Living in Metrotown, Burnaby
Metrotown grades B overall (73/100), #10 of 20 residential areas in and around Burnaby. Its strongest categories are transit, health care and schools; its weakest are road safety and quiet streets.
Metrotown has about 1,387 home addresses across 4.2 km². Out of 20 residential areas, Metrotown ranks #18 for families, #2 for seniors and #12 for commuters. It grades A for schools, parks, nature & outdoors, childcare, shops & food, transit, health care.
Explore Metrotown on the mapGrades by category
| Category | Grade | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | A (99) | Homes within 1 km of a public elementary school and 2 km of a public middle/secondary school |
| Kids at home | D (35) | Share of households that are families with children at home (2021 Census). Used in the Families score only |
| Road safety | E (9) | ICBC-reported crashes per km² per year, 2021–2025 |
| Parks | A (93) | Homes within 400 m of a park, plus 500 m of a playground |
| Nature & outdoors | A (89) | 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 | A (97) | 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 (10) | 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 | A (98) | Homes within 1 km of a grocery store or pharmacy, and 800 m of a café or restaurant |
| Transit | A (100) | Homes within 400 m of a bus stop, and of a stop with 40+ weekday departures |
| Health care | A (100) | Homes within 1.5 km of a walk-in clinic or hospital, and 1 km of a pharmacy |
| Commute time | D (42) | Workers with a commute under 15 minutes, less a penalty for commutes of an hour or more (2021 Census) |
| Highway access | B (70) | Average straight-line distance from homes to the nearest Highway 1 interchange |
Who lives here
About 32,495 people live in Metrotown (2021 Census), with a median age of 39.2 (city: 41.5). 45.8% of households own their home and 54% rent. 25.5% of households are families with children at home, 10.3% of residents are under 15 and 16.6% are 65 or older. 2% of homes are houses and 89% are apartments.
Schools
99.9% of homes are within 1 km of a public elementary school, and 96.7% 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.
| School | Beats % of BC schools | Results |
|---|---|---|
| Chaffey-Burke Elementary elementary | 72 | FSA reading beats 67% of BC schools; FSA math beats 77% |
| École Marlborough Elementary elementary | 77 | FSA reading beats 69% of BC schools; FSA math beats 84% |
| Maywood Community Elementary elementary | 43 | FSA reading beats 31% of BC schools; FSA math beats 55% |
Provincial test results (FSA 2023/2024–2025/2026, graduation assessments 2022/2023–2024/2025) compared with every BC school. They don't count toward any grade, because scores follow family income closely. How we work these out.
Nature & outdoors
100% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: BC Parkway, Deer Lake Park, Central Park, Central Park Perimeter Trail, Trail of Hope and Deer Lake Parkway Urban Trail. A bike ride away: Central Valley Greenway, Fraser River (North Arm), Burnaby Lake Regional Park, Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park and Deer Lake. A short drive away: Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area, Ocean or tidal shoreline, Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Seaside Greenway and Roberts Bank Wildlife Management Area.
Parks
10 city parks covering 96.6 hectares. 90.1% of homes are within a five-minute walk (400 m) of a park.
Transit
92 bus stops with 12,921 weekday departures on routes 019, 028, 031, 049, 110, 116, 119, 129, 130, 144, 146, 147, 430, N19, R2, . 99.9% of homes are within 400 m of a stop.
Road safety
ICBC recorded 5,312 crashes inside Metrotown from 2021 to 2025, 1,685 of them with injuries or deaths.
Garbage day
Wednesday (zone 3B) for 100% of homes
Crime
No public crime data exists at the neighbourhood level, so we don't estimate it.
Common questions about Metrotown
Is Metrotown a good place to live?
Metrotown grades B overall (73/100), #10 of 20 residential areas in and around Burnaby. Its strongest categories are transit, health care and schools; its weakest are road safety and quiet streets. For families it ranks #18, for seniors #2 and for commuters #12. Grades come from public data only, never from reviews or opinion.
What outdoor spots are near Metrotown?
100% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: BC Parkway, Deer Lake Park, Central Park, Central Park Perimeter Trail, Trail of Hope and Deer Lake Parkway Urban Trail. A bike ride away: Central Valley Greenway, Fraser River (North Arm), Burnaby Lake Regional Park, Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park and Deer Lake. A short drive away: Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area, Ocean or tidal shoreline, Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Seaside Greenway and Roberts Bank Wildlife Management Area. Nature & outdoors grades A.
What schools are in Metrotown?
Public schools inside the boundary: Chaffey-Burke Elementary, École Marlborough Elementary, Maywood Community Elementary. 99.9% of homes are within 1 km of an elementary school. Check catchments with Burnaby Schools (School District 41).
Are the schools in Metrotown good?
On provincial tests, École Marlborough Elementary beats 77% of BC schools, Chaffey-Burke Elementary beats 72% of BC schools and Maywood Community Elementary beats 43% of BC schools (FSA 2023/2024–2025/2026, graduation assessments 2022/2023–2024/2025). SD41 graduates 95.4% of students within six years (BC 92.5%). Test scores follow family income closely, so visit and talk to the school too.
How many people live in Metrotown?
About 32,495 people (2021 Census), with a median age of 39.2. 45.8% of households own their home.
Is there good transit in Metrotown?
99.9% of homes are within 400 m of a bus stop; 92 stops get 12,921 TransLink departures on a weekday. Transit grades A.
What day is garbage pickup in Metrotown?
Wednesday (zone 3B) for 100% 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
- Broadview B · 72
- Holdom B · 71
- Lougheed B · 70
- Buckingham Heights B · 67
- Deer Lake B · 66
- Big Bend C · 60
- 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