McKenzie LakeCalgary
It is one of 152 neighbourhoods of Calgary. A neighbourhood in Calgary, home to 11,966 people.
Is McKenzie Lake a good place to live?
Health is a strength (A). Its schools beat most (A). The drawback is cost of living (C+). Put together, the subjects come to an A− overall, ranking #43 of 473 in Alberta. Set against the rest, it does better than 84% of Canadian towns. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for safety and B for walkability.
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety less sure: this is the whole city's figure, because the city doesn't publish open neighbourhood crime rates. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How McKenzie Lake grades
Each subject compares McKenzie Lake with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes McKenzie Lake stand out
The 3 things McKenzie Lake does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in McKenzie Lake.
McKenzie Lake gets an A for health
People in the region live to 83.0 on average: 85.0 for women and 80.9 for men in 2022/2024. Smoking takes in 7.9% of adults, age-standardised, lower than both Alberta’s towns (12%) and Canadian towns (12%), though in the health survey, 56% of adults in the region rate their health very good or excellent, more than Alberta’s 53%. The town’s own part is the trip to care: residents of McKenzie Lake live 4.4 km from a hospital on average, close to the typical town’s 3.7 km. For health survey and life expectancy, the only official count covers all of the Calgary Zone, McKenzie Lake included.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | McKenzie Lake | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 56% | 51% | 52% |
| Smokers | 7.9% | 12% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 83.0 | 81.2 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Schools in McKenzie Lake: 3 boards, side by side
Its elementary schools are big ones, 432 students on average, against 274 in Alberta. On the tests, 11 of 21 schools land above the middle in Alberta, 3 under it. Catholic schools make up 11 of 33, above the 18% in Alberta. In or within 3 km of McKenzie Lake: 19 elementary schools, 1 secondary school and 13 schools for every grade, with 18,654 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayside SchoolLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades K–5 | Elementary · Grades K–5 | 627 | English public |
| Lakeshore School Second fifth in AlbertaLargest secondary schoolAll grades · Grades 6–9 | All grades · Grades 6–9 | 980 | English public |
| St. Gianna School CatholicResults in the top fifth in AlbertaElementary · Grades K–6 | Elementary · Grades K–6 | 383 | English Catholic |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | McKenzie Lake | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Households in McKenzie Lake earn more than those in 98% of Canadian towns
Commutes averaged 24 min, lower than both Alberta’s towns (26 min) and Canadian towns (26 min).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | McKenzie Lake | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 24 min | 26 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
McKenzie Lake is on Canada’s flood inventory: 1 listed, led by Government of Alberta
For earthquakes McKenzie Lake is middling, $0.023 a year per $1,000 against $0.030 for the typical town. Radon is about average around McKenzie Lake: 8.1% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. McKenzie Lake shares its radon tests numbers with the rest of the Calgary Health Region.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | McKenzie Lake | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 8.1% | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.023 | $0.013 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory · Earthquake risk: one figure for all of the city of Calgary
Most households in McKenzie Lake own their home: 90%, more than in Alberta’s towns or across Canadian towns
14% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, below both Alberta’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%). The median home value was $536,000, above Alberta’s towns ($400,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000) alike.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | McKenzie Lake | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 90% | 74% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 14% | 21% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 18% | 20% | 20% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $536,000 | $400,000 | $406,000 |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Home values are owners’ own estimates at the May 2021 census, and incomes are for 2020. · Rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom: the Calgary metro area
Precipitation in McKenzie Lake trails that of 82% of Canadian towns: 445 mm a year
The most precipitation falls in June: 113 mm in a normal year. Summer highs average 23.5°C in July, about level with Alberta’s towns (23.5°C) and below Canadian towns (25.5°C). Gardeners get 119 frost-free days, from 21 May to 18 September. March is the snowiest month, with 24 cm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | McKenzie Lake | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precipitation a year | 445 mm | 431 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 23.5°C | 23.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 193 | 193 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Calgary (Airport))
A younger town: only 12% of people in McKenzie Lake are 65 or over, fewer than in Alberta’s towns and Canadian towns
Children under 15 make up 18%, close to Alberta’s towns (18%) and above Canadian towns (16%). First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 4.2% of residents, between Alberta’s towns (4.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
49.8% of McKenzie Lake’s residents are women
5,955 women and 6,010 men at the 2021 census; across Canada, women are 50.9%.
| McKenzie Lake | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 70% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 12% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 10% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 59% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A normal November in McKenzie Lake runs from −8°C to 4°C
ECCC’s forecast for Calgary is on the Weather page, hour by hour. The month after, December, normally sees freezing afternoons and −12°C nights. Snowfall in a normal November: 19 cm. Precipitation in November averages 16 mm.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −1°C | −12°C | 34 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −2°C | 108 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 9°C | 232 mm |
| Autumn | 11°C | −1°C | 71 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Calgary (Airport)); the forecast is on the Weather page
Calgary Shepard, which takes in McKenzie Lake, is held by Tom Kmiec (Conservative Party of Canada)
No provincial riding is named for McKenzie Lake: the only boundary file for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta forbids commercial reuse.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
At 12.7 loans per person served, Calgary Library lends more than four in five Alberta’s town libraries
Calgary Library serves the whole of Calgary, so the library figures on this page are the city’s: 1,285,711 people, McKenzie Lake among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
McKenzie Lake gets a B− for safety
Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 for the Calgary service area
Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 67 over 2023–25, about level with Canadian towns (67) and below Alberta’s towns (110). The force’s area logs 10.6 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year. Property crime in the area its police cover: 31.9 per 1,000 people a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | McKenzie Lake | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 67 | 110 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 79 | 109 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 31.9 | 45 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 10.6 | 14.2 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Fish Creek Provincial Park begins where McKenzie Lake ends
2 protected areas lie within 10 km. For a national park, Banff National Park is 89 km away. The protected share of the 10 km around the town is 3.3%, higher than both Alberta’s towns (0.4%) and Canadian towns (2.3%). Within 5 km are 17 beaches; Sikome Lake North is the nearest.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | McKenzie Lake | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 3.3% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about McKenzie Lake
Sikome Aquatic Facility and 12 more within 40 km
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of McKenzie Lake; with it, the best known within 40 km.
MuseumGlenbow Museum15 km north · 149K visitors a year (2019)
AttractionCalgary Tower15 km north
ZooCalgary Zoo15 km north
MuseumTelus Spark Science Centre15 km north · 380K visitors a year
CathedralSt. Mary's Cathedral14 km northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- Glenbow Museum: Darthrussel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Calgary Tower: Qyd, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Calgary Zoo: Qyd, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Telus Spark Science Centre: CharlesAPhillips63, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St. Mary's Cathedral: Dr Haggis at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
About McKenzie Lake
Neighbourhood in Calgary
Statistics Canada counts Calgary as one municipality, so TownRatings builds McKenzie Lake and its other neighbourhoods from census dissemination areas, named from the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 11,966 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- City
- Calgary
- Census subdivision
- 4806016
McKenzie Lake’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McKenzie Lake | 11,966 | — | A− | C+ | B− | A |
| McKenzie Towne | 17,757 | 1.5 | A | C | B− | A+ |
| Deer Run | 3,652 | 1.7 | A− | C− | B− | A+ |
| Deer Ridge | 4,454 | 2.4 | B+ | D | B− | A+ |
| New Brighton | 13,048 | 2.6 | A | C | B− | A |
| Parkland | 3,652 | 3.2 | A− | C+ | B− | A+ |
| Douglasdale/Glen | 13,333 | 3.4 | A− | C+ | B− | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about McKenzie Lake
How old are the people of McKenzie Lake?
The median resident is 40.8 years old, against 45.2 for the median of Canadian towns. 18% are under 15 and 12% are 65 or over.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).