Living in City Centre, Richmond
City Centre grades B overall (68/100), #8 of 13 residential areas in and around Richmond. Its strongest categories are health care, shops & food and transit; its weakest are quiet streets and road safety.
City Centre has about 1,565 home addresses across 9.3 km². Out of 13 residential areas, City Centre ranks #11 for families, #1 for seniors and #6 for commuters. It grades A for parks, nature & outdoors, shops & food, transit, health care.
Explore City Centre on the mapGrades by category
| Category | Grade | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | B (77) | Homes within 1 km of a public elementary school and 2 km of a public middle/secondary school |
| Kids at home | C (52) | Share of households that are families with children at home (2021 Census). Used in the Families score only |
| Road safety | E (13) | ICBC-reported crashes per km² per year, 2021–2025 |
| Parks | A (84) | Homes within 400 m of a park, plus 500 m of a playground |
| Nature & outdoors | A (82) | 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 (78) | 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 (94) | Homes within 1 km of a grocery store or pharmacy, and 800 m of a café or restaurant |
| Transit | A (90) | Homes within 400 m of a bus stop, and of a stop with 40+ weekday departures |
| Health care | A (98) | Homes within 1.5 km of a walk-in clinic or hospital, and 1 km of a pharmacy |
| Commute time | C (59) | Workers with a commute under 15 minutes, less a penalty for commutes of an hour or more (2021 Census) |
| Highway access | B (78) | Average straight-line distance from homes to the nearest Highway 99 or 91 interchange |
Who lives here
About 60,390 people live in City Centre (2021 Census), with a median age of 42.8 (city: 44.2). 62.9% of households own their home and 37% rent. 30.6% of households are families with children at home, 11% of residents are under 15 and 20% are 65 or older. 2% of homes are houses and 77% are apartments.
Schools
79.7% of homes are within 1 km of a public elementary school, and 72.1% are within 2 km of a public middle or secondary school. Across Richmond School District (School District 38), 98.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| William Cook Elementary elementary | 53 | FSA reading beats 45% of BC schools; FSA math beats 61% |
| General Currie Elementary elementary | 58 | FSA reading beats 48% of BC schools; FSA math beats 67% |
| Henry Anderson Elementary elementary | 87 | FSA reading beats 85% of BC schools; FSA math beats 88% |
| A.R. MacNeill Secondary secondary | 62 | 82% proficient in graduation literacy (BC 75%); 48% in graduation numeracy (BC 47%) |
| Richmond Secondary secondary | 85 | 84% proficient in graduation literacy (BC 75%); 69% in graduation numeracy (BC 47%) |
| City Vancouver Academy independent secondary | – | Too few students to publish |
| Maple Hill School independent secondary | – | 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
86.3% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: Fraser River (North Arm), Garden City Lands, Middle Arm Trail, Morey Channel, Minoru Park and Bridgeport Trail. A bike ride away: South Arm Fraser River, Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area, Ocean or tidal shoreline, Arbutus Greenway and West Dyke Trail. A short drive away: Roberts Bank Wildlife Management Area, Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Seaside Greenway, George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary and The Trans Canada Trail.
Parks
15 city parks covering 109.7 hectares. 80.1% of homes are within a five-minute walk (400 m) of a park.
Transit
173 bus stops with 16,278 weekday departures on routes 301, 311, 351, 352, 354, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 410, 412, 414, 416, 430, N10, 601, 602, 603, 604, 620, . 99% of homes are within 400 m of a stop.
Road safety
ICBC recorded 9,232 crashes inside City Centre from 2021 to 2025, 2,841 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 City Centre
Is City Centre a good place to live?
City Centre grades B overall (68/100), #8 of 13 residential areas in and around Richmond. Its strongest categories are health care, shops & food and transit; its weakest are quiet streets and road safety. For families it ranks #11, for seniors #1 and for commuters #6. Grades come from public data only, never from reviews or opinion.
What outdoor spots are near City Centre?
86.3% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: Fraser River (North Arm), Garden City Lands, Middle Arm Trail, Morey Channel, Minoru Park and Bridgeport Trail. A bike ride away: South Arm Fraser River, Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area, Ocean or tidal shoreline, Arbutus Greenway and West Dyke Trail. A short drive away: Roberts Bank Wildlife Management Area, Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Seaside Greenway, George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary and The Trans Canada Trail. Nature & outdoors grades A.
What schools are in City Centre?
Public schools inside the boundary: William Cook Elementary, General Currie Elementary, Henry Anderson Elementary, A.R. MacNeill Secondary, Richmond Secondary, City Vancouver Academy, Maple Hill School. 79.7% of homes are within 1 km of an elementary school. Check catchments with Richmond School District (School District 38).
Are the schools in City Centre good?
On provincial tests, Henry Anderson Elementary beats 87% of BC schools, Richmond Secondary beats 85% of BC schools, A.R. MacNeill Secondary beats 62% of BC schools, General Currie Elementary beats 58% of BC schools and William Cook Elementary beats 53% of BC schools (FSA 2023/2024–2025/2026, graduation assessments 2022/2023–2024/2025). SD38 graduates 98.7% 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 City Centre?
About 60,390 people (2021 Census), with a median age of 42.8. 62.9% of households own their home.
Is there good transit in City Centre?
99% of homes are within 400 m of a bus stop; 173 stops get 16,278 TransLink departures on a weekday. Transit grades A.
Compare Richmond neighbourhoods
Best overall · Best for families with young kids · Best for seniors and retirees · Best for commuters
- Broadmoor B · 74
- West Cambie B · 74
- Steveston B · 73
- East Cambie B · 73
- Thompson B · 72
- Blundell B · 71
- Shellmont B · 69
- Seafair B · 67
- Bridgeport C · 64
- Sea Island C · 61
- Gilmore C · 51
- East Richmond D · 43
Data last built 2026-11-06. How these grades are calculated