Calgary (Western Republic)

Calgary is the capital city of the Western Republic, with a population of about 1,728,500, making it the second most populous city in the Western Republic, behind Los Angeles. It is located in the state of Alberta.

Besides being the nation's capital as well as a popular tourist destination, Calgary is also notable for the Calgary Stampede, the largest outdoor rodeo in the world hosted annually every July since 1912.

European Settlement
Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Calgary area was inhabited by Blackfoot Confederacy. This site became a post for the British Western Mounted Police (now the Western Police Department), and the town of Fort Brisebois (changed its name to Fort Calgary in 1876) was created in 1875 to protect the Western plains from whisky traders and to protect the fur trade. Fort Calgary became a town in 1884, and became "The City of Calgary" in 1894.

Calgary was chosen as the capital of the newly formed Western Republic on November 6, 1902.

Oil Boom
Oil was first discovered in Alberta in 1902, the year the Western Republic was founded, however it did not prove to be an important industry until 1947. The cities economy grew during the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973. The cities population boomed after that, going from about 403,000 in 1971 to 675,000 in 1989, and then grew to 1,020,000 in the same amount of time. Calgary became the largest city of the former Dominion of Alberta. Skyscrapers were built, and Calgary had truly become a major city.

Skyline
Calgary has a skyline of many skyscrapers.

As of 2018, the tallest tower in Calgary is Brookfield Place, with a height of 247m (810ft). The Bow Tower is right after Brookfield, with a height of 236m (774ft). coming in second. The Calgary Tower, Telus Sky, Bankers Hall, Eighth Avenue Place, Suncor Energy Centre, Husky Tower, and the Nexen building are some other iconic towers in Calgary.

Sports
Calgary loves sports. Calgarians have the most appreciation for the Calgary Flames, their ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League, and the Calgary Stampeders, their football team in the Western Football League. Calgarians also love local teams such as the Calgary Aces basketball team, the Calgary Cannons baseball team, and more.

Western National Stadium
The Western National Stadium is the home stadium for the Calgary Stampeders football team, as well as one of the main venues for the Western Republic National Football Team. The Western National Stadium was opened in December 2017, and its first sporting event hosted was a Calgary Stampeders playoff game against the Edmonton Eskimos. It is located in northwestern Calgary, adjacent to the site of. It's lower bowl has a capacity of about 60,000 people, and an upper bowl capacity of 50,000 people, making a total capacity of 110,000 people. The Western National Stadium can also expand to up to 120,000 people, for hosting major events such as Super Bowls for the WFL, Calgary Stampeders playoff games, WHL Outdoor Winter Classics, international soccer games, and the Olympics. It's capacity makes it the largest stadium in the Western Republic, and one of the largest in the world.

The Western National Stadium’s record capacity was 121,739, during the 2020 Western Super Bowl.

Foothills Stadium
Located relatively close to Western National Stadium, Foothills Stadium is the home of the Calgary Cannons baseball team of the Western Baseball League. It was built to replace the aging original Foothills Stadium, the original home of the Calgary Cannons. The Foothills Stadium was opened in March 2018, and its first sporting event hosted was a Calgary Cannons game against the Seattle Mariners. It has a capacity of 46,000 people, roughly the same capacity of McMahon Stadium.

Foothills Stadium is also a home venue of the Western Republic Baseball Team.

ATCO Field
Located on the site of Spruce Meadows, just south of the Calgary city limits, the ATCO Field is the home of the Cavalry FC of the Western Premier League. The ATCO Field was opened in April 2019, and its first sporting event hosted was the inaugural Cavalry FC game, against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The ATCO Field can host a wide variety of sports, including soccer, tennis and field hockey. The ATCO Fieldhouse has a capacity of 6,000 for smaller events, and can be expanded to 20,000 people for events such as Cavalry FC games, or international field hockey events.

WestAir Centre
In September 2017, a new hockey arena called the WestAir Centre opened on the site of West Village in downtown Calgary, and its first sporting event hosted was a Calgary Flames game against the Winnipeg Jets. The WestAir Centre would become the main indoor venue in the city of Calgary, as well as the largest hockey arena in the world, with a total capacity of 24,000. The WestAir Centre's size and modern design would make it known for being great for events, such as Mappervision Song Contest XXVII. The WestAir Centre is the home of the Calgary Flames hockey team, in the Western Hockey League, as well as one of the main venues for the Western Republic Ice Hockey Team.

Once it opened, the Mapperdonian Ice Hockey Federation called the WestAir Centre "the nicest ice hockey venue in the world". This is due to the arena's excellent ice surface, very modern architecture designed specifically for hockey, and the amazing atmosphere of the arena.

The WestAir Centre’s record capacity was 29,378, during game 7 of the 2017 Summit Series game between the Western Republic and the Russia, where the Western Republic won 4-3 in the second overtime. For that game, an additional 3,400 seats were temporarily added, and standing room allowed for another 2,000 spectators at the game. This was the all time highest attendance record for the Western Republic Ice Hockey Team.

Scotiabank Saddledome
The Scotiabank Saddledome is the home of the Calgary Aces of the Western Basketball Association, as well as the former home of the Calgary Flames, before they relocated to the WestAir Centre. The Saddledome was opened in October 1983, and its first sporting event hosted was a Calgary Flames game against the Edmonton Oilers. The Saddledome is located in downtown Calgary, on the site of Victoria Park in downtown Calgary, and is the main indoor venue for the annual Calgary Stampede, hosted every July. The Saddledome has a capacity of about 19,300 people for hockey and 20,240 people for basketball.

Victoria Park Arena
The Victoria Park Arena is the working name for a future confirmed indoor arena located on the site of Victoria Park in downtown Calgary, which is meant to replace the Scotiabank Saddledome. The new arena will host the Calgary Aces basketball team, as well as be one of the main venues for the Western Republic's hockey and basketball teams. Construction of the arena is set to begin in 2021, and the arena is set to be complete in 2024. The arena will have a capacity of around 19,000 people. The Saddledome will be demolished once the Victoria Park Arena is opened.

Business
Calgary is recognized as the leader of the oil and gas industry of the Western Republic, as well as an area of economic expansion. Companies such as BP Western Republic, Western Natural Resources Limited, Cenovus Energy, Encana, Imperial Oil, Suncor Energy, Shell Western Republic, Husky Energy, TransWestern, and Nexen are the large oil and gas producers that can call Calgary their home. Calgary is part of the Calgary-Edmonton corridor, one of the fastest growing regions in the Western Republic.

Calgary is also the home to the headquarters of the Western Broadcasting Corporation.

Transportation
Calgary is considered a leader in the transportation industry in the Western Republic.

Air Travel
Calgary has one major airport, Calgary International Airport, located in northeastern Calgary. Calgary International Airport is the third busiest airport in the Western Republic, right behind Seattle-Tacoma, and is the main hub for the flag carrier of the Western Republic, WestAir, and is a hub and a focus city for several other airlines.

Metro Calgary also has another small airport called, located west of the city. Springbank Airport is mainly used for private flights, pilot training flights, helicopter flights, and maintenance hangars for small aircraft such as the DHC-6 Twin Otter.

Calgary