Inglewood, Calgary: The Music Mile

I moved from Selkirk, Manitoba, to Calgary nearly 11 years ago to do my Ph.D. in English literature. I drove down with my parents, my meagre belongings packed into a truck, and we surveyed Calgary and its quaint neighbourhoods: Sunnyside, the Beltline, the East Village, Bowness, Hillhurst and, of course, Inglewood. For a small-town prairie boy, the neighbourhood was an anomaly to me, bustling with youthful energy and historic bona fides. It was rich with music, yet serene near its rivers. I fell in love with it quickly and vowed to live there one day.

Now I work as an associate professor at the University of Calgary, and I call Inglewood home. When I moved here six years ago, I rented a quaint green bungalow built in 1920. I lounged, wrote and read beneath an apple tree in the backyard—one of Inglewood’s last remaining fruit trees. When I needed to move my legs and refill the wells of my creativity, I walked along the picturesque and romantic paths of the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, which is home to over 270 species of migratory birds, or biked down to the juncture of the Elbow and Bow rivers for a swim in their cold, blue mountain waters. (In Cree, Calgary is known as otôskwanihk, or “at the elbow.”) 

Inglewood is Calgary’s oldest neighbourhood, established in 1875. Its streets are peppered with Edwardian and late-Victorian masonry, sandstone detailing and red brickwork that has stood the test of time amid Calgary’s urban sprawl. Today, this section of the city is alive with microbreweries, art galleries, long-standing local restaurants and an array of eclectic small businesses. It’s also the beginning (or end, depending which direction you go) of Calgary’s Music Mile, which includes more than 20 live concert venues.

Inglewood teems with creativity and history. Much of the neighbourhood has been protected, by the community and city, through heritage preservation and the restoration of original architecture. At the same time, there’s a new LRT line in the works and street expansions underway to accommodate the Calgary Stampede (which also makes more room for beloved street festivals like the Inglewood Night Market and the Inglewood Sunfest).

If I’m feeling parched from the dry heat of summer, I go to Cold Garden, a dog-friendly microbrewery known for its craft beer, local art and an AstroTurf patio with firepits in the winter. Eden Bistro, a blue-collar, family-run spot in the heart of Inglewood, is another favourite, offering a French-inspired menu by chef Dirk McCabe, who grew up on a ranch in Colorado. If I’m not at either of these places, you’ll often find me at Recordland, a legendary warehouse-style music store that dates back to 1978. With an inventory of a million-plus records, it’s a musicophile’s dream. I can easily spend an entire day digging through aisles packed with every genre on CD, vinyl and cassette. My favourite section is the wall of rare and vintage country records tucked neatly in the back; as a prairie boy, I grew up listening to the twang of female country artists.

I’d be lying if I said I often ventured beyond Inglewood during my normal daily routines—it’s far too rich with personality and community. I might encounter a running group heading down 9th Avenue, the yips of happy dogs playing in our dog parks, kayakers and paddleboarders floating down the man-made whitewater channel on the Bow River or an elderly couple walking hand-in-hand with ice cream from the Blue Store. In my six years here, I’ve barely scratched Inglewood’s surface. What I do know is how much happier I am for living here.