Live in Cedarbrae
A 1973 community on Tsuut'ina Trail, with Southland Leisure Centre across its northern boundary.
Cedarbrae was established in 1973 on land annexed in 1956, its western edge running along Tsuut'ina Trail against the Tsuut'ina Nation: 2.0 km², 5,935 residents in 2,550 private households at the 2021 census, with 26% of households renting. 57% of the occupied stock was built between 1961 and 1980 and nothing since 2016. Southland Leisure Centre sits just north across Southland Drive, in Palliser rather than here, and Glenmore Park and the Weaselhead run the western valley.
Southland's neighbour, Glenmore's edge
Bounded by Southland Drive to the north, 24 Street SW to the east, Anderson Road to the south, and Tsuut'ina Trail (with the Tsuut'ina Nation beyond) to the west. Ward 11, in the City's South sector.
Cedarbrae was established in 1973 on land annexed in 1956: 2.0 km², 5,935 residents in 2,550 private households at the 2021 census, with 26% of households renting.
Southland Leisure Centre has sat across the community's northern boundary since 1983: a wave pool, red and blue water slides, a dive tank, two ice rinks, a climbing wall, a weight room and a steam room at 2000 Southland Dr. S.W. Wikipedia puts the address in Palliser, not Cedarbrae, which is a fair description of a building on the far side of Southland Drive. Glenmore Park and the Weaselhead run the western valley, with the Tsuut'ina Nation beyond Tsuut'ina Trail.
The stock is of one era: 57% of occupied dwellings were built between 1961 and 1980 and nothing at all since 2016. Just over half are single-detached and a quarter are semi-detached, which is four times the city's share. 19% of residents are 65 or over against 13% citywide, and median household income was $88,000 in 2020 against $98,000.
- 57% of the occupied stock dates from 1961 to 1980 and carries the era's full inspection list. Poly-B and aluminum wiring turn up
- Southland Leisure Centre traffic and parking spill onto the north edge on weekends
- Anderson Road carries real traffic on the southern boundary
- No CTrain inside the community: Southland station, 9.5 km south of City Hall in Southwood, is a drive rather than a walk
- Nothing here has been built since 2016, so a renovated house is the only new interior on offer
How Cedarbrae got here
- 1956The land is annexed by the City of Calgary.
- 1973Cedarbrae is established, bounded west by Tsuut'ina Trail.
- 1981Southland station opens on May 25 at 10158 Sacramento Drive SW, on the original South line, 9.5 km south of City Hall with 650 park and ride stalls.
- 1983Southland Leisure Centre opens at 2000 Southland Dr. S.W., across the community's northern boundary in Palliser: wave pool, water slides, a dive tank, two ice rinks, a climbing wall and a weight room.
- 2021The census counts 5,935 residents in 2,550 private households. 57% of the occupied stock dates from 1961 to 1980, and 19% of residents are 65 or over against 13% citywide.
The reservoir's natural area, down the valley
Glenmore Park and the Weaselhead Natural Area run the western valley below the reservoir, a few minutes' drive from the community. The preservation society that speaks for it calls it a natural area connecting people with nature, and notes it was once a military training ground.
What the map does not show: the society's own warning is to leave any old ordnance you come across alone. It publishes no hours and no trail lengths, so check on the ground rather than assuming an evening loop.
Elsewhere in Calgary, not Cedarbrae
11 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 1–11 of 11 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. Southland Leisure Centre compresses the recreation numbers; the mall and reservoir sit a short drive out.
Every gym within reach
Southland Leisure Centre across the northern boundary, the Weaselhead free, and commercial clubs at Glenmore Landing and Southcentre. Confirm hours before you count on anything.
- Wave pool, red and blue water slides and a dive tank
- Two ice rinks, named for Joe Kryczka and Ed Whalen, plus a climbing wall, weight room, hot tub and steam room
- The Weaselhead is the free option
- Glenmore Landing and Southcentre carry commercial clubs, though this guide confirmed none of them against a publisher
| Facility | What it is | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Southland Leisure Centre open | Wave pool, water slides, dive tank, two ice rinks, climbing wall, weight room, hot tub and steam room at 2000 Southland Dr. S.W. | 5–7 min |
| Glenmore Park & Weaselhead trails open | Free option: the reservoir and valley natural area west of the community. | 7–11 min |
| Glenmore Landing area clubs open | Commercial gyms in the Glenmore Landing plaza. This guide confirmed none of them against a publisher. | 5–8 min |
| Southcentre Mall district clubs open | Commercial gyms around the mall. This guide confirmed none of them against a publisher. | 6–9 min |
This community is built around one facility. Southland does the work most others split across three or four addresses, even though the building itself is technically in Palliser.
Two schools inside, and the ladder runs to Henry Wise Wood
The board calls its school here Cedarbrae School, not Cedarbrae Elementary, and says it serves Cedarbrae and the Tsuut'ina Nation. It runs the Bridges programme for students with significant emotional and behavioural difficulties. St. Cyril carries the Catholic elementary and junior high years inside the community. John Ware and Henry Wise Wood take the later years, the latter with the board's Gifted and Talented Education programme and the International Baccalaureate.
| School | Board | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Cedarbrae School | Calgary Board of Education | The CBE school inside the community, serving Cedarbrae and the Tsuut'ina Nation, with a standard programme and the Bridges programme for students with significant emotional and behavioural difficulties. Wikipedia calls it Cedarbrae Elementary; the board calls it Cedarbrae School. |
| St. Cyril Elementary & Junior High | Calgary Catholic | The Catholic elementary and junior high Wikipedia places inside the community. The district's site refuses automated clients, so nothing here was read from it. |
| John Ware School | Calgary Board of Education | CBE school nearby with humanities, maths and science alongside art, band, drama, film, foods, physical and outdoor education, and construction. Its site publishes no grade range and no attendance area. |
| Henry Wise Wood High School | Calgary Board of Education | CBE high school running the Gifted and Talented Education programme and the International Baccalaureate. It publishes no enrolment figure and no attendance area. |
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 designation for a specific address before you buy: none of the board pages read for this guide publishes an attendance area, and the Calgary Catholic School District's site refuses automated clients.
Month by month, what living here looks like
Not a highlights reel: the actual annual rhythm, including the dates residents have to remember.
- Southland's wave pool fogs the windows on the coldest mornings
- Tsuut'ina Trail's ring-road traffic thins out once the deep freeze sets in
- Glenmore Reservoir freezes solid enough for the odd skater by month end
- 1970s split-levels along the Braeside border show their age in the heating bill
- Southland's two ice rinks run public skating at full capacity
- A chinook can clear Tsuut'ina Trail's shoulder snowbanks in an afternoon
- Weaselhead's trails stay firm and walkable even through a cold snap
- Southland's lot gets plowed before the neighbourhood streets are
- Meltwater off Glenmore Reservoir's dam runs high through Weaselhead
- Southland's outdoor lot floods with runoff before the storm drains catch up
- Cleats are the right footwear on the Weaselhead switchbacks
- 1970s driveways along the Woodbine border heave with the freeze-thaw
- Glenmore Park's pathway network reopens along the reservoir's edge
- Weaselhead's cottonwoods bud out first, ahead of the community's own street trees
- Southland's wave pool switches to spring programming as the outdoor season nears
- Ring-road construction noise off Tsuut'ina Trail becomes noticeable again
- The 1970s ash and spruce canopy along Cedarbrae's crescents fills back in
- Sailboats reappear on Glenmore Reservoir on the first warm weekends
- Southland's outdoor deck opens for the season
- Field sports start up on the school greens shared with Braeside
- School lets out and Southland's wave pool hits its first summer crowds
- Paddlers and sailors fill Glenmore Reservoir most weekday evenings
- Weaselhead's trails see their heaviest cyclist traffic of the year
- Tsuut'ina Trail's ring-road ramps see steady weekend traffic west
- Southland's water slides run lineups most weekend afternoons
- Glenmore Reservoir's sailing club races most Wednesday evenings
- Weaselhead's valley floor stays several degrees cooler than the streets above
- Stampede traffic detours some commuters onto Tsuut'ina Trail
- Southland's outdoor programs wind down before the school-return rush
- Glenmore Reservoir's water level starts its late-summer drop
- Weaselhead's cottonwoods start shedding seed fluff along the trail
- Glenmore Landing's lot fills for back-to-school shopping
- Southland's fall program registration opens and fills within days
- Weaselhead's aspens turn first, visible from the reservoir's north shore
- Morning traffic on Tsuut'ina Trail thickens with the school run
- Glenmore Landing's grocery run gets busier once the evenings shorten
- Peak colour runs through Weaselhead down to the reservoir's edge
- Southland switches its outdoor deck over to storage for the season
- Glenmore Reservoir empties for the winter drawdown
- 1970s roofs along the Braeside border start showing frost each morning
- Southland's rinks open for the season before the first real snowfall
- Weaselhead's trail gets its first ice on the shaded switchbacks
- Tsuut'ina Trail's ring-road lighting comes on well before the evening commute
- Glenmore Landing's holiday displays go up over the parking court
- A chinook arch over the reservoir can turn a −20 morning into a +5 afternoon
- Southland's wave pool is the warmest place in the community on the coldest night
- Weaselhead stays open for walkers who bundle up over the holiday break
- Outdoor rinks in Cedarbrae's own parks open once the freeze holds
5 more photographs of the community and its surroundings
All freely licensed, via Wikimedia Commons. Filter by category.
Showing 1–5 of 5 photographs.
About these photographs. Openly licensed images geotagged in or near Cedarbrae, found on Wikimedia Commons and served from there with full attribution. Inline photos elsewhere on the page may still come from the site's shared Calgary library.