Community guide · Okotoks, Alberta
Living in Okotoks, Alberta: Small-Town Feel, Minutes from Calgary
Okotoks is a town of about 30,000 people on the Sheep River, roughly 38 km south of downtown Calgary. It pairs a historic downtown and kilometres of river pathways with newer family neighbourhoods, a lake community and quick access to Highway 2 and the foothills. Use the map below to explore every neighbourhood and see what's for sale in each one.
1904Incorporated as a town (a village since 1899)
30,405Residents (2021 census), up from 24,511 in 2011
$606,800Benchmark price, September 2026 (CREB)
35–40 minTo downtown Calgary
History & growth
From river crossing to one of Alberta's largest towns
The name comes from ohkotok, the Blackfoot word for rock, likely a nod to the Big Rock, a giant glacial erratic about 7 km west of town that travellers used to find the Sheep River crossing. In the 1870s and 1880s the crossing was a stop on the Macleod Trail between Fort Macleod and Fort Calgary. A sawmill, brickworks and the 1892 railway helped the community grow, and Okotoks became a village in 1899 and a town in 1904. Oil discovered to the west in 1913 made it a supply centre for decades. Today it's a fast-growing community of more than 30,000, and in 2007 it became home to the Drake Landing Solar Community.
Services & amenities
What the town offers
Schools: public schools through Foothills School Division, including Foothills Composite High School, and Catholic schools through Christ the Redeemer, including Holy Trinity Academy.
Health care: the Okotoks Health and Wellness Centre, with urgent care, plus family clinics in town; the nearest hospitals are in High River and at Calgary's South Health Campus.
Things to do: pathways along the Sheep River, Olde Towne shops and restaurants, the Okotoks Art Gallery, Okotoks Dawgs baseball and Okotoks Oilers hockey, recreation centres and arenas, the Big Rock just west of town, and Kananaskis Country about an hour away.
Getting around
Distances & drive times
| Calgary city limits | about 10–15 min |
| Downtown Calgary | about 38 km · 35–40 min |
| South Health Campus (Calgary) | about 20–25 min |
| Calgary International Airport | about 50 min |
| High River | about 20 min |
| Kananaskis Country | about 1 hr |
Approximate drive times in good conditions.
Market trend
Okotoks home prices
Benchmark price, all home types (CREB): December for 2023 to 2025 and September for 2026. Prices jumped 8.5% in 2024, eased about 2% in 2025, and in September 2026 were flat year over year (+0.1%). The September 2026 detached benchmark was $680,900. Ask me for today's numbers in any neighbourhood.
All neighbourhoods
Okotoks neighbourhoods at a glance
Northwest
Northeast
Downtown & river valley
Southwest
Cimarron (south)
Thinking about Okotoks?
Let's find your spot in Okotoks
Whether you're picturing lake life in Crystal Shores, a character home near Olde Towne or room for the family in Cimarron, I can help you compare Okotoks's neighbourhoods and find the right fit. Reach out any time. I'm happy to answer questions, no pressure.
1612 - 17 Avenue S.W.
Calgary, AB, T2T 0E3