New Westminster neighbourhood scores
Living in Kelvin, New Westminster
Kelvin grades B overall (77/100), #4 of 14 residential areas in and around New Westminster. Its strongest categories are schools, childcare and shops & food; its weakest are road safety and quiet streets.
Kelvin has about 469 home addresses across 0.7 km². Out of 14 residential areas, Kelvin ranks #5 for families, #6 for seniors and #12 for commuters. It grades A for schools, parks, nature & outdoors, childcare, shops & food, transit, health care, flood risk.
Explore Kelvin on the mapGrades by category
| Category | Grade | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | A (100) | Homes within 1 km of a public elementary school and 2 km of a public middle/secondary school |
| Kids at home | C (49) | Share of households that are families with children at home (2021 Census). Used in the Families score only |
| Road safety | E (11) | ICBC-reported crashes per km² per year, 2021–2025 |
| Parks | A (94) | Homes within 400 m of a park, plus 500 m of a playground |
| Nature & outdoors | A (86) | 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 (100) | 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 | D (32) | 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 (100) | 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 (39) | Workers with a commute under 15 minutes, less a penalty for commutes of an hour or more (2021 Census) |
| Highway access | B (67) | Average straight-line distance from homes to the nearest Highway 1, 17 or 91 interchange |
| Flood risk | A (100) | Share of homes outside the City floodplain (unprotected floodplain counts most, alluvial fan next, diked floodplain least) |
Who lives here
About 2,665 people live in Kelvin (2021 Census), with a median age of 42.1 (city: 41.5). 55% of households own their home and 44.9% rent. 29.8% of households are families with children at home, 12.3% of residents are under 15 and 14.9% are 65 or older. 22% of homes are houses and 53% are apartments.
Schools
100% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lord Kelvin Elementary elementary | 39 | FSA reading beats 45% of BC schools; FSA math beats 33% |
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 and Crosstown Greenway. A bike ride away: Deer Lake Park, Fraser River (North Arm), Burnaby Lake Regional Park, Central Valley Greenway and South Arm Fraser River. A short drive away: Ocean or tidal shoreline, Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Seaside Greenway, Stanley Park and The Trans Canada Trail.
Parks
1 city parks covering 10.4 hectares. 91.7% of homes are within a five-minute walk (400 m) of a park.
Transit
18 bus stops with 1,303 weekday departures on routes 101, 106, 112, 123, 128, N19, 155. 100% of homes are within 400 m of a stop.
Flood risk
0% of homes sit in the floodplain, according to the City of New Westminster floodplain map.
Road safety
ICBC recorded 772 crashes inside Kelvin from 2021 to 2025, 282 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 Kelvin
Is Kelvin a good place to live?
Kelvin grades B overall (77/100), #4 of 14 residential areas in and around New Westminster. Its strongest categories are schools, childcare and shops & food; its weakest are road safety and quiet streets. For families it ranks #5, for seniors #6 and for commuters #12. Grades come from public data only, never from reviews or opinion.
Is Kelvin in a flood zone?
0% of homes in Kelvin are in the City of New Westminster floodplain map, so it grades A for flood risk.
What outdoor spots are near Kelvin?
100% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: BC Parkway and Crosstown Greenway. A bike ride away: Deer Lake Park, Fraser River (North Arm), Burnaby Lake Regional Park, Central Valley Greenway and South Arm Fraser River. A short drive away: Ocean or tidal shoreline, Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Seaside Greenway, Stanley Park and The Trans Canada Trail. Nature & outdoors grades A.
What schools are in Kelvin?
Public schools inside the boundary: Lord Kelvin Elementary. 100% of homes are within 1 km of an elementary school. Check catchments with New Westminster Schools (School District 40).
Are the schools in Kelvin good?
On provincial tests, Lord Kelvin Elementary beats 39% 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 Kelvin?
About 2,665 people (2021 Census), with a median age of 42.1. 55% of households own their home.
Is there good transit in Kelvin?
100% of homes are within 400 m of a bus stop; 18 stops get 1,303 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
- Sapperton B · 76
- Glenbrooke North B · 76
- Uptown B · 75
- Brow of the Hill B · 75
- Westend B · 74
- Connaught Heights B · 73
- Downtown B · 71
- North Arm North B · 69
- Queensborough B · 68
- North Arm South B · 66
Data last built 2026-11-06. How these grades are calculated