New Westminster neighbourhood scores
Living in Downtown, New Westminster
Downtown grades B overall (71/100), #11 of 14 residential areas in and around New Westminster. Its strongest categories are transit, shops & food and health care; its weakest are quiet streets and road safety.
Downtown has about 294 home addresses across 1.8 km². Out of 14 residential areas, Downtown ranks #14 for families, #10 for seniors and #7 for commuters. It grades A for schools, parks, nature & outdoors, shops & food, transit, health care, highway access.
Explore Downtown on the mapGrades by category
| Category | Grade | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | A (87) | Homes within 1 km of a public elementary school and 2 km of a public middle/secondary school |
| Kids at home | E (9) | Share of households that are families with children at home (2021 Census). Used in the Families score only |
| Road safety | E (10) | ICBC-reported crashes per km² per year, 2021–2025 |
| Parks | A (96) | Homes within 400 m of a park, plus 500 m of a playground |
| Nature & outdoors | A (96) | 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 (71) | 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 (97) | 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 (97) | Homes within 1.5 km of a walk-in clinic or hospital, and 1 km of a pharmacy |
| Commute time | D (36) | Workers with a commute under 15 minutes, less a penalty for commutes of an hour or more (2021 Census) |
| Highway access | A (85) | Average straight-line distance from homes to the nearest Highway 1, 17 or 91 interchange |
| Flood risk | B (77) | Share of homes outside the City floodplain (unprotected floodplain counts most, alluvial fan next, diked floodplain least) |
Who lives here
About 14,640 people live in Downtown (2021 Census), with a median age of 39.5 (city: 41.5). 53.8% of households own their home and 46.4% rent. 17.6% of households are families with children at home, 8.7% of residents are under 15 and 13.9% are 65 or older. 0% of homes are houses and 95% are apartments.
Schools
79.9% 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 New Westminster Schools (School District 40), 90.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ecole Qayqayt Elementary elementary | 65 | FSA reading beats 54% of BC schools; FSA math beats 75% |
| Purpose Independent Secondary School independent secondary | 2 | 26% proficient in graduation literacy (BC 75%) |
| Al-Hidayah School 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: BC Parkway, Central Valley Greenway, Fraser River (North Arm), South Arm Fraser River, Brunette-Fraser Regional Greenway and Annacis Channel. A bike ride away: Burnaby Lake Regional Park, Fraser River, Green Timbers Greenway, Burnaby Lake and Brunette River. A short drive away: Seaside Greenway, Ocean or tidal shoreline, The Trans Canada Trail, Stanley Park and South Arm Marshes Wildlife Management Area.
Parks
4 city parks covering 4.3 hectares. 94.9% of homes are within a five-minute walk (400 m) of a park.
Transit
37 bus stops with 5,178 weekday departures on routes 102, 103, 105, 106, 109, 112, 123, N19, . 100% of homes are within 400 m of a stop.
Flood risk
23.1% of homes sit in the floodplain, according to the City of New Westminster floodplain map.
Road safety
ICBC recorded 2,157 crashes inside Downtown from 2021 to 2025, 584 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 (71/100), #11 of 14 residential areas in and around New Westminster. Its strongest categories are transit, shops & food and health care; its weakest are quiet streets and road safety. For families it ranks #14, for seniors #10 and for commuters #7. Grades come from public data only, never from reviews or opinion.
Is Downtown in a flood zone?
23.1% of homes in Downtown sit in the floodplain (City of New Westminster floodplain map). It grades B 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: BC Parkway, Central Valley Greenway, Fraser River (North Arm), South Arm Fraser River, Brunette-Fraser Regional Greenway and Annacis Channel. A bike ride away: Burnaby Lake Regional Park, Fraser River, Green Timbers Greenway, Burnaby Lake and Brunette River. A short drive away: Seaside Greenway, Ocean or tidal shoreline, The Trans Canada Trail, Stanley Park and South Arm Marshes Wildlife Management Area. Nature & outdoors grades A.
What schools are in Downtown?
Public schools inside the boundary: Ecole Qayqayt Elementary, Purpose Independent Secondary School, Al-Hidayah School. 79.9% of homes are within 1 km of an elementary school. Check catchments with New Westminster Schools (School District 40).
Are the schools in Downtown good?
On provincial tests, Ecole Qayqayt Elementary beats 65% of BC schools and Purpose Independent Secondary School beats 2% of BC schools (FSA 2023/2024–2025/2026, graduation assessments 2022/2023–2024/2025). SD40 graduates 90.9% 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 14,640 people (2021 Census), with a median age of 39.5. 53.8% of households own their home.
Is there good transit in Downtown?
100% of homes are within 400 m of a bus stop; 37 stops get 5,178 TransLink departures on a weekday. Transit grades A.
Compare New Westminster neighbourhoods
Best overall · Best for families with young kids · Best for seniors and retirees · Best for commuters
- Queens Park A · 83
- Victory Heights A · 81
- Glenbrooke South B · 77
- Kelvin B · 77
- Sapperton B · 76
- Glenbrooke North B · 76
- Uptown B · 75
- Brow of the Hill B · 75
- Westend B · 74
- Connaught Heights B · 73
- North Arm North B · 69
- Queensborough B · 68
- North Arm South B · 66
Data last built 2026-11-06. How these grades are calculated