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Amazon ranking shows no love for Cowtown

Calgary ranked a disappointing 13th on a list of the most romantic Canadian cities.

The rankings, which were published by popular online shopping site, Amazon.ca, listed Calgary as the lowest Albertan city on the list – behind Lethbridge (4th), Edmonton (9th) and Red Deer (11th). The list was based off of online sales data from the website which tallied romantic themed products such as romance and relationship novels, romantic comedy movies and CDs of artists such as Michael Bublé and Dean Martin.

While it’s no Paris, some Calgarians believe the city wasn’t given a fair shake, citing online sales data as an inadequate source to make the rankings.

 “The Amazon ranking could mean that the top cities are starved for real romance so citizens need to compensate with books and DVDs,” Mario Trono, Mount Royal English professor, said via email. “In that case, Calgary’s 13th place ranking is a badge of honour.”

Produced by: Max Shilleto and Anup Dhaliwal

Given the city’s frigid winters, some might assume romance would cool off as well. The -30 C weather makes it difficult for Calgarians to go for a picnic.

Conversely, cities like Victoria, B.C., who topped the list, are faced with more than double the average annual rainfall of Calgary, and receive significantly less sunlight.

Canada’s top 20 most romantic cities

  1. Victoria, B.C.
  2. Winnipeg, Man.
  3. Niagara Falls, Ont.
  4. Lethbridge, Alta.
  5. North Vancouver, B.C.
  6. Saskatoon, Sask.
  7. Kamloops, B.C.
  8. Langley, B.C.
  9. Edmonton, Alta.
  10. Regina, Sask.
  11. Red Deer, Alta.
  12. Thunder Bay, Ont.
  13. Calgary, Alta.
  14. Brantford, Ont.
  15. Sherbrooke, Que.
  16. Pickering, Ont.
  17. Kingston, Ont.
  18. Nanaimo, B.C.
  19. Waterloo, Ont.
  20. Cambridge, Ont.

Romance may be less about what you’re doing, and more about who you’re doing it with. It’s defined as “a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.”

Still there are those that find the oil and gas driven city lacks the attractions and activities that make a place romantic.

“I don’t think there’s things that are well-suited for romance in the city,” Gord Stewart said, while at a skating rink with his wife Donna. “You can make it romantic, but it doesn’t have [enough] things.”

Calgary may have a ways to go before it achieves “romantic” status, but not for a lack of trying. The city’s efforts to invest in the art scene may help those looking for places to take their significant other, but some would argue that romance needs to come from within.

“Calgary is not a romantic city — it’s a passionate one,” Trono said. “Passion is intense chemistry. It happens only when people who are first hungry for life become hungry for each other. That’s Calgary. It’s in its passionate phase. Romance comes later.”

mshilleto@cjournal.ca

How romantic do you think Calgary is?