ThorncliffEdmonton
With 3,564 residents, it is a neighbourhood in Edmonton. Edmonton is split into 195 neighbourhoods, and this is one.
Is Thorncliff a good place to live?
Some subjects shine; others lag. Where it falls short is cost of living (C−). Overall, Thorncliff earns a B−, better than 49% of Canadian towns. It ranks #263 of 473 in Alberta. On schools it is strong (A).
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 Thorncliff grades
Each subject compares Thorncliff 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 Thorncliff stand out
The 3 things Thorncliff does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Thorncliff.
For hazard risk, Thorncliff gets an A+
Area-wide: radon tests, counted over the Capital Health
Radon is lower than usual: 1.4% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Shaking is less of a worry than in most places, at $0.013 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). No flood study for Thorncliff is on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Thorncliff | 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 · Not measured by town: earthquake risk (the city of Edmonton)
4 boards run the schools in and around Thorncliff
On the tests, 13 of 34 schools land above the middle in Alberta, 13 under it. The largest is Jasper Place School, with 3,123 students. The 3 km around Thorncliff counts 30 elementary schools, 9 secondary schools and 6 schools for every grade, 17,924 students between them. Also worth knowing: 2 of the 45 teach in French, against 2% of schools in Alberta.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good Shepherd Catholic Elementary School CatholicLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades K–6 | Elementary · Grades K–6 | 620 | English Catholic |
| Jasper Place SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 10–12 | Secondary · Grades 10–12 | 3,123 | English public |
| École Notre-Dame FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades K–6 | Elementary · Grades K–6 | 421 | French public |
| Centennial School Top fifth in AlbertaResults in the top fifth in AlbertaElementary · Grades K–6 | Elementary · Grades K–6 | 404 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Thorncliff | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Measured against local pay, Thorncliff costs more to live in than four in five Canadian towns
A year’s rent came to nearly a quarter of the median household income, higher than both Alberta’s towns (20%) and Canadian towns (20%). 29% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, above Alberta’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Thorncliff | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 29% | 21% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 23% | 20% | 20% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $348,000 | $400,000 | $406,000 |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates. · Area behind the rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom figures: the Edmonton metro area
Violent crime weighs more where Thorncliff is policed than in Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 128
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. Thorncliff doesn’t get its own Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures; the ones here come from the Edmonton service area.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Thorncliff | 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
Around Thorncliff, 51% of adults call their health very good or excellent
Women in the region live to 83.6 and men to 78.8, 81.2 years taken together (2022/2024). For Thorncliff itself the measure is access, and it scores well: 1.0 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical. Pharmacies are closer at hand, 0.7 km away on average and 15 of them within 3 km of a typical home.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Thorncliff | 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 · Health survey and life expectancy: the Edmonton Zone
Working-age people in Thorncliff have jobs less often than in 85% of Canadian towns
Workers spend 25 min getting to work, on average.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Thorncliff | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 25 min | 26 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.
Precipitation in Thorncliff trails that of 90% of Canadian towns: 423 mm a year
January is the snowiest month, with 26 cm on average. For the wettest month, look to July: 83 mm on average. Summer highs average 23.5°C in July, about level with Alberta’s towns (23.5°C) and below Canadian towns (25.5°C). The frost-free season runs from 7 May to 25 September, 141 days.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Thorncliff | 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))
Visible minorities make up more of Thorncliff than of Alberta’s towns or Canadian towns: 56%
6.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity, higher than both Alberta’s towns (4.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%). Retirement age and beyond: 12% of residents are 65 or older. The under-15s are nearly a fifth of the population here.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 51.1% of Thorncliff
1,820 women and 1,740 men at the 2021 census; across Canada, women are 50.9%.
| Thorncliff | Alberta | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 69% | 67% | 64% |
| 65+ | 12% | 15% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 16% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 46% | 54% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Alberta and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A normal November in Thorncliff runs from −8°C to 1°C
At the extremes, July afternoons reach 24°C and January nights −15°C. Expect about 18 mm of rain and snow over November. A normal December brings highs of −5°C, lows of −13°C. Snowfall in a normal November: 20 cm.
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
Kelly McCauley (Conservative Party of Canada) represents Thorncliff in Ottawa as MP for Edmonton West
City council runs Thorncliff, and Edmonton’s mayor is Andrew Knack.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
No public library stands in Thorncliff: the closest, Lois Hole Library, is 1.3 km away
Edmonton Library serves the whole of Edmonton, so the library figures on this page are the city’s: 972,223 people, Thorncliff among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Elk Island National Park is 43 km from Thorncliff
For a provincial park, Big Island Provincial Park lies 7.3 km off. Count 3 protected areas within 10 km of town. 1.6% of the land and water within 10 km is protected (the typical Canadian town: 2.3%).
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Thorncliff | Alberta | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 1.6% | 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 Thorncliff
Mindbender and 12 more in and around Thorncliff
From museums to parks and historic sites: Thorncliff’s places to visit and those just beyond its edge, most famous first.
AttractionMindbender400 m outside town, to the northeast
Theme parkGalaxyland400 m outside town, to the northeast
Theme parkWorld Waterpark100 m outside town, to the north
GardenWilliam Hawrelak Park4.5 km outside town, to the east
MuseumFort Edmonton Park2.7 km outside town, to the southeastZooZooEdmonton Valley Zoo3.8 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- Mindbender: JZ85, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Galaxyland: JZ85, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- World Waterpark: Vr1, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William Hawrelak Park: WinterforceMedia ( WinterE229 19:13, 13 May 2008 (UTC)), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Fort Edmonton Park: Dylan Kereluk from White Rock, Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
About Thorncliff
Neighbourhood in Edmonton
Census areas put together by TownRatings make up Thorncliff, one part of Edmonton; 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
- 3,564 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Alberta
- City
- Edmonton
- Census subdivision
- 4811061
Thorncliff’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thorncliff | 3,564 | — | B− | C− | C− | B+ |
| West Meadowlark Park | 5,386 | 1.1 | B− | D | C− | B+ |
| Aldergrove | 5,311 | 1.3 | B | C− | C− | B+ |
| Elmwood | 2,522 | 1.3 | B | C− | C− | B+ |
| Belmead | 3,970 | 1.5 | C+ | D | C− | B+ |
| Callingwood South | 7,844 | 1.6 | C+ | C− | C− | B+ |
| La Perle | 7,889 | 1.9 | B− | C | C− | B+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Thorncliff
Is Thorncliff a young town or an old one?
Children make up 19% of the population and seniors 12%.
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).