Forest HeightsEdmonton
Of Edmonton’s 195 neighbourhoods, this is one. The neighbourhood, home to 4,118 people, lies in Edmonton.
Is Forest Heights a good place to live?
A town of contrasts. Where it falls short is cost of living (D). At B− overall, Forest Heights is better than 45% of Canadian towns and ranks #285 of 473 in Alberta. It lags on safety as well (C−). Walking, cycling and public transport work well here (A−). Health outcomes beat most towns (B+). The rest of its grades are middling: B for schools 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.
What makes Forest Heights stand out
The 3 things Forest Heights does most differently from other towns.
How Forest Heights grades
Each subject compares Forest Heights 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 →
Art Gallery of Alberta and 44 more in and around Forest Heights
The best-known places to visit in and around Forest Heights come first; the full list is on the Attractions page.
MuseumArt Gallery of Alberta1.5 km outside town, to the west
MuseumMuttart Conservatory700 m outside town, to the west
CathedralSt. Josaphat Cathedral1.5 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumRoyal Alberta Museum1.5 km outside town, to the northwest
ChurchSt. Joseph's Basilica, Edmonton3.2 km outside town, to the west
MuseumUkrainian Canadian Archives & Museum Of Alberta1.2 km outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Art Gallery of Alberta: Stella Blu, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Muttart Conservatory: WinterE229 WinterforceMedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- St. Josaphat Cathedral: Odysseus1479, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Royal Alberta Museum: Mack Male, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St. Joseph's Basilica, Edmonton: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johntwrl, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ukrainian Canadian Archives & Museum Of Alberta: 117Avenue, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Forest Heights.
Forest Heights is graded an A+ for hazard risk
Area-wide: radon tests, counted over the Capital Health
The national inventory holds one flood map for it, from Government of Alberta. In Health Canada’s survey, just 1.4% of homes tested in the area exceeded 200 Bq/m³ (6.6% typical). Seismic risk runs low: $0.013 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030. For earthquake risk, the only official count covers all of the city of Edmonton, Forest Heights included.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Forest Heights | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 1.4% | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.013 | $0.013 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Forest Heights is graded a D for cost of living
Shelter took 30% or more of income for a quarter of households, higher than both Alberta’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%). The median home value was $460,000, above Alberta’s towns ($400,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000) alike. Forest Heights doesn’t get its own rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom figures; the ones here come from the Edmonton metro area.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Forest Heights | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 25% | 21% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 21% | 20% | 20% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $460,000 | $400,000 | $406,000 |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · These are 2021 census values, as owners judged them, set against household income in 2020.
Violent crime weighs more where Forest Heights is policed than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 128
Measured across the Edmonton service area: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000
Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 110 over 2023–25, near Alberta’s towns (110) and higher than Canadian towns (67). The force’s area logs 45 thefts, break-ins and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Forest Heights | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 128 | 109 | 86 |
| Crime Severity Index | 110 | 110 | 67 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 45 | 45 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
51% of adults around Forest Heights rate their health very good or excellent
Closer to home, a hospital is just 2.4 km from the average resident of Forest Heights, nearer than the usual 3.7 km. A baby born in the region can expect 81.2 years, 83.6 for a girl and 78.8 for a boy (2022/2024). Pharmacies are closer at hand, 0.8 km away on average and 15 of them within 3 km of a typical home.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Forest Heights | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 51% | 51% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Area behind the health survey and life expectancy figures: the Edmonton Zone
Schools in Forest Heights: 7 boards, side by side
In or within 3 km of Forest Heights: 26 elementary schools, 25 secondary schools and 13 schools for every grade, with 29,712 students. Centre High is the biggest, at 2,501 students. Of its 43 tested schools, 15 sit in the top two fifths in Alberta and 21 in the bottom two. 5 of the 64 teach in French, against 2% of schools in Alberta.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delton School Bottom fifth in AlbertaLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades K–6 | Elementary · Grades K–6 | 482 | English public |
| Centre HighLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 12–12 | Secondary · Grades 12–12 | 2,501 | English public |
| École Michaëlle-Jean FrenchTeaches in FrenchSecondary · Grades 7–12 | Secondary · Grades 7–12 | 332 | French public |
| Clara Tyner School Top fifth in AlbertaResults in the top fifth in AlbertaElementary · Grades K–6 | Elementary · Grades K–6 | 154 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Forest Heights | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Households in Forest Heights earn more than those in 74% of Canadian towns
The average trip to work takes 24 min. The car took 86% of commuters, near both Alberta’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Forest Heights | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 24 min | 26 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 86% | 88% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
Less rain and snow fall on Forest Heights than on 90% of Canadian towns: 423 mm a year
There are 179 days of frost in a typical year, below Alberta’s towns (193) but above Canadian towns (159). The most precipitation falls in July: 83 mm in a normal year. Frost usually lifts by 7 May and returns around 25 September: 141 days without it. A July afternoon in Forest Heights typically reaches 23.5°C.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Forest Heights | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precipitation a year | 423 mm | 431 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 23.5°C | 23.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 179 | 193 | 159 |
| Snowfall a year | 124 cm | 127 cm | 141 cm |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Edmonton (City))
Fewer children live in Forest Heights than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 14% are under 15
First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 8.5% of residents, above Alberta’s towns (4.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%) alike. The 65-and-over age group makes up 21% of residents.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
51.1% of Forest Heights’ residents are women
Census 2021 put women at 2,105 and men at 2,015; women are 50.9% of Canada.
| Forest Heights | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 66% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 21% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 65% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
In Forest Heights, November normally means 1°C afternoons and −8°C nights
November normally sees 18 mm of precipitation. Into December, the normals move to −5°C and −13°C. Snow is normal by November, about 20 cm over the month. Across the year, normals run from −15°C nights in January to 24°C afternoons in July.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −5°C | −14°C | 43 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −1°C | 90 mm |
| Summer | 22°C | 11°C | 213 mm |
| Autumn | 9°C | 0°C | 77 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Edmonton (City)); the forecast is on the Weather page
At 69%, 2021 turnout in Edmonton Strathcona beat 91% of the country’s ridings
City council runs Forest Heights, and Edmonton’s mayor is Andrew Knack.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
No public library stands in Forest Heights: the closest, Edmonton Public Library, Capilano, is 1.3 km away
The library figures on this page are Edmonton’s: Edmonton Library serves all 972,223 people of the city, Forest Heights among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Within 32 km of Forest Heights: Elk Island National Park
13 km from town is Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park, the nearest provincial park. 2 mapped walking routes pass within 2 km, among them the Amisk Wacîw Mêskanaw and Edmonton Pedway Network. One beach is mapped within 5 km: Accidental Beach.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Forest Heights | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 0 | 2 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
An older town: 40% of Forest Heights’s homes predate 1961
| Heritage | Forest Heights | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 40% | 4.5% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Forest Heights
Forest Heights’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Heights | 4,118 | — | B− | D | C− | B+ |
| Holyrood | 3,305 | 1.5 | B− | C− | C− | B |
| Virginia Park | 3,431 | 1.6 | D | D | C− | B+ |
| Capilano | 5,046 | 1.6 | B+ | B− | C− | B |
| Riverdale | 5,490 | 1.8 | B− | D | C− | B+ |
| Boyle Street | 5,862 | 1.8 | C | D | C− | B+ |
| Ottewell | 8,040 | 1.9 | B− | C− | C− | B |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
About Forest Heights
Neighbourhood in Edmonton
Statistics Canada counts Edmonton as one municipality, so TownRatings builds Forest Heights 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
- 4,118 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- City
- Edmonton
- Census subdivision
- 4811061
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).