The community of Scarboro is located in Calgary's southwest quadrant in the core of the city. Established in 1910 Scarboro is one of several inner-city neighbourhoods that comprise the most historical areas of the city. The land where Scarboro is now located was once owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway and was annexed by the City of Calgary in 1907 in order to make way for residential development which was planned for the community.

Scarboro's dominant characteristic is the steep hill it is built on which gives the community a generous view of Calgary's skyline. Calgary is often accused of being a car city but Scarboro residents are known for their willingness to get around by foot or bicycle. Perhaps it's because of Scarboro's close proximity to downtown, but such an active lifestyle is an additional and often overlooked, quality of this attractive neighbourhood. The community consists of Scarboro proper, located on Scarboro Hill, consisting mostly of detached homes, and Upper Scarboro (officially called Scarboro/Sunalta West) which consists of the remaining small residential area west of Crowchild Trail.

Scarboro is a well-established and relatively wealthy neighbourhood, with a median household income of $79,948 (2000), and 7.5% low-income residents. As of 2000, 20.6% of the residents were immigrants. While the City of Calgary profile on Scarboro details a proportion of 27.3% of the buildings were condominiums or apartments, and 29.5% of the housing was used for renting, the actual neighbourhood consists of approximately 365 single-family dwellings. All are zoned R-1 and there are no multifamily residences or condominiums or apartments within Scarboro.