Living in Downtown, Squamish
Downtown grades A overall (85/100), #1 of 15 residential areas in and around Squamish. Its strongest categories are shops & food, health care and parks; its weakest are road safety.
Downtown has about 588 home addresses across 1.4 km². Out of 15 residential areas, Downtown ranks #5 for families, #1 for seniors and #3 for commuters. It grades A for schools, parks, nature & outdoors, shops & food, transit, health care, commute time, highway access.
Explore Downtown on the mapGrades by category
| Category | Grade | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | A (94) | 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 | D (31) | ICBC-reported crashes per km² per year, 2021–2025 |
| Parks | A (99) | 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 | B (71) | 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 (95) | 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 | A (87) | Workers with a commute under 15 minutes, less a penalty for commutes of an hour or more (2021 Census) |
| Highway access | A (92) | Average straight-line distance from homes to the nearest Highway 99 interchange |
Who lives here
About 3,520 people live in Downtown (2021 Census), with a median age of 36.4 (city: 38). 52.1% of households own their home and 48.4% rent. 25.6% of households are families with children at home, 14.8% of residents are under 15 and 12.6% are 65 or older. 9% of homes are houses and 59% are apartments.
Schools
90.6% 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 Sea to Sky School District (School District 48), 95.3% 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 Squamish Elementary elementary | 19 | FSA reading beats 29% of BC schools; FSA math beats 9% |
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: Sea to Sky Trail, Ocean or tidal shoreline, Skwelwil'em Squamish Estuary Wildlife Management Area, Stawamus River, Estuary Trail and Smoke Bluffs Park. A bike ride away: Squamish River, Brackendale Eagles Provincial Park, Stawamus Chief Provincial Park, Mamquam River and Tantalus Provincial Park. A short drive away: Howe Sound Crest Trail, Cheakamus River, Brohm Lake Interpretive Forest Trails, Brohm Lake Day Use Recreation Site and Alice Lake Provincial Park.
Parks
6 city parks covering 10.2 hectares. 98.6% of homes are within a five-minute walk (400 m) of a park.
Transit
9 bus stops with 660 weekday departures on routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 9. 95.4% of homes are within 400 m of a stop.
Road safety
ICBC recorded 445 crashes inside Downtown from 2021 to 2025, 111 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 A overall (85/100), #1 of 15 residential areas in and around Squamish. Its strongest categories are shops & food, health care and parks; its weakest are road safety. For families it ranks #5, for seniors #1 and for commuters #3. Grades come from public data only, never from reviews or opinion.
What outdoor spots are near Downtown?
100% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: Sea to Sky Trail, Ocean or tidal shoreline, Skwelwil'em Squamish Estuary Wildlife Management Area, Stawamus River, Estuary Trail and Smoke Bluffs Park. A bike ride away: Squamish River, Brackendale Eagles Provincial Park, Stawamus Chief Provincial Park, Mamquam River and Tantalus Provincial Park. A short drive away: Howe Sound Crest Trail, Cheakamus River, Brohm Lake Interpretive Forest Trails, Brohm Lake Day Use Recreation Site and Alice Lake Provincial Park. Nature & outdoors grades A.
What schools are in Downtown?
Public schools inside the boundary: Ecole Squamish Elementary. 90.6% of homes are within 1 km of an elementary school. Check catchments with Sea to Sky School District (School District 48).
Are the schools in Downtown good?
On provincial tests, Ecole Squamish Elementary beats 19% of BC schools (FSA 2023/2024–2025/2026, graduation assessments 2022/2023–2024/2025). SD48 graduates 95.3% 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 3,520 people (2021 Census), with a median age of 36.4. 52.1% of households own their home.
Is there good transit in Downtown?
95.4% of homes are within 400 m of a bus stop; 9 stops get 660 BC Transit departures on a weekday. Transit grades A.
Compare Squamish neighbourhoods
Best overall · Best for families with young kids · Best for seniors and retirees · Best for commuters
- Waterfront A · 84
- Hospital Hill A · 83
- Dentville B · 79
- Garibaldi Estates B · 78
- Valleycliffe B · 73
- Mamquam B · 71
- Crumpit Woods B · 65
- Garibaldi Highlands C · 62
- Business Park C · 60
- Brackendale C · 60
- Tantalus C · 58
- North Yards C · 58
- Loggers East C · 58
- University Highlands C · 53
Data last built 2026-11-06. How these grades are calculated