Banff, Alberta

Do you like the smell of clean mountain air? How about living in a small, relaxed town that has services and shopping usually found only in major cities? Would you enjoy having a backyard that has ice-capped mountains, emerald-green forests, and deep-blue lakes? Welcome to Banff, located 138 kilometers (85.8 miles) west of Calgary in the Rocky Mountains, it is one of Canada's most popular tourist destinations.

Located in Banff National Park, along the Trans-Canada Highway, this town is set in a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a wonderfully unique place. Banff National Park was the first of what is now a vast system of Canada's national parks. In 1885 the Town of Banff became the first self-governing community within a national park. Even today, it employs some original regulations regarding expansion and growth to ensure that it maintains the delicate balance between preservation of the wondrous park area and providing convenient services for its citizens.

While four million people visit Banff annually (royalty, celebrities, and politicians among them), only 7,135 make it their permanent home. Canada's most-visited national park is home to world-renowned spas, luxury hotels, fine-dining restaurants, and high-end stores as well as inexpensive motels, ski and hiking outfitters, and family restaurants.

Royalty or not, Banff is all about the outdoors. If the 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) of hiking trails aren't enough to satisfy you, perhaps heli-hiking will be more your pace. While you may want to avoid attracting bears during your visit to one of the many campgrounds, you can get up close and personal with these normally dangerous animals on the Grizzly Bear Discovery Tour. In the winter, everything from dogsledding excursions across snow-covered lakes to ice walks through canyons is available. Best of all, this little mountain town is a short drive from three world-famous ski resorts.

If you'd rather see the stunning surroundings of Banff National Park on your own, feel free to explore the ice fields, swim in the crystal blue lakes, and challenge yourself on the many tree-shaded trails over majestic mountains. Campgrounds are spread throughout the park, and hiking trips to the backcountry can last anywhere from one night to one month. If you're a spelunker, then the Castleguard Caves, the longest cave system in Canada, are not to be missed.

At the epicenter of this wonderful, natural beauty is the quaint Town of Banff, which reflects its surroundings with its picturesque streets. A place like no other, Banff is a jewel of a town.

See our 5 Jobs in Banff, Alberta