Live in Queens Park Village
A small residential pocket in the southeast corner of Highland Park, wedged against Queen's Park Cemetery in Calgary's inner-city northwest.
Queens Park Village is not really a standalone community in most records — the City of Calgary tracks it separately for census purposes (comm_code QPK) but Wikipedia and the Highland Park Community Association both describe it as Highland Park's own southeast corner, a small pocket of low-rise apartments and condominiums pressed up against the 55-hectare Queen's Park Cemetery. At 0.6 km² it is one of the smallest communities on this site, and at the last City civic census in 2019 it held 452 residents, almost all of them renters. This is what living here is actually like.
Highland Park's southeast corner, pressed against a cemetery
The southeast corner of Highland Park, bordered by Queen's Park Cemetery to the west and south and by Centre Street N to the east; Highland Park itself is bounded by McKnight Boulevard, Edmonton Trail, 32 Avenue N and 4 Street NW. The City does not publish a separate boundary map for this small sub-community, so this follows Wikipedia's own account of its location. Northwest quadrant, Ward 4.
Queens Park Village barely exists as its own place in most records. The City of Calgary tracks it separately for census purposes, but Wikipedia and the Highland Park Community Association both describe it as Highland Park's own southeast corner — a small pocket of low-rise apartments and condominiums pressed up against the 55-hectare Queen's Park Cemetery, which opened in 1940 and has shaped the community's boundary ever since.
At 0.6 km² it is one of the smallest communities on this site. Highland Park itself was established in 1946 on land annexed to the city in 1910, and is bounded by McKnight Boulevard, Edmonton Trail, 32 Avenue N and 4 Street NW — Ward 4, in the northwest quadrant.
Housing mix. This is not a single-family community. At the 2000 census, virtually all buildings were condominiums or apartments, and 100% of the housing was rented. Median household income was $53,040, with 20.3% low income — a very different profile from the detached housing that fills the rest of Highland Park.
Who lives here, and how many. The last City civic census, in 2019, recorded 452 residents in what had been 188 dwellings as of 2012 — up from 415 in 2012 and 400 in 2011. The City discontinued its annual civic census after 2019, so that is the most recent official population figure for the community.
- This is functionally a corner of Highland Park, not a fully independent community — expect it treated that way in most records and by most neighbours
- Buildings from this era can have original systems at or past design life; have any unit inspected specifically
- Living beside a 55-hectare cemetery is a genuine, quiet green space — but be honest with yourself about whether that bothers you
- Almost no retail inside the boundaries; Centre Street N and North Hill Centre carry the everyday shop
- This page could not verify a specific designated Catholic school for the community — confirm with the board before you buy
How Queens Park Village got here
- 1910The North Hill lands that will become Highland Park, including the future Queens Park Village, are annexed to the City of Calgary.
- 1940Queen's Park Cemetery opens on 55 hectares immediately south and west — the land that defines this small community's boundary to this day.
- 1946Highland Park is established as a community. Queens Park Village forms its small southeast corner, wedged against the cemetery.
- 2000Statistics Canada's long-form census records a median household income of $53,040, with 20.3% low income and virtually all housing rented — almost entirely condominiums and apartments, a very different profile from the single-family blocks around it.
- 2012City civic census counts 415 residents in 188 dwellings, up from 400 the year before.
- 2019The last year the City ran its annual civic census: 452 residents recorded, the most recent official population figure for the community.
- 2020sThe civic census is discontinued after 2019, so there is no newer official municipal population count; federal census data is tabulated at a scale that does not map cleanly onto a community this small.
A cemetery for a backyard, and Confederation Park and Nose Hill within reach
The community's own green space is unusual: Queen's Park Cemetery, 55 hectares of mature trees and quiet paths immediately south and west, and a genuine draw for walkers even though it is not a park in the ordinary sense. Confederation Park, with its pathways and golf course, is a short drive southwest, and Nose Hill Park — one of North America's largest urban parks — is north of the community.
The resident's angle: a cemetery next door is not for everyone, but the trade-off is real quiet, mature trees and low traffic on that side of the community — closer to a park than most people expect before they visit.
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. This is an inner-city, north-central address: downtown, SAIT and Confederation Park are close, while the northeast's big recreation centres and the ring road are a genuine drive away.
Every gym within reach
The nearest paid gyms are the small clubs near SAIT and North Hill Centre; the larger civic recreation centres are a real drive in either direction. Confirm hours before you count on any of them.
- Village Square Leisure Centre adds a wave pool, arena and a library branch, well into the northeast
- Genesis Centre is the northeast's largest hub, but genuinely far from this address
- North Hill fitness clubs near SAIT are the closest paid option, seven to eleven minutes south
- The free option is real: Highland Park's own streets, the cemetery's paths, and Nose Hill Park's trails
| Facility | What it is | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Vivo for Healthier Generations open | Large city-run recreation centre with pools, courts, fitness space and an indoor track, north via Centre Street. | 13–18 min |
| Village Square Leisure Centre open | Wave pool, arena, fitness space and a library branch, well into the northeast. | 16–22 min |
| Genesis Centre open | The northeast's anchor recreation facility: gymnasiums, fitness centre, indoor courts and programming. | 19–26 min |
| North Hill fitness clubs open | Private clubs near SAIT and North Hill Centre — the closest paid gyms to the community. | 7–11 min |
| Queens Park Village and cemetery pathways open | Free option: Highland Park's own streets and the quiet paths through Queen's Park Cemetery. | 1–3 min |
| Nose Hill Park open | Free option: extensive off-leash and walking trails across one of the city's largest natural parks. | 10–15 min |
The free option is a good one here. Queen's Park Cemetery and Nose Hill Park between them cover a lot of ground for walking and running, at no cost and a short drive or walk from the community.
Three designated CBE schools, and an unverified Catholic side
Buchanan Elementary, Georges P. Vanier Junior High and James Fowler High School are the designated public schools serving Highland Park, including Queens Park Village. This page could not confirm a specific designated Calgary Catholic elementary, junior high or senior high for a community this small.
| School | Board | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Buchanan Elementary School | Calgary Board of Education | Designated public elementary, on Centre Street N inside Highland Park. |
| Georges P. Vanier Junior High School | Calgary Board of Education | Designated public junior high, just east across Edmonton Trail. |
| James Fowler High School | Calgary Board of Education | Designated public senior high, at Highland Park's north end. |
| Calgary Catholic School District options | Calgary Catholic | This page could not verify a specific designated Catholic elementary, junior high or senior high for this small community — confirm the current designation for a specific address with the board before you buy. |
| SAIT and University of Calgary | Post-secondary | Nearest post-secondary options, a few kilometres south and southwest. |
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 designated schools for a specific address with both boards before you buy — this is a genuinely small community and designations for pockets like it are not always easy to find published in one place.
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 side of the city faster and stronger than the far east or south of Calgary
- Centre Street N's bus routes get priority plowing over the cemetery-side residential streets
- Queen's Park Cemetery's paths are quiet and often icy — good for a walk, not a run
- Vivo and Village Square carry the indoor recreation season
- Family Day long weekend brings Vivo and the Genesis Centre their busiest crowds of the month
- Coldest snaps still tend to break with a chinook arch visible over the mountains to the west
- Nose Hill Park's trails stay walkable most days thanks to wind scouring the ridge
- James Fowler and Buchanan both run mid-winter break the same week as the rest of the CBE
- Melt and refreeze on the older side streets around the cemetery
- Confederation Park's pathways reopen as the snowpack goes
- Spring break empties the local schools for a week
- First bare grass shows on the cemetery's south-facing slopes
- Last hard frosts — planting still waits for the May long weekend
- SAIT's winter semester wraps up, and Centre Street traffic eases with it
- Geese and other migratory birds return to Confederation Park's ponds
- Cemetery grounds crews begin spring cleanup
- Long evenings return — sunset past 9pm by month's end
- Community league and school sport seasons start at Buchanan and Vanier
- Nose Hill's wildflowers come into bloom
- Hail season begins across the city
- Peak daylight at the solstice — over 16 hours
- School year ends at Buchanan, Vanier and James Fowler
- Thunderstorm season is fully under way, tracking in from the west
- SAIT's campus quiets down between semesters
- Calgary Stampede, about ten minutes south — Centre Street sees parade-week traffic
- Confederation Park's shade is at a premium on the hottest afternoons
- Evening thunderstorms roll in off the foothills
- The cemetery's mature trees offer some of the best shaded walking nearby
- Warmest month, with North Hill Centre's parking lots at their busiest
- Quiet weeks before the school year returns
- Nose Hill Park's grasses turn gold
- Wildfire smoke can settle over the city on windless days
- School year restarts at Buchanan, Vanier and James Fowler
- First frost typically arrives late in the month
- SAIT traffic picks up again on Centre Street and Crowchild
- Aspens turn along the cemetery's edges and through Confederation Park
- First snow is normal, and normally melts within days on this side of the city
- Snow tires go on before Thanksgiving
- Shorter evenings noticeable by mid-month
- Cemetery grounds close earlier as daylight shortens
- Dark by 5pm
- Indoor recreation season restarts at Vivo and Village Square
- First real snow usually sticks by month's end
- Chinooks, when they come, arrive quickly on this side of the city
- Zoolights at the Calgary Zoo, a short drive southeast
- Holiday quiet settles over the Centre Street retail strip
- Shortest days of the year, with sunrise past 8:30am
- Cemetery paths are peaceful but best walked in daylight
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 southeast pages are deliberately excluded, because this community is in the inner-city northwest and those are not its surroundings. Nothing here is presented as a photograph of Queens Park Village itself.