Grand ValleyOntario
The town, home to 4,759 people, lies in Ontario. It lies in Dufferin.
Is Grand Valley a good place to live?
Strong in places, weak in others. Where it falls short is schools (C−). Prices are high against local incomes (C−). Its strongest is safety (A+). The overall grade lands at B−, #515 of 858 in Ontario. Nationally, it does better than half of Canadian towns. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for health, B− for jobs & income, B for walkability and B− for hazard risk.
This town's rent is the 2021 census rent scaled to 2025 by its province's ratio of surveyed to census rents: no rental survey covers it, so its Cost Grade is less sure. 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 Grand Valley grades
Each subject compares Grand Valley 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 Grand Valley stand out
The 3 things Grand Valley does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Grand Valley.
Grand Valley’s Violent Crime Severity Index, 21, runs below Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Violent incidents came to 4.4 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Ontario’s towns (10.5) and Canadian towns (12).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Grand Valley | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 21 | 76 | 86 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 11.9 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Violent crime | 4.4 | 10.5 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Grand Valley’s teenagers travel 16 km to the nearest high school
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Valley & District Public School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 395 | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Grand Valley | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 16 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Measured against local pay, Grand Valley costs more to live in than 78% of Canadian towns
Shelter took 30% or more of income for nearly a quarter of households, higher than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%). Home ownership covers 86% of households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Grand Valley | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 86% | 76% | 74% |
| Rent as a share of income | 18% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 23% | 22% | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $700,000 | $695,000 | $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.
A town of families: 20% of people in Grand Valley are under 15, more than in both Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Just over one in ten residents are 65 or over, lower than both Ontario’s towns (19%) and Canadian towns (19%). Visible minorities make up 16% of the population, about level with Canadian towns (15%) and below Ontario’s towns (26%).
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 49.2% of Grand Valley
1,895 women and 1,955 men at the 2021 census; across Canada, women are 50.9%.
| Grand Valley | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 68% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 12% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 18% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 48% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
July afternoons in Grand Valley reach 25.4°C (Ontario towns 26.7°C, Canadian towns 25.5°C)
Winter lows average −10.7°C in January, lower than Ontario’s towns (−9.1°C) yet higher than Canadian towns (−13.5°C). December is the snowiest month, with 42 cm on average. A normal June brings 100 mm of precipitation, more than any other month.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Grand Valley | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precipitation a year | 1,035 mm | 902 mm | 883 mm |
| Snowfall a year | 174 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 25.4°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| January night low | −10.7°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Elora)
What November brings in Grand Valley: −2°C at night, 6°C by day
The forecast on the Weather page is ECCC’s for Orangeville. Expect around 22 cm of snow in November. A normal November brings 92 mm of rain and snow. July brings the warmest days, 25°C; February the coldest nights, −11°C.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −2°C | −9°C | 255 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 0°C | 240 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 13°C | 281 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 4°C | 258 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Elora); the forecast is on the Weather page
Grand Valley spends more per resident than 90% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities do
The October 2022 vote made Steve Soloman mayor of Grand Valley, heading 5 seats.
| Turnout | Grand Valley | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 23% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
At 12.7 loans per person served, Grand Valley Public Library lends more than all but a few of Ontario’s town libraries
Grand Valley Public Library serves 3,140 people from a single building.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Trips to work from Grand Valley take longer than from Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 42 min on average
The car took 94% of commuters, above both Ontario’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Grand Valley | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 42 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 94% | 88% | 89% |
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.
A flood study covers Grand Valley: 1 on the national inventory, the newest from Grand River Conservation Authority
Health Canada’s survey found radon above the guideline in just over one in ten homes, above both Ontario’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (6.6%). Shaking is about as much of a worry in Grand Valley as in most places, at $0.019 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical).
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Grand Valley | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 11% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.019 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
The nearest provincial park to Grand Valley is Boyne Valley Provincial Park, 16 km away
85 km separate the town from Rouge National Urban Park, its nearest national park. Within 10 km are 2 protected areas. Protected areas cover 0.1% of the land within 10 km; for the typical Canadian town it is 2.3%.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Grand Valley | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 0.1% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Very good or excellent health for 51% of adults in Grand Valley’s health region
The average trip from home to a hospital is 21 km, higher than both Ontario’s towns (3.3 km) and Canadian towns (3.7 km). Smoking is commoner than in the province: 13% of adults, against 11% for Ontario. Statistics Canada puts the region’s life expectancy at 82.4, women 84.5 and men 80.2 (2022/2024).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Grand Valley | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.4 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Health survey and life expectancy: one figure for all of the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Health Unit
Everything we know about Grand Valley
Famous people from around Grand Valley
2 notable people were born in Grand Valley; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Jeremy Wick: Fabien Perissinotto, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Thomas Miller: Government of Saskatchewan, Public domain · Edge: zuko1312, CC BY 2.0 · Ryan Cooley: Flickr user Tiger Girl, CC BY 2.0 · Nick Ritchie: 5of7, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Brett Ritchie: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0
About Grand Valley
Town in Ontario
Grand Valley is a municipality in Ontario, read by TownRatings as Statistics Canada draws it: one census subdivision, so its figures cover the whole municipality.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 4,759 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Dufferin
- Census subdivision
- 3522010
Grand Valley’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Valley | 4,759 | — | B− | C− | A+ | B− |
| East Garafraxa | 2,976 | 10 | A− | C+ | A+ | B |
| Amaranth | 4,808 | 14 | C+ | D | A+ | B |
| Orangeville | 33,070 | 17 | B | D | A− | B+ |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Grand Valley
Has Grand Valley grown?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 2,956 to 3,851 residents (up 30.3%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 4,759.
What kind of homes are in Grand Valley?
88% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 2.8 people; 21% are one person living alone.
Is Grand Valley a young town or an old one?
The median resident is 36.8 years old, against 45.2 for the median of Canadian towns. 20% 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).