Living in Downtown, Kamloops
Downtown grades B overall (75/100), #2 of 22 residential areas in and around Kamloops. Its strongest categories are commute time, transit and flood risk; its weakest are quiet streets and road safety.
Downtown has about 1,096 home addresses across 2.6 km². Out of 22 residential areas, Downtown ranks #18 for families, #1 for seniors and #2 for commuters. It grades A for nature & outdoors, shops & food, transit, health care, commute time, highway access, flood risk.
Explore Downtown on the mapGrades by category
| Category | Grade | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | B (79) | Homes within 1 km of a public elementary school and 2 km of a public middle/secondary school |
| Kids at home | E (0) | Share of households that are families with children at home (2021 Census). Used in the Families score only |
| Road safety | E (21) | ICBC-reported crashes per km² per year, 2021–2025 |
| Parks | B (77) | Homes within 400 m of a park, plus 500 m of a playground |
| Nature & outdoors | A (91) | 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 | B (70) | 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 | A (88) | Homes within 1 km of a grocery store or pharmacy, and 800 m of a café or restaurant |
| Transit | A (99) | Homes within 400 m of a bus stop, and of a stop with 40+ weekday departures |
| Health care | A (93) | Homes within 1.5 km of a walk-in clinic or hospital, and 1 km of a pharmacy |
| Commute time | A (100) | Workers with a commute under 15 minutes, less a penalty for commutes of an hour or more (2021 Census) |
| Highway access | A (87) | Average straight-line distance from homes to the nearest Highway 1 or 5 interchange |
| Flood risk | A (94) | Share of homes outside the City floodplain (unprotected floodplain counts most, alluvial fan next, diked floodplain least) |
Who lives here
About 4,445 people live in Downtown (2021 Census), with a median age of 50.2 (city: 42.6). 47.1% of households own their home and 53.5% rent. 11.8% of households are families with children at home, 6.3% of residents are under 15 and 31.5% are 65 or older. 18% of homes are houses and 68% are apartments.
Schools
67.6% of homes are within 1 km of a public elementary school, and 100% are within 2 km of a public middle or secondary school. Across Kamloops-Thompson School District (School District 73), 92.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| St. Ann's Academy independent elementary | 89 | FSA reading beats 92% of BC schools; FSA math beats 88%; 99% proficient in graduation literacy (BC 75%); 58% in graduation numeracy (BC 47%) |
| First Baptist Classical Academy of Kamloops independent elementary | – | Too few students to publish |
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: Rivers Trail, South Thompson River, North Thompson River, Pioneer Dog Beach, Musicians Beach and Riverside Beach. A bike ride away: Thompson River, Kenna Cartwright Nature Park, Overlanders Beach, Peterson Creek Nature Park and Rabbit Island Beach. A short drive away: Duffy Greenstone OHV Trails, Kamloops Lake, Chuwels Inks OHV Trails, Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area and Tranquille River.
Parks
9 city parks covering 26.3 hectares. 78% of homes are within a five-minute walk (400 m) of a park.
Transit
52 bus stops with 3,511 weekday departures on routes 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 16, 17, 18, 70, 72, 73, 76, 77, 78. 100% of homes are within 400 m of a stop.
Flood risk
6.2% of homes sit in the 200-year floodplain, according to the City of Kamloops floodplain map.
Road safety
ICBC recorded 1,533 crashes inside Downtown from 2021 to 2025, 455 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 Downtown
Is Downtown a good place to live?
Downtown grades B overall (75/100), #2 of 22 residential areas in and around Kamloops. Its strongest categories are commute time, transit and flood risk; its weakest are quiet streets and road safety. For families it ranks #18, for seniors #1 and for commuters #2. Grades come from public data only, never from reviews or opinion.
Is Downtown in a flood zone?
6.2% of homes in Downtown sit in the 200-year floodplain (City of Kamloops floodplain map). It grades A for flood risk.
What outdoor spots are near Downtown?
100% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: Rivers Trail, South Thompson River, North Thompson River, Pioneer Dog Beach, Musicians Beach and Riverside Beach. A bike ride away: Thompson River, Kenna Cartwright Nature Park, Overlanders Beach, Peterson Creek Nature Park and Rabbit Island Beach. A short drive away: Duffy Greenstone OHV Trails, Kamloops Lake, Chuwels Inks OHV Trails, Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area and Tranquille River. Nature & outdoors grades A.
What schools are in Downtown?
Public schools inside the boundary: St. Ann's Academy, First Baptist Classical Academy of Kamloops. 67.6% of homes are within 1 km of an elementary school. Check catchments with Kamloops-Thompson School District (School District 73).
Are the schools in Downtown good?
On provincial tests, St. Ann's Academy beats 89% of BC schools (FSA 2023/2024–2025/2026, graduation assessments 2022/2023–2024/2025). SD73 graduates 92.5% 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 Downtown?
About 4,445 people (2021 Census), with a median age of 50.2. 47.1% of households own their home.
Is there good transit in Downtown?
100% of homes are within 400 m of a bus stop; 52 stops get 3,511 BC Transit departures on a weekday. Transit grades A.
Compare Kamloops neighbourhoods
Best overall · Best for families with young kids · Best for seniors and retirees · Best for commuters
- Lower Sahali A · 84
- West End B · 74
- Pineview B · 73
- North Kamloops B · 73
- Sagebrush B · 73
- Upper Sahali B · 72
- Southgate B · 70
- Brocklehurst B · 69
- Aberdeen B · 65
- Dufferin C · 64
- Westsyde C · 60
- Valleyview C · 59
- Batchelor Heights C · 57
- Juniper Ridge C · 55
- Barnhartvale C · 51
- Rayleigh C · 50
- Dallas C · 49
- Campbell Creek C · 45
- Rose Hill D · 43
- Heffley Creek D · 33
- Noble Creek D · 28
Data last built 2026-11-06. How these grades are calculated