Ottawa, Ontario
Population: 1.2 million
A 2001 amalgamation of “old” Ottawa with 11 regional municipalities, as well as the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton, expanded Canada’s capital to its current size of 2,790 sq. km., an area that would encompass the combined cities of Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. The amalgamated Ottawa is home to around 360 distinct neighbourhoods.
Edmonton, Alberta
Population: 1.5 million
Calgary may be larger geographically than its northern neighbour by approximately 141 sq. km., but Edmonton has more neighbourhoods at 242 to Calgary’s 206.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Population: 1.5 million
Despite having a population that is comparable to Calgary’s, Philadelphia, Penn., is organized much differently, with just 46 distinct neighbourhoods, as per 2019 reporting by the city.
San Diego, California
Population: 1.4 million
The city of San Diego is divided up into 52 “community planning areas” with various neighbourhoods within those areas that are not statistically definable.
Dallas, Texas
Population: 1.3 million
The City of Dallas does not have official neighbourhood designations, however, it has mapped around 371 distinct neighbourhoods by defining boundaries for homeowner associations, as well as historical and modern neighbourhoods. That said, City officials acknowledge the actual number of neighbourhoods in Dallas is likely higher.
Auckland, New Zealand
Population: 1.6 million
New Zealand’s biggest city is divided into “suburbs,” with a count of 212 that is comparable to Calgary’s 206 communities. With a similar population of 1.6 million to Calgary’s 1.5 million, Auckland could arguably be Calgary’s twin city of the Southern Hemisphere.
Adelaide, Australia
Population: 1.4 million
Like Auckland, Greater Metropolitan Adelaide (an entity that includes the city of Adelaide) also defines its communities as “suburbs,” with a count of more than 400 suburbs that is well above its Kiwi counterpart.
Helsinki, Finland
Population: 1.5 million
The urban agglomeration of this Scandinavian city and its adjacent suburban areas (including the cities of Espoo and Vantaa) has a population similar to Calgary’s. The city of Helsinki is divided into 34 “basic districts” (with populations ranging from 4,000 to 44,000). The city is further divided into 148 “sub-districts” of 300 to 15,000 inhabitants.