VarsityCalgary
A neighbourhood of 12,605 in Calgary. It is one of the 152 neighbourhoods that make up Calgary.
Is Varsity a good place to live?
The everyday basics are strong; the price of a home is the catch. Overall, Varsity earns a B+, better than three quarters of Canadian towns. In the ranking it comes #121 of 473 in Alberta. Health is a strength (A+). Schools are another plus (A). Buying in is costly (D). Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for safety and B for jobs & income.
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 Varsity grades
Each subject compares Varsity 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 Varsity stand out
The 3 things Varsity does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Varsity.
For health, Varsity gets an A+
At 7.9%, the share of adults who smoke sits under the 11% for Alberta. Chronic conditions run at 16% of adults, age-standardised, lower than both Alberta’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (17%). Across the region, 56% of adults say their health is very good or excellent; Alberta as a whole manages 53%. People in the region live to 83.0 on average: 85.0 for women and 80.9 for men in 2022/2024. Varsity doesn’t get its own health survey and life expectancy figures; the ones here come from the Calgary Zone.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Varsity | 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
Rent takes more of local pay in Varsity than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 25% of household income
63% of households own their home, below Alberta’s towns (74%) and Canadian towns (74%) alike.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Varsity | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 25% | 20% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 26% | 21% | 18% |
| Households owning their home | 63% | 74% | 74% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $600,000 | $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. · Area behind the rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom figures: the Calgary metro area
8 school boards share Varsity
In or within 3 km of Varsity: 45 elementary schools, 13 secondary schools and 14 schools for every grade, with 32,635 students. 32 of 50 schools with results score above the middle in Alberta. St. Francis High School is the biggest, at 2,210 students. Schooling in French is on offer at 2 of 72; in Alberta, 2% of schools teach in it.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brentwood School Top fifth in AlbertaLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades K–6 | Elementary · Grades K–6 | 816 | English public |
| St. Francis High School CatholicLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 10–12 | Secondary · Grades 10–12 | 2,210 | English Catholic |
| École Terre des Jeunes FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades K–6 | Elementary · Grades K–6 | 385 | French public |
| Branton School Top fifth in AlbertaResults in the top fifth in AlbertaAll grades · Grades 6–9 | All grades · Grades 6–9 | 746 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Varsity | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 6 | 3 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Varsity is on Canada’s flood inventory: 1 listed, led by Government of Alberta
About as many homes carry radon around Varsity as elsewhere, 8.1% over the guideline where the typical town has 6.6%. For earthquakes Varsity is middling, $0.023 a year per $1,000 against $0.030 for the typical town. Nobody publishes radon tests for Varsity alone, so this card uses the figure for the Calgary Health Region.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Varsity | 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
Varsity is drier than 82% of Canadian towns: 445 mm of rain and snow a year
March is the snowiest month, with 24 cm on average. Rain and snow peak in June, at 113 mm. There are 193 days of frost in a typical year, close to Alberta’s towns (193) and above Canadian towns (159). In July, daytime highs in Varsity average 23.5°C.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Varsity | 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))
Varsity has higher household incomes than 76% of Canadian towns
Workers spend 23 min getting to work, on average.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Varsity | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 75% | 88% | 89% |
| Average trip | 23 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.
An older town: 25% of people in Varsity are 65 or over, more than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns
13% are under 15, below Alberta’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (16%) alike. Visible minorities make up a third of the population, higher than both Alberta’s towns (29%) and Canadian towns (15%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
51.3% of Varsity’s residents are women
Women numbered 6,465 and men 6,130 in 2021, next to a 50.9% share of women for Canada.
| Varsity | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 62% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 25% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 7.4% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 72% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
In Varsity, November normally means 4°C afternoons and −8°C nights
Snowfall in a normal November: 19 cm. The month after, December, normally sees freezing afternoons and −12°C nights. Expect about 16 mm of rain and snow over November. ECCC’s forecast for Calgary (Olympic Park) is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
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
Corey Hogan (Liberal Party of Canada) holds Calgary Confederation, the riding that includes Varsity
33 of the 37 MPs from Alberta belong to the Conservative Party of Canada.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Calgary Library lends 12.7 items per person served, more than 82% of Alberta’s town libraries
The library figures on this page are Calgary’s: Calgary Library serves all 1,285,711 people of the city, Varsity among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
For safety, Varsity gets a B−
The Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 numbers here cover the Calgary service area
Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 67 over 2023–25, below Alberta’s towns (110) and close to Canadian towns (67). Its police area records 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 | Varsity | 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
8.7 km from Varsity to Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park
3 areas within 10 km are protected for nature. The closest of Canada’s national parks is Banff National Park, at 70 km. Of the country within 10 km, 0.3% lies in protected areas; the median Canadian town has 2.3%. Within 5 km are 2 beaches; Bowmont Beach is the nearest.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Varsity | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.3% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 3 | 2 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Varsity
Prince's Island Park and 6 more in and around Varsity
Museums, historic sites, parks, gardens and days out in and near Varsity, the best known first.
GardenPrince's Island Park4.9 km outside town, to the southeast
Art galleryContemporary Calgary4.7 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumCreative Kids Museum4.7 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumCanada's Sports Hall Of Fame2.6 km outside town, to the westArt galleryArt galleryBABA'S ART Haus4 km outside town, to the southArt galleryArt galleryFranz Dopf Gallery4.3 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Prince's Island Park: Scott5114, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Contemporary Calgary: MapleSoy, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
About Varsity
Neighbourhood in Calgary
Census areas put together by TownRatings make up Varsity, one part of Calgary; the city’s map or OpenStreetMap gives it its name.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 12,605 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- City
- Calgary
- Census subdivision
- 4806016
Varsity’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Varsity | 12,605 | — | B+ | D | B− | A+ |
| Dalhousie | 8,617 | 1.9 | B+ | D | B− | A+ |
| Brentwood | 7,369 | 2 | B+ | D | B− | A+ |
| Montgomery | 4,456 | 2.1 | A− | D | B− | A+ |
| University Heights | 4,031 | 2.5 | B | D− | B− | A+ |
| Bowness | 11,548 | 2.8 | B | D | B− | A |
| Silver Springs | 9,042 | 3.1 | A− | C− | B− | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Varsity
Is Varsity a young town or an old one?
Its median age is 42.6, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2. Under-15s are 13% of residents; over-65s, 25%.
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).