Abbotsford neighbourhood scores
Living in Matsqui Prairie, Abbotsford
Matsqui Prairie grades D overall (30/100), #21 of 22 residential areas in and around Abbotsford. Its strongest categories are flood risk, road safety and commute time; its weakest are quiet streets and health care.
Matsqui Prairie has about 1,022 home addresses across 55.1 km². Out of 22 residential areas, Matsqui Prairie ranks #20 for families, #20 for seniors and #22 for commuters. It grades A for flood risk.
Explore Matsqui Prairie on the mapGrades by category
| Category | Grade | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | E (20) | Homes within 1 km of a public elementary school and 2 km of a public middle/secondary school |
| Kids at home | C (59) | Share of households that are families with children at home (2021 Census). Used in the Families score only |
| Road safety | B (72) | ICBC-reported crashes per km² per year, 2021–2025 |
| Parks | D (27) | Homes within 400 m of a park, plus 500 m of a playground |
| Childcare | E (16) | Homes within 800 m of a licensed group centre or preschool, and 1 km of care for under-3s (home daycares alone don’t count) |
| Quiet streets | E (0) | How close homes are to traffic: right beside a highway counts most, fading out by 300 m; arterial roads fade out by 150 m and collector roads by 100 m (OpenStreetMap road types) |
| Shops & food | E (10) | Homes within 1 km of a grocery store or pharmacy, and 800 m of a café or restaurant |
| Transit | E (8) | Homes within 400 m of a bus stop, and of a stop with 40+ weekday departures |
| Health care | E (2) | Homes within 1.5 km of a walk-in clinic or hospital, and 1 km of a pharmacy |
| Commute time | C (63) | Workers with a commute under 15 minutes, less a penalty for commutes of an hour or more (2021 Census) |
| Highway access | D (32) | Average straight-line distance from homes to the nearest Highway 1 interchange |
| Flood risk | A (80) | Share of homes outside the City floodplain (unprotected floodplain and Sumas Prairie, which flooded in 2021, count most; diked floodplain least) |
Who lives here
About 3,525 people live in Matsqui Prairie (2021 Census), with a median age of 40.3 (city: 40.4). 76.9% of households own their home and 21.2% rent. 32.6% of households are families with children at home, 19.3% of residents are under 15 and 18.7% are 65 or older. 68% of homes are houses and 0% are apartments.
Schools
19.2% of homes are within 1 km of a public elementary school, and 22.9% are within 2 km of a public middle or secondary school. Schools inside the boundary: Mennonite Educational Institute, Dasmesh Punjabi, Matsqui Elementary, Gurmat.
Parks
7 city parks covering 184.5 hectares. 28.2% of homes are within a five-minute walk (400 m) of a park.
Transit
10 bus stops with 193 weekday departures on routes 22, 31A, 31, 31X. 15.5% of homes are within 400 m of a stop.
Flood risk
0% of homes sit in unprotected floodplain, 0% in the Sumas Prairie floodplain (diked, but flooded in November 2021), and 80.6% in other diked (protected) floodplain, according to the City of Abbotsford floodplain map.
Road safety
ICBC recorded 1,185 crashes inside Matsqui Prairie from 2021 to 2025, 405 of them with injuries or deaths.
Crime
No public crime data exists at the neighbourhood level, so we don't estimate it.
Common questions about Matsqui Prairie
Is Matsqui Prairie a good place to live?
Matsqui Prairie grades D overall (30/100), #21 of 22 residential areas in and around Abbotsford. Its strongest categories are flood risk, road safety and commute time; its weakest are quiet streets and health care. For families it ranks #20, for seniors #20 and for commuters #22. Grades come from public data only, never from reviews or opinion.
Is Matsqui Prairie in a flood zone?
0% of homes in Matsqui Prairie sit in unprotected floodplain, 0% in the Sumas Prairie floodplain (diked, but flooded in November 2021) and 80.6% in other diked floodplain (City of Abbotsford floodplain map). It grades A for flood risk.
What schools are in Matsqui Prairie?
Public schools inside the boundary: Mennonite Educational Institute, Dasmesh Punjabi, Matsqui Elementary, Gurmat. 19.2% of homes are within 1 km of an elementary school. Check catchments with Abbotsford School District 34.
How many people live in Matsqui Prairie?
About 3,525 people (2021 Census), with a median age of 40.3. 76.9% of households own their home.
Is there good transit in Matsqui Prairie?
15.5% of homes are within 400 m of a bus stop; 10 stops get 193 BC Transit departures on a weekday. Transit grades E.
Compare Abbotsford neighbourhoods
Best overall · Best for families with young kids · Best for seniors and retirees · Best for commuters
- Townline A · 81
- Clearbrook A · 81
- City Centre B · 78
- Immel-McMillan B · 77
- South Clearbrook B · 76
- Marshall-McCallum B · 76
- UDistrict B · 76
- Historic Downtown B · 75
- Fairfield B · 69
- Whatcom B · 65
- Clayburn C · 63
- West Abbotsford C · 58
- Hazelwood C · 57
- McKee C · 55
- Peardonville C · 53
- Sumas Way C · 50
- South Poplar D · 39
- Aberdeen D · 37
- Sumas Mountain D · 36
- Bradner-Mt. Lehman D · 35
- Sumas Prairie D · 25
Data last built 2026-11-02. How these grades are calculated