2011-09-23 Rugosomyces carneus (Bull.) Bon 170396

Canada›Ontario›Ottawa

Portobello SouthOttawa

TownGrade

#101 of 2,556

It is one of the 103 neighbourhoods that make up Ottawa. The neighbourhood has 29,960 residents and lies in Ottawa.

6 places within 19 kmMap →

Photo: This image is Image Number 170396 at Mushroom Observer , a source for mycological images. · CC BY-SA 3.0

Population

29,960

people, Census 2021

Median age

35.2

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

11%

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

Is Portobello South a good place to live?

Recorded crime is low (A). With an A overall, Portobello South is better than 95% of Canadian towns and ranks #29 of 858 in Ontario. Its schools beat most (A). Buying in is costly (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.

StrongestASafety ASchools AWalkability

How Portobello South grades

Each subject compares Portobello South 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

SafetyVery little crime by comparisonAOpen →SchoolsAmong the best of the towns comparedAOpen →WalkabilityBased on walking, cycling and transit to everyday placesAOpen →HealthAmong the healthiest places comparedAOpen →Cost of livingBelow the middle of the towns comparedCOpen →Hazard riskGraded on earthquake risk and radon, with high wildfire risk able to lower itC⁺Open →Jobs & incomeIncomes and work beat most townsBOpen →

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

What makes Portobello South stand out

The 3 things Portobello South does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Speak English and French

Who lives here

52% speak English and French

Compare 8% for the median of Canadian towns

Statistics Canada, Census 2021

Residents 65 and over

Who lives here

Only 9% are 65 or over

Where the typical figure for Canadian towns is 19%

Statistics Canada, Census 2021

Median household income, 2020

Income

$128,800 median household income

The median of Canadian towns: $81,000

Statistics Canada, Census 2021: household income in 2020.

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Portobello South.

SafetySafety A

Portobello South’s grade for safety: an A

55Crime Severity Index

Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 for the Ottawa service area

For violence alone, its police area’s index was 66, lower than both Ontario’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86). Violent crime in the area its police cover: 8 per 1,000 people a year.

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202356

202456

202552

2023–2025	Portobello South	Ontario	Canada
Violent crime	8	10.5	12
Violent Crime Severity Index	66	76	86
Crime Severity Index	55	56	67

3.5

violent incidents per 1,000 in the neighbourhood itself, a year

non-violent Crime Severity Index

32%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pagePortobello South’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety55 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Portobello South’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Portobello South safe?”

Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average

SchoolsSchools A

Teaching in French: 24 of Portobello South’s 44 schools

44schools within 3 kmASchools Grade

On results, 22 of its 36 tested schools sit in the top two fifths in Ontario. All four of Ontario’s systems run schools here, English and French, public and Catholic. 27 of the 44 are Catholic, more than the 34% in Ontario. St Peter High School is the biggest, at 1,385 students.

School	Level	Students	System
St Peter Intermediate School CatholicLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades 7–8	Elementary · Grades 7–8	725	English Catholic
St Peter High School CatholicLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12	Secondary · Grades 9–12	1,385	English Catholic
École secondaire catholique Béatrice-Desloges FrenchTeaches in FrenchSecondary · Grades 9–12	Secondary · Grades 9–12	800	French Catholic
École secondaire catholique Garneau FrenchResults in the top fifth in OntarioSecondary · Grades 9–12	Secondary · Grades 9–12	870	French Catholic

See all 44 schools →

Schools by system · Schools within 3 km

French Catholic17

English public10

English Catholic10

French public7

Schools within 3 km	Portobello South	Ontario	Canada
School boards	4	4	3
Nearest secondary school	2.3 km	1.2 km	1.2 km

20,810

students at the schools within 3 km, 2024-25

2.3 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pagePortobello South’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Language24 of 44 teach in French · 10% of schools in Ontario Every school44 schools within 3 km · 38 elementary schools and 6 secondary schools Results22 of 36 in the top two fifths · of the schools with results, placed against every school in Ontario The boards4 school boards · CSDC du Centre-Est de l'Ontario Questions“What schools are there in Portobello South?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25

HealthHealth A

Portobello South scores better for health than 87% of Canadian towns

56%very good or excellent healthAHealth Grade

For Portobello South itself the measure is access, and it lags: 13 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical. Smoking is rarer than in the province: 8.6% of adults, against 11% for Ontario; by contrast, the survey finds 56% of adults in very good or excellent health, above Ontario’s towns (51%) and Canadian towns (52%) alike. What’s more, people in the region live to 83.7 on average: 85.7 for women and 81.6 for men in 2022/2024. Figures for health survey and life expectancy are published for the City of Ottawa Health Unit as a whole, not for Portobello South alone.

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Portobello South56%

Ontario’s towns51%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Portobello South	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%

83.7

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

13 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

8.6%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

0.8 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pagePortobello South’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey56% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care13 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 0.8 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 85.7, men 81.6 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

HousingCost of living C

Renting in Portobello South costs 18% of household income, less than in both Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns

$650,000median home value, 2021CCost of living Grade

Shared with the rest of the Ottawa-Gatineau metro area: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom

83% of households own their home, higher than both Ontario’s towns (76%) and Canadian towns (74%). Shelter took 30% or more of income for 16% of households, below Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%) alike.

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

Portobello South$650,000

Ontario$695,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Portobello South	Ontario	Canada
Rent as a share of income	18%	22%	20%
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	16%	22%	18%
Households owning their home	83%	76%	74%
Median home value, 2021	$650,000	$695,000	$406,000

$1,916

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

Full pagePortobello South’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Renting$1,916 a month · A two-bedroom apartment, CMHC’s survey Cost of living5.1 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $650,000, against the median household income Owners and renters83% own their home

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Home values are owners’ own estimates at the May 2021 census, and incomes are for 2020.

Outdoors

More of the land around Portobello South is protected than around 9 in 10 Canadian towns

12%of the land within 10 km protected

CPCAD lists 41 protected areas within 10 km. The largest is Baie de Lochaber (section O. de la) Water Fowl Gathering Area: 324 ha, 7.8 km from the edge of town. Plaisance National Park (Québec) is the closest provincial park, at 21 km. The closest of Canada’s national parks is Thousand Islands National Park, at 98 km.

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Portobello South12%

Ontario’s towns2.3%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Portobello South	Ontario	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	12%	2.3%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	25	4	4

98 km

to Thousand Islands National Park

21 km

to Plaisance National Park (Québec)

beach within 5 km

public protected areas within 10 km

Full pagePortobello South’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas41 protected areas within 10 km · Baie de Lochaber (section O. de la) Water Fowl Gathering Area National & provincial parks98 km to a national park · Thousand Islands National Park

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

Climate

Winter nights bite in Portobello South: January lows of −16.5°C, colder than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns

26.2°CJuly afternoons

Frost usually lifts by 26 May and returns around 22 September: 119 days without it. The thermometer drops below freezing on 179 days a year, higher than both Ontario’s towns (139) and Canadian towns (159). January is the snowiest month, with 45 cm on average. The most precipitation falls in June: 95 mm in a normal year.

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−3.7°C

Spring10.7°C

Summer25.0°C

Autumn12.7°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Portobello South	Ontario	Canada
January night low	−16.5°C	−9.1°C	−13.5°C
Days with frost a year	179	139	159
Snowfall a year	185 cm	146 cm	141 cm
July afternoon high	26.2°C	26.7°C	25.5°C

185 cm

of snow a year

179

days with frost a year

119

frost-free days, 26 May to 22 Sep

120

days with precipitation a year

Full pagePortobello South’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 26.2°C, January lows −16.5°C Rain and snow938 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Snow185 cm of snow a year Weather station13 km to the station · Angers

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Angers)

Natural hazardsHazard risk C⁺

Portobello South is on Canada’s flood inventory: 1 listed, led by Rideau Valley Conservation Authority

Lowwildfire bandC⁺Hazard risk Grade

Radon is about average around Portobello South: 6.2% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. NRCan’s model puts the yearly earthquake loss at $0.15 per $1,000 of building value, above both Ontario’s towns ($0.043) and Canadian towns ($0.030). For earthquake risk, the only official count covers all of the city of Ottawa, Portobello South included.

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

Portobello South6.2%

Ontario’s towns4%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Portobello South	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%

$0.15

expected earthquake loss a year per $1,000 of buildings

Low

wildfire band

19 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

flood study on the national inventory

Full pagePortobello South’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$0.15 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Radon6.2% 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

Work & commuteJobs & income B

Household incomes in Portobello South are higher than in 98% of Canadian towns

11%walk, cycle or take transit

On average, the journey to work lasts 29 min. 84% of commuters drove, lower than both Ontario’s towns (88%) and Canadian towns (89%).

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van84%

Public transit9%

Walk2%

Census 2021	Portobello South	Ontario	Canada
Car or van	84%	88%	89%
Average trip	29 min	29 min	26 min

$128,800

median household income, 2020

42%

worked from home, May 2021

93%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pagePortobello South’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Unemployment8.5% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work11% walk, cycle or take transit

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.

Who lives here

More of Portobello South belongs to a visible minority than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 45%

35.2median age

2.5% of residents have an Indigenous identity, between Ontario’s towns (1.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%).

Portobello SouthOntarioCanada

OntarioCanada

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

23%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree11%

Postsecondary qualification66%

Women and men · all residents

51.8% of Portobello South’s residents are women

Here the census found 14,430 men and 15,525 women; the figure for women across Canada is 50.9%.

Who lives in Portobello South
	Portobello South	Ontario	Canada
Under 15	23%	15%	16%
15 to 64	68%	65%	64%
65+	8.7%	19%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	11%	15%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	66%	56%	56%

Full pagePortobello South’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Ages35.2 median age · 9% are 65 or over Households9,975 households English and French52% speak both · 3.5% speak French but not English

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

Weather

Portobello South in November: highs near 5°C, lows near −4°C

5°Ca normal November afternoon

About 16 cm of snow falls in a normal November. Precipitation in November averages 72 mm. Over the year, July is warmest at 26°C by day and January coldest at −17°C by night. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Gatineau forecast, on the Weather page.

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

November5°C

December−2°C

January−6°C

February−3°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	−4°C	−14°C	191 mm
Spring	11°C	−1°C	223 mm
Summer	25°C	12°C	275 mm
Autumn	13°C	2°C	249 mm

−4°C

a normal November night

72 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pagePortobello South’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 (Angers); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

One councillor per 47,520 residents: Ottawa is more thinly represented than 99% of Ontario municipalities

The riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) covering Portobello South is Orléans, and Marie-France Lalonde (Liberal Party of Canada) represents it in the House of Commons.

Turnout	Portobello South	Ontario	Canada
Municipal election, 2022	44%	31%	31%

Full pagePortobello South’s town hall & politics pageOpen the full Town hall & politics page

Who runs itCity council seats25

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade C⁺

Ottawa public library lends 7.6 items per person served, more than 91% of Ontario’s town libraries

Ottawa public library serves the whole of Ottawa, so the library figures on this page are the city’s: 1,083,550 people, Portobello South among them.

Full pagePortobello South’s library & civic life pageOpen the full Library & civic life page

A year at the library3.4 visits per person served Places to belong1.7 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Portobello South

15pages on Portobello South

The big questions

SafetyACrime Severity Index 55 Housing & costCHomes 5.1 × income Property pricesSchoolsA44 schools within 3 km HealthALife expectancy 83.7 in its region Work & commuteB67% of adults in work Natural hazardsC⁺Wildfire band: low

Out and about

Outdoors12% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 26°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 35.2 HistoryTown hallFamous people

Nearby attractions

Interpretation Centre and 12 more within 40 km

One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Portobello South; with it, the best known within 40 km.

All attractions →

MuseumMuseumInterpretation Centre4.7 km outside town, to the northwest

Art galleryNational Gallery of Canada18 km southwest · 237K visitors a year (2014)

Big drawMuseumCanadian Museum of History19 km west · 1.3M visitors a year

MuseumCarleton University19 km southwest

MuseumCanada Science and Technology Museum13 km southwest · 348K visitors a year

MuseumCanadian Museum of Nature18 km southwest

Photos: 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
Canada Science and Technology Museum: Ajadams94, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Canadian Museum of Nature: RealGrouchy, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Famous people from around Portobello South

No notable person born in Portobello South is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.

How we find them →

Cody CeciCanadian ice hockey player · born in Orleans Village - Chateauneuf · born 1993

Erik GudbransonCanadian ice hockey defenceman · born in Orleans Village - Chateauneuf · born 1992

Shawn LalondeCanadian ice hockey player · born in Orleans Village - Chateauneuf · born 1990

Jason AkesonCanadian ice hockey player · born in Orleans Village - Chateauneuf · born 1990

Dan TudinCanadian-born Italian ice hockey player · born in Orleans Village - Chateauneuf · born 1978

Luce DufaultCanadian singer · born in Orleans Village - Chateauneuf · born 1966

Photo credits

Cody Ceci: Lisa Gansky, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Erik Gudbranson: Pens Through My Lens, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Shawn Lalonde: Felix Roderer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dan Tudin: Ailura, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Luce Dufault: Zucchinijm|Disques Lunou, CC BY-SA 4.0

About Portobello South

Neighbourhood in Ottawa

The edges of Portobello South follow census dissemination areas, which TownRatings groups into Ottawa’s neighbourhoods; the name comes from the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.

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

Population: 29,960 (people, 2021 estimate)
Province or territory: Ontario
City: Ottawa
Census subdivision: 3506008

Portobello South’s neighbours

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

FallingbrookQueenswood HeightsCardinal CreekOrleans Village - ChateauneufChapel Hill SouthQueenswood - ChatelainePortobello South

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	km	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Portobello South	29,960	—	A	C	A	A
Fallingbrook	17,836	2.8	A⁺	C	A⁺	A
Queenswood Heights	8,998	3	A	C⁻	A⁺	A
Cardinal Creek	11,676	3.3	A⁺	C⁺	A⁺	A
Orleans Village - Chateauneuf	12,399	3.4	A⁺	C	A⁺	A
Chapel Hill South	14,278	4	A⁺	C⁺	A	A
Queenswood - Chatelaine	4,537	4.5	A	D	A⁺	A

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

Questions about Portobello South

Do people in Portobello South speak French?

52% of residents can hold a conversation in both English and French, against 8% for the median of Canadian towns; 3.5% speak French but not English.

How old are the people of Portobello South?

The typical resident is 35.2 (Canadian towns: 45.2), with seniors at 9% of the population and under-15s at 23%.

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).