Abbotsford neighbourhood scores
Living in Whatcom, Abbotsford
Whatcom grades B overall (65/100), #10 of 22 residential areas in and around Abbotsford. Its strongest categories are flood risk, parks and highway access; its weakest are transit.
Whatcom has about 2,456 home addresses across 6.5 km². Out of 22 residential areas, Whatcom ranks #6 for families, #11 for seniors and #11 for commuters. It grades A for parks, highway access, flood risk.
Explore Whatcom on the mapGrades by category
| Category | Grade | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | B (77) | Homes within 1 km of a public elementary school and 2 km of a public middle/secondary school |
| Kids at home | B (73) | Share of households that are families with children at home (2021 Census). Used in the Families score only |
| Road safety | C (52) | ICBC-reported crashes per km² per year, 2021–2025 |
| Parks | A (87) | Homes within 400 m of a park, plus 500 m of a playground |
| Childcare | C (50) | 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 | C (47) | 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 | C (47) | Homes within 1 km of a grocery store or pharmacy, and 800 m of a café or restaurant |
| Transit | D (34) | Homes within 400 m of a bus stop, and of a stop with 40+ weekday departures |
| Health care | B (66) | Homes within 1.5 km of a walk-in clinic or hospital, and 1 km of a pharmacy |
| Commute time | B (66) | Workers with a commute under 15 minutes, less a penalty for commutes of an hour or more (2021 Census) |
| Highway access | A (86) | Average straight-line distance from homes to the nearest Highway 1 interchange |
| Flood risk | A (99) | 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 10,415 people live in Whatcom (2021 Census), with a median age of 42.6 (city: 40.4). 83.9% of households own their home and 16.2% rent. 37% of households are families with children at home, 16.8% of residents are under 15 and 18.8% are 65 or older. 50% of homes are houses and 7% are apartments.
Schools
93.6% of homes are within 1 km of a public elementary school, and 45.1% are within 2 km of a public middle or secondary school. Schools inside the boundary: Mountain Elementary, Abbotsford School Of Integrated Arts, Sumas Mountain, Irene Kelleher Totí:ltawtxw Elementary.
Parks
19 city parks covering 52 hectares. 96.3% of homes are within a five-minute walk (400 m) of a park.
Transit
31 bus stops with 470 weekday departures on routes 7, 7A, 16. 67.7% of homes are within 400 m of a stop.
Flood risk
0% of homes sit in unprotected floodplain, 0.9% in the Sumas Prairie floodplain (diked, but flooded in November 2021), and 0% in other diked (protected) floodplain, according to the City of Abbotsford floodplain map.
Road safety
ICBC recorded 556 crashes inside Whatcom from 2021 to 2025, 152 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 Whatcom
Is Whatcom a good place to live?
Whatcom grades B overall (65/100), #10 of 22 residential areas in and around Abbotsford. Its strongest categories are flood risk, parks and highway access; its weakest are transit. For families it ranks #6, for seniors #11 and for commuters #11. Grades come from public data only, never from reviews or opinion.
Is Whatcom in a flood zone?
0% of homes in Whatcom sit in unprotected floodplain, 0.9% in the Sumas Prairie floodplain (diked, but flooded in November 2021) and 0% in other diked floodplain (City of Abbotsford floodplain map). It grades A for flood risk.
What schools are in Whatcom?
Public schools inside the boundary: Mountain Elementary, Abbotsford School Of Integrated Arts, Sumas Mountain, Irene Kelleher Totí:ltawtxw Elementary. 93.6% of homes are within 1 km of an elementary school. Check catchments with Abbotsford School District 34.
How many people live in Whatcom?
About 10,415 people (2021 Census), with a median age of 42.6. 83.9% of households own their home.
Is there good transit in Whatcom?
67.7% of homes are within 400 m of a bus stop; 31 stops get 470 BC Transit departures on a weekday. Transit grades D.
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
- 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
- Matsqui Prairie D · 30
- Sumas Prairie D · 25
Data last built 2026-11-02. How these grades are calculated