FitzroyOttawa
It is one of the 103 neighbourhoods that make up Ottawa. In Ottawa, this neighbourhood has 6,400 residents.
Is Fitzroy a good place to live?
A good place to live, if you can afford it. Overall, Fitzroy earns an A−, which places it #105 of 858 in Ontario. It comes out better than 81% of Canadian towns. Its strongest is safety (A+). Homes are dear (C−).
Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety uses the city's Crime Severity Index, scaled by this neighbourhood's own violent and property 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 Fitzroy grades
Each subject compares Fitzroy 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 Fitzroy stand out
The 3 things Fitzroy does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Fitzroy.
Fitzroy earns an A+ for safety
Measured across the Ottawa service area: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000
Violent incidents in its police area came to 8 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Ontario’s towns (10.5) and Canadian towns (12). For violence alone, its police area’s index was 66, lower than both Ontario’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Fitzroy | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 8 | 10.5 | 12 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 66 | 76 | 86 |
| Crime Severity Index | 55 | 56 | 67 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
The schools around Fitzroy answer to 6 boards
Within 3 km of Fitzroy are 7 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools, teaching 4,140 students. 4 of 7 schools with results score above the middle in Ontario. From the town centre, high school starts 9.6 km away, above Ontario’s towns (1.2 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km) alike. The largest is West Carleton Secondary School, with 1,290 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stonecrest Elementary School Fourth fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 655 | English public |
| West Carleton Secondary School Top fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,290 | English public |
| École de la Vallée-des-Voyageurs FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| St. John XXIII Separate School CatholicResults in the top fifth in OntarioElementary · Grades JK–6 | Elementary · Grades JK–6 | 320 | English Catholic |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Fitzroy | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Nearest secondary school | 9.6 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 4.7 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
For health, Fitzroy is ahead of 87% of Canadian towns
Smoking is rarer than in the province: nearly one in ten adults, against 11% for Ontario. Adults who call their own health very good or excellent: 56%, above both Ontario’s towns (51%) and Canadian towns (52%), and the region’s 2022/2024 life expectancy is 83.7, with women at 85.7 and men at 81.6. For Fitzroy itself the measure is access, and it lags: 13 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Fitzroy | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 56% | 51% | 52% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 83.7 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Smokers | 8.6% | 10% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 16% | 17% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Not measured by town: health survey and life expectancy (the City of Ottawa Health Unit)
More households own their home in Fitzroy than in Ontario’s towns or across Canadian towns: 93%
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 14% of households, lower than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%). The median home value was $500,000, below Ontario’s towns ($695,000) but above Canadian towns ($406,000). Figures for rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom are published for the Ottawa-Gatineau metro area as a whole, not for Fitzroy alone.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Fitzroy | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 93% | 76% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 14% | 22% | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $500,000 | $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.
More of the land around Fitzroy is protected than around 9 in 10 Canadian towns
52 areas within 10 km are protected for nature. The closest of Canada’s national parks is Thousand Islands National Park, at 90 km. Within 5 km are 17 beaches; Constance Bay Beach is the nearest.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Fitzroy | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 16% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 25 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Winter nights bite in Fitzroy: January lows of −16.0°C, colder than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns
Summer highs average 26.9°C in July, close to Ontario’s towns (26.7°C) and above Canadian towns (25.5°C). Gardeners get 124 frost-free days, from 20 May to 22 September. Snow peaks in January: 53 cm in a normal year. June is the wettest month, with 99 mm of rain and snow on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Fitzroy | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −16.0°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Snowfall a year | 193 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| Days with frost a year | 170 | 139 | 159 |
| July afternoon high | 26.9°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Luskville)
Flood mapping exists for Fitzroy: 3 on record, latest by Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority
Earthquake risk for the city of Ottawa
The expected yearly loss to earthquakes is $0.15 for each $1,000 of buildings, above Ontario’s towns ($0.043) and Canadian towns ($0.030) alike. Radon around Fitzroy is ordinary for Canada: 6.2% of tested homes over the guideline (6.6% typical). Wildfire is rare near Fitzroy: 0.1% of the land within 25 km has burned since 1986, a burn rate of 0.002% a year.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Fitzroy | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.15 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
| Radon tests above the guideline | 6.2% | 4% | 6.6% |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
More people in Fitzroy speak English and French than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 22%
2.3% of residents belong to a visible minority, below both Ontario’s towns (26%) and Canadian towns (15%). Those 65 and older account for just over a fifth of residents.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
49.0% of Fitzroy’s residents are women
3,140 women and 3,270 men at the 2021 census; across Canada, women are 50.9%.
| Fitzroy | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 65% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 21% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 59% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A normal November in Fitzroy runs from −3°C to 6°C
The month after, December, normally sees −2°C afternoons and −11°C nights. In November, the normal is 74 mm of rain and snow. ECCC’s forecast for Chelsea is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −3°C | −14°C | 215 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | −1°C | 216 mm |
| Summer | 26°C | 13°C | 292 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 3°C | 246 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Luskville); the forecast is on the Weather page
Ottawa Public Library lends 7.6 items per person served, more than 91% of Ontario’s town libraries
Fitzroy is served by Ottawa Public Library, the library of all of Ottawa, so the figures here are the city’s, for 1,083,550 people.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Commuters in Fitzroy travel further than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns, 39 min on average
95% of commuters drove, higher than both Ontario’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Fitzroy | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 39 min | 29 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 95% | 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.
Everything we know about Fitzroy
Arnprior & District Museum and 12 more within 40 km
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Fitzroy; with it, the best known within 40 km.
Art galleryNational Gallery of Canada36 km east · 237K visitors a year (2014)
Big drawMuseumCanadian Museum of History35 km east · 1.3M visitors a year
MuseumCarleton University37 km east
MuseumCanadian Museum of Nature37 km east
MuseumCanadian War Museum34 km eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- National Gallery of Canada: Wladyslaw [Disk.], CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canadian Museum of History: Wojciech Dittwald, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Carleton University: Harleyd613, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canadian Museum of Nature: RealGrouchy, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Canadian War Museum: Balcer~commonswiki, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Famous people from around Fitzroy
One notable person was born in Fitzroy; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
James C. Willson: Unknown author, Public domain · Hib Milks: Unknown author, Public domain · Evan Milward: Djuradj Vujcic, CC BY 2.0 · André Fortin: TVA Nouvelles, CC BY 3.0
About Fitzroy
Neighbourhood in Ottawa
Statistics Canada counts Ottawa as one municipality, so TownRatings builds Fitzroy 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
- 6,400 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- City
- Ottawa
- Census subdivision
- 3506008
Fitzroy’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
Questions about Fitzroy
Do people in Fitzroy speak French?
22% of residents can hold a conversation in both English and French, against 8% for the median of Canadian towns; 0% speak French but not English.
Is Fitzroy a young town or an old one?
Its median age is 48.3, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2. Under-15s are 15% of residents; over-65s, 21%.
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).