CALGARY- Housing markets in a handful of neighbourhoods in Canada’s major cities have dodged the recession and experienced robust price increases over the past year but none in Calgary made Century 21 Canada’s Hottest 21 Neighbourhoods survey released Thursday. However, two Calgary neighbourhoods were among 17 in which average prices increased over the past month (March 2009 to April 2009), but declined over the past year (April 2008 to April 2009).

The area with the postal code T2A saw average prices of $263,598 in April, an increase of 12.55 per cent from $230,519 in March, but a decline of 10.41 per cent from $294,218 in April 2008. This area is bounded on the north by 16th Avenue N. (the Trans-Canada Highway), south by 17th Avenue S.E., east by 84th Street S.E., and west by Barlow Trail S.E.

The area with the postal code T3E saw average prices of $399,548 in April, an increase of 10.45 per cent from $357,779 in March, but a decline of 10.06 per cent from $444,218 in April 2008. This area is bounded on the north by 17th Avenue S.W., on the south by the Glenmore Reservoir, on the east by Crowchild Trail S.W. and on the west by the Sarcee Trail S.W.

Century 21 reported that more than 100 other big city neighbourhoods are experiencing resurgent house prices after months of languishing in the recession doldrums.

Over the past year, average prices in the hottest 21 neighbourhoods increased by up to 17 per cent. From March to April, average prices in these 21 neighbourhoods increased by up to 16 per cent.

Those neighbourhoods included three in Toronto, eight in Toronto suburbs, two in Vancouver, one in a Vancouver suburb, one in Ottawa, two in Ottawa suburbs, two in Winnipeg, one in Halifax, and one in Regina.

All of them experienced price increases over the past year and over the past month.

The survey covered 10 major cities (Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria) by Canada Post Forward Sorting Areas (FSAs) which are the equivalent of large neighbourhoods.