That rock Calgary drivers kept hitting has found a new home where it can be appreciated forever

It's been a whirlwind week for the Sage Hill Rock.

First, it was struck repeatedly by drivers who tried — and failed — to manoeuvre their vehicles around the large stone that sat between yellow-painted curbs in the sprawling parking lot of a suburban retail centre in northwest Calgary.

Then, it became internet famous, with its image splashed across not just local news sites but international publications like Jalopnik, The Daily Mail and Fox News.

Then, it was unceremoniously removed and dumped behind the bottle depot it once guarded.

And finally, after an outcry from the community, it was relocated to a new home, where it can live out its days in peace, with the appreciation it deserves, safe from oblivious motorists.

The rock's "final resting place" is next to the little free library at Sage Valley Road and Sage Valley Boulevard N.W., said area resident Brangwyn Jones.

Jones ushered the Sage Hill Rock through its internet fame as the administrator of a community Facebook group where its story originated, and said people in the community "had a blast" with all the attention it received.

"They had a fun time," he said.

"I mean, how much love can you get from a rock?"

Rock became touchstone for new community

Jones said the Sage Hill Community Association got hold of RioCan, which owns the retail shopping complex where the rock once sat, and "negotiated the release of the rock" to its new home.

The whole affair has helped build a sense of community and identity in the relatively new neighbourhood at Calgary's northern periphery, he added.

Perhaps, he hopes, the Sage Hill Rock will even attract a few outside visitors.

"We're not exactly the tourist hub of Canada up in Sage Hill," he said.

"But if there's something that can attract people up here, who can come visit our businesses and look at our wonderful community, then why wouldn't we want to add that?"