CarlisleHamilton
This neighbourhood in Hamilton has a population of 7,161. Of Hamilton’s 106 neighbourhoods, this is one.
Is Carlisle a good place to live?
A solid town with one catch. With a B overall, Carlisle is better than 61% of Canadian towns and ranks #355 of 858 in Ontario. School results are strong (A−). Getting around depends on the car (C−). Elsewhere it is close to typical: C+ for cost of living, B− for safety, B− for health 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 Carlisle stand out
The 3 things Carlisle does most differently from other towns.
How Carlisle grades
Each subject compares Carlisle 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 →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Carlisle.
9 of Carlisle’s 14 tested schools score in the top two fifths in Ontario
Teenagers have 9.3 km to go to the closest secondary school, higher than both Ontario’s towns (1.2 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km). No single board runs them all: there are 4. None of them teaches in French, though 10% of schools in Ontario do. The 3 km around Carlisle counts 13 elementary schools and 1 secondary school, 6,675 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guy B Brown Elementary Public School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 705 | English public |
| Waterdown District High School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,140 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Carlisle | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 9.3 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
| School boards | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Flood mapping exists for Carlisle: 1 on record, latest by Conservation Halton
About as many homes carry radon around Carlisle as elsewhere, 5% over the guideline where the typical town has 6.6%. Shaking is about as much of a worry in Carlisle as in most places, at $0.044 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). For earthquake risk, the only official count covers all of the city of Hamilton, Carlisle included.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Carlisle | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 5% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.044 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Carlisle has milder winters than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: January lows of −6.3°C
Snowfall adds up to 115 cm a year, below Ontario’s towns (146 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. Snow peaks in January: 32 cm in a normal year. A normal July brings 98 mm of precipitation, more than any other month.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Carlisle | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days with frost a year | 98 | 139 | 159 |
| January night low | −6.3°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 115 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 25.5°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Burlington Piers)
Commuters in Carlisle travel further than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns, 31 min on average
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Carlisle | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 31 min | 29 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.
Renting in Carlisle costs 14% of household income, less than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns
Owners make up 92% of households, above both Ontario’s towns (76%) and Canadian towns (74%). 16% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, lower than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%). Carlisle 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 Hamilton metro area.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Carlisle | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 14% | 22% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 92% | 76% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 16% | 22% | 18% |
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.
Fewer of Carlisle’s people belong to a visible minority than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 3.9%
The share of residents under 15 is 17%. 0.8% of residents have an Indigenous identity, below both Ontario’s towns (1.6%) 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
Women make up 49.0% of Carlisle
Here the census found 3,655 men and 3,510 women; the figure for women across Canada is 50.9%.
| Carlisle | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 66% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 18% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 61% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
What November brings in Carlisle: 3°C at night, 8°C by day
About 9 cm of snow falls in a normal November. November normally sees 78 mm of precipitation. Normal highs peak at 26°C in July; nights bottom out at −6°C in January. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Burlington forecast, on the Weather page.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 1°C | −5°C | 194 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 3°C | 231 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 17°C | 242 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 9°C | 236 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Burlington Piers); the forecast is on the Weather page
Carlisle sends Dan Muys (Conservative Party of Canada) to the Commons from Flamborough—Glanbrook—Brant North
Carlisle is in Flamborough—Glanbrook for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, whose current MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) no open source we can use records yet.
| Turnout | Carlisle | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 35% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Carlisle Branch Library and Hamilton Public Library - Carlisle Branch are Carlisle’s two public libraries
The library figures on this page are Hamilton’s: Hamilton Public Library serves all 592,000 people of the city, Carlisle among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Carlisle gets a B− for safety
Measured across the Hamilton 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 66 over 2023–25, about level with Canadian towns (67) and above Ontario’s towns (56). The violent index for its police area came to 86, about level with Canadian towns (86) and above Ontario’s towns (76).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Carlisle | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 66 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 86 | 76 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
The nearest provincial park, Bronte Creek Provincial Park, is 8.8 km from Carlisle
CPCAD lists 30 protected areas within 10 km. A drive of 76 km reaches Rouge National Urban Park, the nearest national park. Within 10 km of the town, 4% of the land is protected, against 2.3% around a typical Canadian town. For walks, the Bruce Trail - Iroquoia section runs within 2 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Carlisle | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 4% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
53% of adults around Carlisle rate their health very good or excellent
Health survey and life expectancy for the City of Hamilton Health Unit
What sets Carlisle apart within its region is a longer trip to hospital, 14 km for the average resident (3.7 km typical). At 13%, the share of adults who smoke tops the 11% for Ontario. Across the region, life runs to 81.2 years on average: women 83.5, men 79.0, in 2022/2024.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Carlisle | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 53% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.2 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 17% | 17% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Progreston Falls and 7 more in and around Carlisle
A first look at Carlisle’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.
Abbey or prioryHoly Transfiguration Monastery (Milton, Ontario)1.1 km outside town, to the north
Art galleryTrue North Gallery1.9 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionThe Apple Orchardin townWaterfallWaterfallGrindstone Cascade2.4 km outside town, to the southeastWaterfallWaterfallLower Hopkins Cascade4.1 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Milton, Ontario): Vujcic, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- True North Gallery: Lisa Jefferies, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Everything we know about Carlisle
Famous people from around Carlisle
2 notable people were born in Carlisle; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Katie Douglas: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Torri Higginson: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0
Carlisle’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlisle | 7,161 | — | B | C+ | B− | B− |
| Freelton | 2,724 | 3.7 | B+ | C+ | B− | B− |
| Waterdown | 23,858 | 9.6 | B+ | C+ | B− | B |
| Colborne | 7,447 | 13 | B+ | C | B− | B |
| York Road | 4,931 | 14 | B+ | C− | B− | B |
| Burlington | 197,737 | 14 | A+ | C− | A | A |
| Golf Course | 3,741 | 15 | A− | C+ | B− | B |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
About Carlisle
Neighbourhood in Hamilton
Statistics Canada counts Hamilton as one municipality, so TownRatings builds Carlisle 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
- 7,161 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- City
- Hamilton
- Census subdivision
- 3525005
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).