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A Parks Canada information centre is located within the town which provides current trail conditions for hiking, scrambling and skiing. Several mountains are visible from the town, including Cascade Mountain (2998m) and Mount Norquay . A gondola lift is available for ascending Sulphur Mountain where a boardwalk starting from the upper terminal takes visitors to Sanson Peak.
The town's growth in recent years (by the standards of some provinces it has sufficient population to be considered a city) has led to concerns by environmentalists who fear the town's growth will harm the wilderness of the surrounding national park. The federal government has attempted to address this by restricting development in the town, and mandating that only people who are employed or otherwise have ongoing business in Banff (plus their immediate families) may take up permanent residence in the community.
According to the 2001 Statistics Canada census:
| Population: | 7,135 (17% increase from 1996) |
| Land area: | 4.85 kmē |
| Population density: | 1,471 people/kmē |
| Median age: | 29.4 (males: 30.0, females: 28.7) |
| Total private dwellings: | 3,233 |
| Median household income: | $45,651 |