To really know a community, you have to live in it

By Bruce Schollie
Article originally printed as a special Red Deer Advocate insert “The Best of Red Deer”

It’s difficult to really get to know a city until you have lived in it. Most people have a positive first impression of Red Deer But what is it like to actually live here? Even better! Here are a few of Red Deer’s less obvious characteristics that made Red Deer an amazing place for me to live for the past 20 years.

A first impression might be that we have beautiful public spaces like parks, spray parks, play grounds, trails, the river valley, green spaces, and great recreational use areas. When you live here you notice the pride and care that City crews take in maintaining and improving them all year round. Grass is mowed, snow is cleared, trail cracks are fixed promptly, flowers are planted, equipment is fixed, debris is removed quickly, and garbage is collected frequently. You won’t see dilapidated equipment and crumbling trails. You will see the opposite – proudly maintained and frequently improved public spaces.

The same pride shows in the City’s general maintenance of roads and other infrastructure. For example, roads are constantly repaired and upgraded, curbs and sidewalks are fixed quickly, and sink holes repaired. Our winter road crews work with the same pride and diligence with sanding and snow clearing. City employees are also very responsive and prompt in addressing concerns – sometimes with follow up service in the same day. We all take this for granted until we travel to another town or city and see the difference.

For a city our size, the choice and quality of schools is second to none. We have public schools, Catholic schools, French and Spanish immersion schools, and Francophone schools. Our schools have excellent programs ranging from fine arts to auto body, and chemistry to cosmetology. Students from Red Deer compete successfully on the world stage. Most importantly, our teachers are extremely dedicated, caring, and qualified to foster every child’s success. In their eyes every student matters!

Everyone thinks the City is a “nice” size but what does that mean? For me it means less time in the car commuting to work, taking kids to school, sports and activities, shopping, errands and appointments. Most things are a 10-15 minute drive, or in many cases a short bike ride or walk on our wonderful sidewalks and trails. In a large city, it isn’t uncommon to commute one hour each way to work – that’s about 40 hours per month for a 5 day work week! In Red Deer your time commuting will be about one-quarter of that. Less time travelling is more time to enjoy doing the things that matter to you and your family.

Part of why we spend less time commuting is that we have very well planned neighbourhoods that have amenities such as schools, recreation facilities, commercial areas, doctors, and restaurants are always nearby. The planning also puts a priority on green spaces like parks, play grounds, ponds, and trails. Particularly along the river valley, at Heritage Ranch, and Bower Ponds, you can escape into the wilderness for a walk, run, or bike ride. Or, you can enjoy the Red Deer River on a tube or just sit on a bench near the banks watching birds and other wildlife.

When you live here the other thing you’ll notice is that Red Deer is full of big- hearted, community minded, entrepreneurial, can-do people who are not afraid to work together for a common purpose. From the ones who lead our efforts to host major events right down to the faithful “Tuesday night volunteer,” our people are great!