By Josh Methot & Art Leslie, Art Leslie & Josh Methot Real Estate. Updated July 2026.
Inglewood is Calgary’s oldest neighbourhood, and it might also be its most alive. Music venues, breweries, galleries, and one of the best main streets in the city, all wrapped in a bend of the Bow River. Climb the hill across the tracks and you’re in Ramsay, a quieter, artsy pocket of character homes with some of the best skyline views in Calgary. We’ve sold homes on both sides of those tracks for years. Here’s the real-world breakdown of living and buying on the east side of the inner city.
Inglewood & Ramsay: The Main Street and the Hill
- Inglewood (The Main Street): Life here runs along 9th Avenue SE: an eclectic mix of independent shops, cafes, restaurants, and live music, with the river pathway system a block away in either direction. Housing is a genuine mix, from early-1900s character homes on tree-lined side streets to modern condos above the avenue.
- Ramsay (The Hill): South of the tracks, Ramsay climbs toward Scotsman’s Hill and its famous view over the Stampede grounds and downtown skyline. There’s almost no commercial here, a 7-Eleven and a handful of shops, and that’s part of the appeal: it’s a true residential pocket where century-old worker’s cottages sit beside striking new architectural homes.
A Local’s Saturday: The Eden and the Avenue
Our hidden gem is The Eden, a family-run bistro on 9th Avenue with French-inspired comfort food and a fantastic weekend brunch. They occasionally have live music, and it’s exactly the kind of place to linger over a glass of wine after a morning of showings. It still feels like a secret, which is a rare thing on a street this loved.
From there, work your way down the avenue. There’s something charming about 9th: record shops, vintage stores, galleries, and one-of-a-kind retailers you won’t find in a mall. Josh’s personal favourite is Knifewear, where he goes often for custom kitchen pieces and world-class Japanese knives. Between the shops, Cold Garden pours in Inglewood and The Dandy in Ramsay, anchoring one of the best brewery scenes in the city. And when you want quiet, Pearce Estate Park and the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary are minutes east. Inglewood is nearly surrounded by water, and a riverside walk is the default here, not the exception.
A Coffee Destination, Not a Coffee Stop
At the west end of 9th Avenue sits T2722 Luxury Barista Experience, and it’s unlike anywhere else in Calgary. There’s no menu. Over about an hour, the baristas guide you through a white-glove tasting of specialty coffees and teas, paired with pastries from a Michelin-starred pastry chef, each pairing built around texture and aroma. We’ve done it, and it was the most thoughtful, knowledgeable, and creative coffee tasting we’ve ever had. It’s not where you go for a quick cup. It’s where you go when you have an hour and you’re serious about coffee. In a city full of good cafes, this is a destination.
One Friday a Month: The Night Market
From May to September, the Inglewood Night Market takes over one Friday evening a month, 5 to 10 pm. Sixty-plus local vendors, food trucks, live music, and a beer garden, free to attend and dog-friendly. It’s the community’s personality condensed into one evening, and it’s a great low-stakes way to test-drive the neighbourhood before you buy here.
The Inglewood Most People Miss
Two pockets here fly under the radar, and they’re where some of the best value in the inner city hides.
East of Blackfoot. The east side of Inglewood, past Blackfoot Trail and closer to the bird sanctuary, is the lesser-known half of the community. Some people don’t realize it’s Inglewood at all. Yes, it’s closer to the CP rail yard, but it has its own charm: much quieter, tucked away, and it feels a little like its own island.
The riverfront townhomes. The townhomes in Inglewood Grove, and the complexes built along the river, offer incredible value. You’re essentially right on the water, the complexes are extremely well maintained, and these homes stayed dry through the flood years. It’s a lock-and-leave riverfront lifestyle without the outrageous prices you’d pay in other corners of the southwest and southeast. When clients tell us riverfront is out of reach, this is where we take them.
Ramsay: The Community That Finally Got Noticed
We’ll be honest: for years we never quite understood why Ramsay wasn’t more sought after. It carries an old reputation of being close to the industrial lands, but the city and the community have done real work here: the Lilydale chicken plant is gone, several cut-through streets have been closed, and the result is a calmer, more contained neighbourhood pocket than the reputation suggests.
The market has caught on. Land prices this close to downtown became too attractive to ignore, and the last five or six years have brought a steady wave of new construction. The streets up on the hill have always been the sought-after ones, and Ramsay’s bohemian streak made it the place to build a gorgeous architectural home without the land prices of Crescent Heights, Rosedale, or Bridgeland. That gap has narrowed, but it hasn’t closed. If you’re thinking about building here, start with our Builders & Land page.
Buying an Antique Here: Eyes Open
Many of the old houses in Ramsay and Inglewood truly are antiques, and we’ve been fortunate to sell many of them over the years. People fall in love with the exposed brick, the attic living spaces, and the historic feel, and they sometimes forget what comes with it. In our experience it almost always comes down to three things: plumbing, electrical, or the roof.
None of this makes these homes unworkable or unlivable. It means there are meaningful trade-offs: you either budget to update the systems or live with less-than-ideal ones. Everything we wrote about heritage homes in our Bridgeland & Renfrew guide applies here: the right inspector, a protective strategy, and honest advice about which projects are worth taking on. One extra note for this pocket: parts of these communities sit near the river, so flood mapping and insurance questions are a standard part of our due diligence here.
The Trade-Offs Nobody Mentions
We sell here because we love it, but we’ll tell you the honest version:
- Trains and industry: Ramsay and parts of Inglewood live beside working rail lines. Some blocks hear it, some don’t. We know which are which.
- Event energy: Ramsay borders the Stampede grounds. Ten days a year, that’s either the best part of living here or the reason you book a lake weekend.
- Stock and selection: These are small communities with limited turnover. When the right home comes up, you need to be ready. That’s where we earn our keep.
Frequently Asked Questions About Inglewood & Ramsay
Is Inglewood really Calgary’s oldest neighbourhood?
Yes. Inglewood is where Calgary began, predating the city’s incorporation, and you can still feel it in the housing stock and the main street. For buyers, that history means character you can’t build new, and due diligence that matters more than in a 2015 infill.
What’s the difference between living in Inglewood and Ramsay?
Inglewood gives you the main street: walk-everywhere access to shops, restaurants, and the river pathways. Ramsay is quieter and almost entirely residential, with a creative streak, hillside streets, and the skyline views from Scotsman’s Hill. Prices vary widely in both based on the home’s age and condition.
Is there an affordable way into Inglewood?
Yes, two of them. The east side of Inglewood, past Blackfoot Trail near the bird sanctuary, is quieter and less known, and prices reflect it. And the riverfront townhomes, like Inglewood Grove, put you essentially on the river in a well-maintained, lock-and-leave complex for far less than riverfront costs elsewhere in the city. We’re happy to show you both.
What should I watch for when buying an older home here?
Plumbing, electrical, and the roof. In our experience with these century homes, it almost always comes down to one of those three. Add flood-zone awareness given the river, and the classic checks: foundations and basements. None of these are reasons to walk away. They’re reasons to buy with someone who has seen behind these walls before.
Are the trains a real issue?
On some streets, yes, and on others you’ll never notice. Rail noise is highly block-specific in Ramsay and east Inglewood, especially near the CP yard. We tell every buyer to visit at different times of day, and we’ll be straight with you about any address you’re considering.
Why is Ramsay suddenly seeing so much new construction?
Land prices. Ramsay sits minutes from downtown, and for years its lots were priced well below comparable hill communities like Crescent Heights or Rosedale. Builders and buyers noticed, and the last five or six years have brought a steady wave of new architectural homes, especially near the hill. The community cleanup, including the removal of the old Lilydale plant and the closure of cut-through streets, has only helped.
What are homes selling for in Inglewood and Ramsay right now?
The range is wide, from original cottages to fully rebuilt character homes and new infills, so averages mislead more than they help here. Text us about any listing and we’ll give you a straight read on its value, or browse current Inglewood and Ramsay listings.
About Art & Josh
Art Leslie and Josh Methot lead one of Calgary’s top inner-city real estate teams, ranked in the top 2% of eXp Realty worldwide. We help around 75 families buy and sell every year, and more than 75% of our business comes from repeat clients and referrals. Meet the team.
Curious about Inglewood or Ramsay? Call us at 403-288-9449, or text Josh at or Art at 403-404-3730. We’re always happy to talk shop.