During the early 1900s, Mount Royal was promoted by the C.P.R. as an exclusive neighbourhood for Calgary's affluent citizens. The neighbourhood was originally known as American Hill, due to the large number of Americans who settled there. Later the area was formally named Mount Royal, after the Montreal community which was home to the then president of the C.P.R, William E. Van Horne. Mount Royal developed rapidly between 1904 and 1914. Restrictive covenants were placed on the titles of properties which restricted development to single-family dwellings and set minimum housing construction costs. The exclusive character of the community has been maintained over the decades.

Mount Royal is an area of Calgary, Alberta and is home to the neighbourhoods of Upper Mount Royal (to the south) and Lower Mount Royal (the northern section, on flat terrain), which are separated by an escarpment that runs along with Cameron and Royal Avenues in an east-west direction. Upper Mount Royal has an area redevelopment plan in place.

Upper Mount Royal (along with Elbow Park) is one of Calgary's most wealthy neighbourhoods and is home to some of the city's most expensive estates ranging in age from nearly 100 years old to new. Originally an enclave of the city's American-born business elite, the neighbourhood was originally known as 'American hill'. As of 2001, American immigrants still made up 29.2% of the residents. This informal name eventually gave way to the more Canadian name of Mount Royal. These neighbourhoods are concentrated in the Elbow River valley. The area of both neighbourhoods is bounded on the north by 17th Avenue SW and on the west by 14th Street SW.

Demographics:

In the City of Calgary's 2012 municipal census, Lower Mount Royal had a population of 3,180 living in 2,266 dwellings, a 6.7% increase from its 2011 population of 2,981. With a land area of 0.3 km2 (0.12 sq mi), it had a population density of 10,600/km2 (27,000/sq mi) in 2012. Also in the municipal census, Upper Mount Royal had a population of 2,542 living in 1,071 dwellings, a 0.2% increase from its 2011 population of 2,536. With a land area of 1.3 km2 (0.50 sq mi), it had a population density of 1,960/km2 (5,060/sq mi) in 2012. Residents of Upper Mount Royal had a median household income of $127,135 in 2000, while those in Lower Mount Royal made far less at an average of $35,570. 11.7%% and 26.7% of low-income residents live in Upper and Lower Mount Royal respectively. While the majority of buildings in Upper Mount Royal (87.2%) are single-family detached homes, in Lower Mount Royal condominiums and apartment buildings are prevailing at 88.7%, with 77.5% used for renting in 2001.