Bowen Island neighbourhood scores
Living in Snug Cove & Cates Hill, Bowen Island
Snug Cove & Cates Hill grades C overall (55/100), #1 of 4 residential areas in and around Bowen Island. Its strongest categories are nature & outdoors, road safety and commute time; its weakest are transit and schools.
Snug Cove & Cates Hill has about 591 home addresses across 13.3 km². Out of 4 residential areas, Snug Cove & Cates Hill ranks #1 for families, #1 for seniors and #1 for commuters. It grades A for road safety, nature & outdoors.
Explore Snug Cove & Cates Hill on the mapGrades by category
| Category | Grade | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | D (25) | Homes within 1 km of a public elementary school and 2 km of a public middle/secondary school |
| Kids at home | B (68) | Share of households that are families with children at home (2021 Census). Used in the Families score only |
| Road safety | A (84) | ICBC-reported crashes per km² per year, 2021–2025 |
| Parks | B (66) | Homes within 400 m of a park, plus 500 m of a playground |
| Nature & outdoors | A (93) | How close homes are to a trail, natural area or shoreline the public can reach, to a bigger one for a bike ride (a river, lake or long trail), and to a major destination for a drive (a big lake, large park or the ocean) |
| Childcare | D (32) | 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 (52) | 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 (57) | Homes within 1 km of a grocery store or pharmacy, and 800 m of a café or restaurant |
| Transit | E (24) | Homes within 400 m of a bus stop, and of a stop with 40+ weekday departures |
| Health care | C (54) | Homes within 1.5 km of a walk-in clinic or hospital, and 1 km of a pharmacy |
| Commute time | B (72) | Workers with a commute under 15 minutes, less a penalty for commutes of an hour or more (2021 Census) |
| Highway access | D (42) | Average straight-line distance from homes to the nearest Highway 1, by ferry from Snug Cove interchange |
Who lives here
About 1,225 people live in Snug Cove & Cates Hill (2021 Census), with a median age of 48.4 (city: 49.9). 80.6% of households own their home and 17.2% rent. 35.5% of households are families with children at home, 15.6% of residents are under 15 and 22.5% are 65 or older. 86% of homes are houses and 3% are apartments.
Schools
39.1% of homes are within 1 km of a public elementary school, and 0% are within 2 km of a public middle or secondary school. Across West Vancouver Schools (School District 45), 100% of students graduate within six years of starting Grade 8 (BC: 92.5%, 2024/2025); the Province doesn't publish this for single schools.
Nature & outdoors
100% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: Ocean or tidal shoreline, Crippen Regional Park, Mount Gardner Recreation Site, Mother's Beach, Sandy Beach and September Morn Beach. A bike ride away: The Trans Canada Trail, Baden Powell Trail, Art Rennison Nature Park, Seymour Bay Neighbourhood Beach and Killarney Lake. A short drive away: Halkett Bay Marine Provincial Park, Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area, Trans Canada Trail, Pacific Spirit Regional Park and Cypress Provincial Park.
Parks
11 city parks covering 674.2 hectares. 82.4% of homes are within a five-minute walk (400 m) of a park.
Transit
5 bus stops with 99 weekday departures on routes 280, 281. 35.4% of homes are within 400 m of a stop.
Road safety
ICBC recorded 104 crashes inside Snug Cove & Cates Hill from 2021 to 2025, 9 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 Snug Cove & Cates Hill
Is Snug Cove & Cates Hill a good place to live?
Snug Cove & Cates Hill grades C overall (55/100), #1 of 4 residential areas in and around Bowen Island. Its strongest categories are nature & outdoors, road safety and commute time; its weakest are transit and schools. For families it ranks #1, for seniors #1 and for commuters #1. Grades come from public data only, never from reviews or opinion.
What outdoor spots are near Snug Cove & Cates Hill?
100% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: Ocean or tidal shoreline, Crippen Regional Park, Mount Gardner Recreation Site, Mother's Beach, Sandy Beach and September Morn Beach. A bike ride away: The Trans Canada Trail, Baden Powell Trail, Art Rennison Nature Park, Seymour Bay Neighbourhood Beach and Killarney Lake. A short drive away: Halkett Bay Marine Provincial Park, Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area, Trans Canada Trail, Pacific Spirit Regional Park and Cypress Provincial Park. Nature & outdoors grades A.
What schools are in Snug Cove & Cates Hill?
There are no public schools inside the boundary. 39.1% of homes are within 1 km of an elementary school. Check catchments with West Vancouver Schools (School District 45).
How many people live in Snug Cove & Cates Hill?
About 1,225 people (2021 Census), with a median age of 48.4. 80.6% of households own their home.
Is there good transit in Snug Cove & Cates Hill?
35.4% of homes are within 400 m of a bus stop; 5 stops get 99 TransLink departures on a weekday. Transit grades E.
Compare Bowen Island neighbourhoods
Best overall · Best for families with young kids · Best for seniors and retirees · Best for commuters
- Hood Point & Eagle Cliff D · 44
- Bowen Bay & The Valley D · 38
- Tunstall Bay & Cape Roger Curtis D · 28
Data last built 2026-11-06. How these grades are calculated