I'm from Calgary(currently live here) and have lived in Edmonton.
Calgary is a great city. Do not listen to eastern Canadians about western Canada, especially if they talk about Alberta, they hate us.
Calgary is much better than Edmonton in my opinion, it's cleaner, feels more like a city, has a better night life, is only an hour from the mountains. It's not racist either...you won't have any problems here at all. Some of the night club bouncers can be a$$holes at the door, but they get checked on that shyt pretty quick now.
All of downtown Calgary is walkable, you can walk from 17th ave(major entertainment/nightlife area) to downtown. Stephen ave is a great walkable area located right downtown, tons of restaurants and pubs.
Edmonton has more of a university/hippie vibe. Strathcona and Whyte ave are cool, but it's a pretty damn boring city and the winters are horrible.
I actually think Calgary is a better designed, friendly, cleaner city than Toronto. The architecture is more cohesive and it has a better aesthetic. It's a prettier city overall. Toronto is an mess both culturally and aesthetically.