Living in Big Bend, Burnaby
Big Bend grades C overall (60/100), #16 of 20 residential areas in and around Burnaby. Its strongest categories are nature & outdoors, transit and parks; its weakest are quiet streets and road safety.
Big Bend has about 645 home addresses across 9.1 km². Out of 20 residential areas, Big Bend ranks #20 for families, #14 for seniors and #3 for commuters. It grades A for parks, nature & outdoors, transit.
Explore Big Bend on the mapGrades by category
| Category | Grade | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | C (46) | Homes within 1 km of a public elementary school and 2 km of a public middle/secondary school |
| Kids at home | B (76) | Share of households that are families with children at home (2021 Census). Used in the Families score only |
| Road safety | D (36) | ICBC-reported crashes per km² per year, 2021–2025 |
| Parks | A (81) | Homes within 400 m of a park, plus 500 m of a playground |
| Nature & outdoors | A (90) | 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 | C (51) | 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 (3) | 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 | B (68) | Homes within 1 km of a grocery store or pharmacy, and 800 m of a café or restaurant |
| Transit | A (87) | Homes within 400 m of a bus stop, and of a stop with 40+ weekday departures |
| Health care | C (45) | Homes within 1.5 km of a walk-in clinic or hospital, and 1 km of a pharmacy |
| Commute time | B (77) | Workers with a commute under 15 minutes, less a penalty for commutes of an hour or more (2021 Census) |
| Highway access | B (71) | Average straight-line distance from homes to the nearest Highway 1 interchange |
Who lives here
About 1,360 people live in Big Bend (2021 Census), with a median age of 42.3 (city: 41.5). 67% of households own their home and 32% rent. 37.8% of households are families with children at home, 16.9% of residents are under 15 and 15.6% are 65 or older. 35% of homes are houses and 5% are apartments.
Schools
39.8% of homes are within 1 km of a public elementary school, and 58% are within 2 km of a public middle or secondary school. Across Burnaby Schools (School District 41), 95.4% 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: Fraser River (North Arm), BC Parkway, Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park, Marshland Avenue Bog Forest, Byrne Creek Urban Trail and Southridge Urban Trail. A bike ride away: Deer Lake Park, South Arm Fraser River, Fraser Islands Regional Park Reserve, Burnaby Lake Regional Park and Central Valley Greenway. A short drive away: Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area, Ocean or tidal shoreline, Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Roberts Bank Wildlife Management Area and Seaside Greenway.
Parks
15 city parks covering 110.5 hectares. 94.3% of homes are within a five-minute walk (400 m) of a park.
Transit
60 bus stops with 4,210 weekday departures on routes 100, 116, 148. 93.2% of homes are within 400 m of a stop.
Road safety
ICBC recorded 2,147 crashes inside Big Bend from 2021 to 2025, 736 of them with injuries or deaths.
Garbage day
Thursday (zone 4B) for 71.2% of homes; Wednesday (zone 3B) for 28.8% of homes
Crime
No public crime data exists at the neighbourhood level, so we don't estimate it.
Common questions about Big Bend
Is Big Bend a good place to live?
Big Bend grades C overall (60/100), #16 of 20 residential areas in and around Burnaby. Its strongest categories are nature & outdoors, transit and parks; its weakest are quiet streets and road safety. For families it ranks #20, for seniors #14 and for commuters #3. Grades come from public data only, never from reviews or opinion.
What outdoor spots are near Big Bend?
100% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: Fraser River (North Arm), BC Parkway, Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park, Marshland Avenue Bog Forest, Byrne Creek Urban Trail and Southridge Urban Trail. A bike ride away: Deer Lake Park, South Arm Fraser River, Fraser Islands Regional Park Reserve, Burnaby Lake Regional Park and Central Valley Greenway. A short drive away: Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area, Ocean or tidal shoreline, Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Roberts Bank Wildlife Management Area and Seaside Greenway. Nature & outdoors grades A.
What schools are in Big Bend?
There are no public schools inside the boundary. 39.8% of homes are within 1 km of an elementary school. Check catchments with Burnaby Schools (School District 41).
How many people live in Big Bend?
About 1,360 people (2021 Census), with a median age of 42.3. 67% of households own their home.
Is there good transit in Big Bend?
93.2% of homes are within 400 m of a bus stop; 60 stops get 4,210 TransLink departures on a weekday. Transit grades A.
What day is garbage pickup in Big Bend?
Thursday (zone 4B) for 71.2% of homes; Wednesday (zone 3B) for 28.8% of homes, on the City curbside schedule.
Compare Burnaby neighbourhoods
Best overall · Best for families with young kids · Best for seniors and retirees · Best for commuters
- Royal Oak B · 78
- Brentwood B · 77
- Heights B · 76
- Garden Village B · 76
- South Slope B · 75
- East Burnaby B · 75
- Edmonds B · 74
- Montecito B · 74
- Lochdale B · 73
- Metrotown B · 73
- Broadview B · 72
- Holdom B · 71
- Lougheed B · 70
- Buckingham Heights B · 67
- Deer Lake B · 66
- Lake City C · 59
- Bainbridge C · 57
- Burnaby Mountain C · 54
- Central Valley C · 54
Data last built 2026-11-06. How these grades are calculated