Canada›Ontario›Kitchener

Pioneer Tower WestKitchener

TownGrade

A⁻

#345 of 2,556

This neighbourhood in Kitchener has a population of 4,122. Kitchener is split into 37 neighbourhoods, and this is one.

6 places within 19 kmMap →

Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domain

Population

4,122

people, Census 2021

Median age

43.5

years · Ontario’s towns: 46.8

Postsecondary

66%

of residents 15 and over hold a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree · Canadian towns: 56%

Walk, cycle, transit

10%

walk, cycle or take transit to work · Canadian towns: 8%

Is Pioneer Tower West a good place to live?

Health is a strength (A). Schools are another plus (A−). The typical owner put their home at $1,100,000 in 2021: 6.5 years of the median household’s income. Put together, the subjects come to an A− overall, ranking #91 of 858 in Ontario. Set against the rest, it does better than 83% of Canadian towns. Elsewhere it is close to typical: C+ for safety and B− for walkability.

Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021.

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.

StrongestAHealth A⁻Hazard risk A⁻Schools

How Pioneer Tower West grades

Each subject compares Pioneer Tower West 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 grading works

HealthAmong the best of the towns comparedAOpen →Hazard riskGraded on two hazards, earthquakes and radon, with nearby wildfire counted only against itA⁻Open →SchoolsSchools rank among the strongest comparedA⁻Open →Jobs & incomeAbove the middle of the towns comparedB⁺Open →SafetyGraded on crime per residentC⁺Open →WalkabilityAbout average among the towns comparedB⁻Open →Cost of livingBased on what homes cost against what households earnB⁻Open →

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

What makes Pioneer Tower West stand out

The 2 things Pioneer Tower West does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Median household income, 2020

Income

$168,800 median household income

Before tax, against $81,000 for the median of Canadian towns

Statistics Canada, Census 2021: household income in 2020.

Health

Better than 90%

of Canadian towns on health

Its health grade: A.

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Pioneer Tower West.

HealthHealth A

Pioneer Tower West’s grade for health: an A

53%very good or excellent healthAHealth Grade

Health survey and life expectancy for the Waterloo Health Unit

Arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure affect 16% of the region’s adults on average, below both Ontario’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (17%). Smoking is rarer than in the province: nearly one in ten adults, against 11% for Ontario, though the survey puts the region’s share in very good or excellent health at 53%, ahead of the 51% for Ontario. Lives in the region last 82.8 years on average (2022/2024): 84.9 for women, 80.7 for men.

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Pioneer Tower West53%

Ontario’s towns51%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Pioneer Tower West	Ontario	Canada
Chronic conditions (average share)	16%	17%	17%
Smokers	9%	10%	12%
Very good or excellent health	53%	51%	52%
Life expectancy at birth	82.8	82.8	81.5

82.8

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

of adults smoke, age-standardised

1.6 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pagePioneer Tower West’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey53% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care2.7 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 1.6 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 84.9, men 80.7 Conditions and habits16% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities

Natural hazardsHazard risk A⁻

Flood mapping exists for Pioneer Tower West: 1 on record, latest by Grand River Conservation Authority

Lowwildfire bandA⁻Hazard risk Grade

Shared with the rest of the city of Kitchener: earthquake risk

Fewer homes than usual carry radon here, 4% over the guideline where the typical town has 6.6%. NRCan expects $0.022 of shaking damage a year per $1,000 of buildings in Pioneer Tower West, near the typical $0.030.

Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³

Pioneer Tower West4%

Ontario’s towns4%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Pioneer Tower West	Ontario	Canada
Radon tests above the guideline	4%	4%	6.6%
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.022	$0.043	$0.030

Low

wildfire band

flood study on the national inventory

Full pagePioneer Tower West’s flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

FloodOne flood study on record WildfireLow wildfire band · No land burned within 25 km since 1986 Earthquakes$0.022 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Radon4% of tests above the guideline Be readyAlerts, FireSmart and radon tests

NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory

SchoolsSchools A⁻

Pioneer Tower West’s schools belong to 4 boards that cover the same streets

27schools within 3 kmA⁻Schools Grade

Huron Heights Secondary School is the biggest, at 1,455 students. On the tests, 7 of 21 schools land above the middle in Ontario, 6 under it. Counting a 3 km margin, Pioneer Tower West has 22 elementary schools and 5 secondary schools, for 11,270 students.

School	Level	Students	System
Groh Public School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8	Elementary · Grades JK–8	885	English public
Huron Heights Secondary School Second fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12	Secondary · Grades 9–12	1,455	English public
École secondaire David Saint-Jacques FrenchTeaches in FrenchSecondary · Grades 9–12	Secondary · Grades 9–12	105	French public
ÉSC Père-René-de-Galinée FrenchResults in the top fifth in OntarioSecondary · Grades 9–12	Secondary · Grades 9–12	495	French Catholic

See all 27 schools →

Schools by system · Schools within 3 km

English public16

English Catholic7

French public2

French Catholic2

Schools within 3 km	Pioneer Tower West	Ontario	Canada
School boards	4	4	3
Nearest secondary school	3.2 km	1.2 km	1.2 km

11,270

students at the schools within 3 km, 2024-25

3.2 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pagePioneer Tower West’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

The boards4 school boards · Waterloo Region DSB Every school27 schools within 3 km · 22 elementary schools and 5 secondary schools Results7 of 21 in the top two fifths · of the schools with results, placed against every school in Ontario Language4 of 27 teach in French · 10% of schools in Ontario Questions“What schools are there in Pioneer Tower West?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25

Work & commuteJobs & income B⁺

Households in Pioneer Tower West earn more than in almost any other Canadian town

10%walk, cycle or take transit

The average trip to work took 27 min, lower than Ontario’s towns (29 min) and near Canadian towns (26 min). Driving is how 87% of commuters got to work at the census.

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van87%

Public transit8%

Walk1%

Bicycle1%

Census 2021	Pioneer Tower West	Ontario	Canada
Average trip	27 min	29 min	26 min
Car or van	87%	88%	89%

$168,800

median household income, 2020

34%

worked from home, May 2021

47%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pagePioneer Tower West’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

UnemploymentOf the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work10% walk, cycle or take transit

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.

SafetySafety C⁺

Pioneer Tower West’s grade for safety: a C+

72Crime Severity Index

Its police area recorded 14.2 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, above both Ontario’s towns (10.5) and Canadian towns (12). Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 72 over 2023–25, higher than both Ontario’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67).

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202376

202473

202567

2023–2025	Pioneer Tower West	Ontario	Canada
Violent crime	14.2	10.5	12
Crime Severity Index	72	56	67

non-violent Crime Severity Index

32%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pagePioneer Tower West’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety72 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Pioneer Tower West’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Pioneer Tower West safe?”

Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000: the Waterloo Region (Kitchener) service area

Climate

January lows in Pioneer Tower West: −10.3°C, against −9.1°C in Ontario’s towns and −13.5°C in Canadian towns

26.6°CJuly afternoons

January is the snowiest month, with 32 cm on average. The frost-free season runs from 8 May to 5 October, 149 days. Also worth knowing: a normal July brings 96 mm of precipitation, more than any other month. Snow totals 115 cm over the year, below both Ontario’s towns (146 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm).

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−1.0°C

Spring11.6°C

Summer25.4°C

Autumn14.2°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Pioneer Tower West	Ontario	Canada
Snowfall a year	115 cm	146 cm	141 cm
January night low	−10.3°C	−9.1°C	−13.5°C
July afternoon high	26.6°C	26.7°C	25.5°C
Days with frost a year	156	139	159

115 cm

of snow a year

156

days with frost a year

149

frost-free days, 8 May to 5 Oct

115

days with precipitation a year

Full pagePioneer Tower West’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 26.6°C, January lows −10.3°C Rain and snow851 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Snow115 cm of snow a year Weather station6.7 km to the station · Kitchener/Waterloo

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Kitchener/Waterloo)

Who lives here

More of Pioneer Tower West belongs to a visible minority than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 33%

43.5median age

Children are 14% of the town. People 65 and over make up 18% of the town, close to both Ontario’s towns (19%) and Canadian towns (19%).

Pioneer Tower WestOntarioCanada

OntarioCanada

Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021

18%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree10%

Postsecondary qualification66%

Women and men · all residents

Women make up 49.0% of Pioneer Tower West

In 2021 there were 2,020 women to 2,105 men; Canada as a whole is 50.9% women.

Who lives in Pioneer Tower West
	Pioneer Tower West	Ontario	Canada
Under 15	14%	15%	16%
15 to 64	68%	65%	64%
65+	18%	19%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	9.9%	15%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	66%	56%	56%

Full pagePioneer Tower West’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Ages43.5 median age · 18% are 65 or over Households1,400 households English and French9% speak both · 0% speak French but not English

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+

Weather

Expect November days around 7°C in Pioneer Tower West, nights around −2°C

7°Ca normal November afternoon

Expect around 9 cm of snow in November. A normal December brings highs of 1°C, lows of −6°C. November normally sees 75 mm of precipitation. The year peaks in July (27°C) and bottoms out in January (−10°C).

Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

November7°C

December1°C

January−2°C

February−1°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	−1°C	−9°C	167 mm
Spring	12°C	0°C	218 mm
Summer	25°C	13°C	244 mm
Autumn	14°C	4°C	221 mm

−2°C

a normal November night

75 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pagePioneer Tower West’s weather pageOpen the full Weather page

Next 24 hoursTemperature and chance of rain, hour by hour The week aheadECCC’s days ahead, beside the normals The yearWarmest July, coldest January

ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Kitchener/Waterloo); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

Kitchener has one council seat for every 29,450 residents, more than 98% of municipalities in Ontario

Kitchener, which governs Pioneer Tower West, elected Berry Vrbanovic mayor in October 2022.

Turnout	Pioneer Tower West	Ontario	Canada
Municipal election, 2022	20%	31%	31%

Full pagePioneer Tower West’s town hall & politics pageOpen the full Town hall & politics page

Member of ParliamentMatt Strauss council seats11

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade C⁺

No public library stands in Pioneer Tower West: the closest, K.P.L. - Pioneer Park Community Library, is 2.6 km away

Pioneer Tower West is served by Kitchener public library, the library of all of Kitchener, so the figures here are the city’s, for 292,240 people.

Full pagePioneer Tower West’s library & civic life pageOpen the full Library & civic life page

A year at the library4.2 visits per person served Places to belong1.2 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

HousingCost of living B⁻

Renting in Pioneer Tower West costs 13% of household income, less than in both Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns

$1,100,000median home value, 2021B⁻Cost of living Grade

Measured across the Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo metro area: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom

Owners make up 89% of households, above Ontario’s towns (76%) and Canadian towns (74%) alike. 15% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, lower than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%).

What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census

Pioneer Tower West$1,100,000

Ontario$695,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Pioneer Tower West	Ontario	Canada
Median home value, 2021	$1,100,000	$695,000	$406,000
Rent as a share of income	13%	22%	20%
Households owning their home	89%	76%	74%
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	15%	22%	18%

$1,816

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

Full pagePioneer Tower West’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Renting$1,816 a month · A two-bedroom apartment, CMHC’s survey Cost of living6.5 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $1,100,000, against the median household income Owners and renters89% own their home

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.

Outdoors

Pioneer Tower West has 20 public protected areas within 10 km

2.3%of the land within 10 km protected

For walks, 2 named routes run within 2 km, such as the Grand Valley Trail and Homer Watson Loop Trail. No national park lies within 100 km. The largest named area nearby is Huron Natural Area, 96 ha, 3.2 km away.

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Pioneer Tower West2.3%

Ontario’s towns2.3%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Pioneer Tower West	Ontario	Canada
Public protected areas within 10 km	20	4	4
Protected land within 10 km	2.3%	2.3%	2.3%

48 km

to Trillium Woods Provincial Park

public protected areas within 10 km

Full pagePioneer Tower West’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas23 protected areas within 10 km · Huron Natural Area National & provincial parks48 km to a provincial park · Trillium Woods Provincial Park Footpaths & routes2 named routes · Grand Valley Trail

Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches

History

Heritage in Pioneer Tower West: 2 historic places, all of the highest rank

2historic places

The earliest construction date, 1834, belongs to Homer Watson House. Homes from before 1961 make up 6.1% of the stock, below both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%).

Historic places by designation · inside the town

Highest designations2

Other federal designations0

Provincial and local listings0

Among them

Homer Watson House 1834
Waterloo Pioneer Memorial Tower 1925

1834

oldest construction date on the record

6.1%

of homes built before 1961 · Canadian towns 18%

Heritage	Pioneer Tower West	Ontario	Canada
Homes built before 1961	6.1%	22%	18%

Full pagePioneer Tower West’s history pageOpen the full History page

On the registers2 historic places inside the town Highest designations2 top designations · Homer Watson House Older homes6.1% built before 1961 · Canadian towns: 18%Questions“How many historic places does Pioneer Tower West have?”

Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Pioneer Tower West

15pages on Pioneer Tower West

The big questions

SafetyC⁺Crime Severity Index 72 Housing & costB⁻Homes 6.5 × income Property pricesSchoolsA⁻27 schools within 3 km HealthALife expectancy 82.8 in its region Work & commuteB⁺59% of adults in work Natural hazardsA⁻Wildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors2.3% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 27°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 43.5 History2 places on the heritage registers Town hallFamous people

Nearby attractions

Waterloo Pioneer Memorial Tower and 7 more in and around Pioneer Tower West

A first look at Pioneer Tower West’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.

All attractions →

National historic site · Parks CanadaWaterloo Pioneer Memorial Towerin town

MuseumHomer Watson Housein town

MuseumDoon Heritage Village400 m outside town, to the west · 80K visitors a year

Ski hillChicopee Ski Club1.3 km outside town, to the northwest ZooZooCambridge Butterfly Conservatory4.7 km outside town, to the north MuseumMuseumKen Seiling Waterloo Region Museum500 m outside town, to the west

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (4)

Waterloo Pioneer Memorial Tower: Original photograph: Sarah Pidcock; derivative work: Mindmatrix, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Homer Watson House: Matt Deres, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Doon Heritage Village: Pcorb, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Chicopee Ski Club: Beowulf cam at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Famous people from around Pioneer Tower West

No notable person born in Pioneer Tower West is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.

How we find them →

Moses SpringerCanadian businessman and political figu… · born in Pioneer Park · 1824–1898

Phoebe Amelia WatsonCanadian painter · born in Pioneer Park · 1858–1947

Hilda RanscombeCanadian ice hockey player · born in Pioneer Park · 1913–1998

Photo credits

Moses Springer: Notman & Fraser, Public domain · Phoebe Amelia Watson: Unknown author, Public domain · Hilda Ranscombe: Preston Rivulettes, Public domain

About Pioneer Tower West

Neighbourhood in Kitchener

Pioneer Tower West is one of Kitchener’s neighbourhoods, which TownRatings draws from census dissemination areas and names from the city’s own map or OpenStreetMap.

Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.

Population: 4,122 (people, 2021 estimate)
Province or territory: Ontario
City: Kitchener
Census subdivision: 3530013

Pioneer Tower West’s neighbours

The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada

Pioneer ParkCentreville ChicopeeDoon SouthTrillium Industrial ParkVanierCountry HillsPioneer Tower West

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	km	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Pioneer Tower West	4,122	—	A⁻	B⁻	C⁺	A
Pioneer Park	8,781	2.7	B	D⁻	C⁺	A
Centreville Chicopee	10,291	3.7	B⁻	D⁻	C⁺	A
Doon South	15,044	3.7	B⁺	C	C⁺	A
Trillium Industrial Park	3,420	4.4	B⁻	D⁻	C⁺	A
Vanier	15,686	4.5	C⁺	D⁻	C⁺	A
Country Hills	4,561	5.2	B⁻	D⁻	C⁺	A

People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.

Questions about Pioneer Tower West

Is Pioneer Tower West a young town or an old one?

At 43.5, its median age compares with 45.2 across Canadian towns.

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).