CFCN television transmission tower. Patterson was established as a neighbourhood in 1983 — 2.0 km², 4,145 residents in 1,905 dwellings at the 2021 census.
The Olympic year. In 1988, the Broadcast Hill Media Village housed press for the XV Olympic Winter Games on this ground. Those apartment blocks were converted to condominiums afterward, and that conversion is most of why Patterson still carries the highest rental rate of the four hillside communities along this stretch of escarpment — 29% at the 2021 census.
The two markets. Steep, view-oriented lots run along the escarpment above Edworthy Park, close to the old CFCN tower site, with sweeping views over the Bow Valley and downtown. That stock sits next to the former Olympic condo blocks, and the two barely resemble each other — this is not a single, coherent housing market the way some of its neighbours are.
- The former Olympic Village condo blocks are now over 35 years old — check the reserve fund and any special assessments
- Steep escarpment driveways ice over first and clear last; confirm winter access for a specific address
- 29% rental means more turnover and more absentee-owner units than its neighbours
- No school sits inside Patterson; every family here does a designated-school commute
How Patterson got here
- 1956The land is annexed to the City of Calgary, known locally as Broadcast Hill for its CFCN transmission tower.
- 1983Patterson is established as a neighbourhood.
- 1988The Broadcast Hill Media Village houses press for the XV Olympic Winter Games; the apartments are later converted to condominiums.
- 2021Federal census records 4,145 residents in 1,905 dwellings, with rental at 29%.
A view, not a park — but a real one
Patterson has no named park of its own. What it has instead is the escarpment viewpoint above Edworthy Park — the former Broadcast Hill site, with sweeping views over the Bow Valley and downtown, and the park's trail network reachable below.
The resident's angle: the view is the actual amenity here, not a lawn or a playground — it is free, immediate, and the single most-repeated reason people give for buying on this ridge.
13 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 13 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. The 69 Street terminus and Westside Recreation Centre sit close enough to be genuinely convenient for most of the community.
Every gym within reach
Westside Recreation Centre near the 69 Street terminus is the real anchor, with WinSport a short drive north across the river.
- Wave pool, two ice rinks, a climbing wall and a full fitness centre
- Canada Olympic Park adds a ski hill, luge track and year-round training gym across the river
- Signal Hill and Westhills carry a cluster of commercial gyms nearby
- The escarpment viewpoint trail is the free option, straight off the community's own edge
| Facility | What it is | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Westside Recreation Centre open | Wave pool, two ice rinks, climbing wall and fitness centre near the 69 Street station. | 2–4 min |
| Canada Olympic Park (WinSport) open | Ski hill, luge track and a year-round training gym across the river. | 8–10 min |
| Escarpment viewpoint pathway open | Free option: the viewpoint trail along the community's own northern edge. | 1–2 min |
| Signal Hill & Westhills district clubs open | Commercial gyms around the two shopping centres. | 6–8 min |
The viewpoint trail does the daily work — the paid options here are for water, ice and weights.
No school inside the community — every family designates out
Patterson has no school of its own. CBE elementary designates to Olympic Heights School in neighbouring Strathcona Park, and Ambrose University and Rundle College sit close by for post-secondary and private options.
| School | Board | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Designated schools | Both boards | No school sits inside Patterson: CBE designates to Olympic Heights School for elementary (in neighbouring Strathcona Park), Bishop Pinkham or Vincent Massey for junior high, and Central Memorial or Western Canada for senior high; Calgary Catholic School District designates to John W. Costello Elementary, also in Strathcona Park. Confirm the current designation for a specific address. |
| Ambrose University | Post-secondary | Private Christian university near the 69 Street LRT terminus. |
| Rundle College | Private | K-12 private school near the community's western edge. |
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 no school inside the community, every household here does a designated-school commute of some length.
Month by month, what living here looks like
Not a highlights reel — the actual annual rhythm, including the dates residents have to remember.
- The CFCN tower's beacon is the brightest fixed point on the escarpment through the long nights
- Condo hallways in the old Broadcast Hill Media Village blocks run warm from shared heating
- Steep driveways off the escarpment ice over first and clear last
- The viewpoint trail above Edworthy Park is nearly empty on the coldest mornings
- A chinook off the escarpment can clear Patterson's steep driveways in an afternoon
- The escarpment viewpoint above Edworthy Park draws walkers even on the coldest clear days
- Condo turnover notices go up as February leases wind toward spring renewal
- Rundle College's mid-winter break quiets the Old Banff Coach Road school run
- Meltwater runs hard down the escarpment's steep lots toward Edworthy Park
- The former Olympic media village condos show their age in the spring maintenance assessments
- Cleats are still the right footwear on the escarpment viewpoint trail
- 69 Street's parkade empties as Ambrose University's winter term wraps
- Escarpment lots catch the first real sun of the year, weeks before the valley floor does
- Condo boards start their spring exterior inspections on the 1980s stock
- The viewpoint trail draws its first spring walkers once the ice clears
- Ambrose University's spring term brings a lighter load to the 69 Street lot
- The Bow Valley view from the escarpment fills in green almost overnight
- Sunset past 9pm turns the viewpoint trail into an evening ritual
- Rental turnover peaks as spring leases replace winter ones across the condo stock
- Signal Hill and Westhills book out patio seating on the first warm weekends
- School lets out and the escarpment viewpoint gets its first tourist traffic of the year
- Peak daylight at the solstice lights the Bow Valley view long into the evening
- Ambrose University's summer term brings a quieter 69 Street lot
- WinSport's summer luge track draws families north on Old Banff Coach Road
- The escarpment view over downtown is Patterson's best-known asset in the long light
- Evening thunderstorms build over the foothills, visible from the viewpoint before they arrive
- 69 Street's parkade empties out for the Stampede week as commuters take time off
- Condo balconies along the ridge catch the whole evening's western sun
- Kananaskis-bound traffic on the Trans-Canada is visible from the escarpment on clear evenings
- Ambrose University's residence move-in traffic builds late in the month
- Rental turnover picks up again ahead of the fall lease season
- Westside Recreation Centre's wave pool sees its last full month of the season
- Patterson's condo towers empty out as summer sublets end and September leases begin
- First frost typically settles on the exposed escarpment lots before it reaches the valley
- September lease turnover is Patterson's busiest month for moving trucks
- Ambrose's returning students and the morning commute both hit the 69 Street lot the same week
- Peak colour runs down the escarpment toward Edworthy Park
- Snow tires go on before the first real snowfall reaches the ridge
- The former Olympic village condos post their fall maintenance notices
- Rundle College's fall sports season moves indoors as the light shortens
- WinSport's floodlit runs join the CFCN tower's beacon as the two fixed lights on the horizon each evening
- The viewpoint trail closes early as the ice sets in for the season
- Dark evenings mean Patterson's steep driveways ice over well before the commute ends
- Condo lease turnover slows as the winter market goes quiet
- A chinook arch over the Bow Valley view turns Patterson's coldest snap into an afternoon thaw
- The CFCN tower's beacon is the first light visible on the drive home in the dark
- Westside Recreation Centre's rinks run public skating over the holiday break
- The escarpment viewpoint is quiet and worth having to yourself over the holidays
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. Nothing here is presented as a photograph of Patterson itself.