South KeysOttawa
It is one of the 103 neighbourhoods that make up Ottawa. A neighbourhood in Ottawa, home to 2,865 people.
Is South Keys a good place to live?
Real strengths, and real weak spots. South Keys grades C− overall, better than just over a fifth of Canadian towns, and ranks #750 of 858 in Ontario. Its lowest grade is for safety (D). It also trails on cost of living (C−). Residents are healthier than most (A). Getting around on foot or by bus is easy (A+).
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.
What makes South Keys stand out
The 3 things South Keys does most differently from other towns.
How South Keys grades
Each subject compares South Keys 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 →
Carleton University and 12 more in and around South Keys
Sights in South Keys and close by, ordered by how widely each is known.
MuseumCarleton University4 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumCanada Science and Technology Museum4.9 km outside town, to the north · 348K visitors a year
ZooCanada Agriculture and Food Museum4.9 km outside town, to the west
WaterfallHog's Back Falls3 km outside town, to the westCathedralCathedralSt. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral2.3 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumIngenium4.9 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- Carleton University: Harleyd613, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canada Science and Technology Museum: Ajadams94, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canada Agriculture and Food Museum: P199, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Hog's Back Falls: D. Gordon E. Robertson, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in South Keys.
South Keys earns an A for health
Measured across the City of Ottawa Health Unit: health survey and life expectancy
Smoking is rarer than in the province: nearly one in ten adults, against 11% for Ontario. In the health survey, 56% of adults in the region rated their health very good or excellent, above both Ontario’s towns (51%) and Canadian towns (52%). The region’s 2022/2024 life expectancy is 83.7, with women at 85.7 and men at 81.6. Closer to home, a hospital sits 3.9 km from the average resident of South Keys, about the norm of 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | South Keys | 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
South Keys earns a D for safety
Shared with the rest of the Ottawa service area: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000
Its police area recorded 8 violent incidents 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, below Ontario’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86) alike.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | South Keys | 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
Renting in South Keys eats 26% of household income, more than in both Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Owners put the median home at $300,000, lower than both Ontario’s towns ($695,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000). Shelter took 30% or more of income for nearly a quarter of households, about level with Ontario’s towns (22%) and above Canadian towns (18%). For rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom, the only official count covers all of the Ottawa-Gatineau metro area, South Keys included.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | South Keys | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 26% | 22% | 20% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $300,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 23% | 22% | 18% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
4 school boards overlap in South Keys, covering Ontario’s four systems
On results, 15 of its 26 tested schools sit in the lower two fifths in Ontario. 7 of the 29 teach in French, against 10% of schools in Ontario. Taken together, South Keys and its 3 km edge hold 25 elementary schools, 3 secondary schools and 1 alternative or adult school for 12,065 students.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alta Vista Public School Middle fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 655 | English public |
| St Patrick's High School CatholicLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,110 | English Catholic |
| École élémentaire catholique Marius-Barbeau FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 335 | French Catholic |
| St. Gemma Elementary School CatholicResults in the top fifth in OntarioElementary · Grades JK–6 | Elementary · Grades JK–6 | 330 | English Catholic |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | South Keys | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Wildfire low, radon 6.2%: how South Keys stands on hazards
Seismic risk runs high: $0.15 of expected damage per $1,000 of buildings a year, the typical town $0.030. No flood study for South Keys is on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | South Keys | 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 · Area behind the earthquake risk figures: the city of Ottawa
South Keys has a smaller share of its working-age people in jobs than 81% of Canadian towns
The average trip to work took 25 min, below Ontario’s towns (29 min) and close to Canadian towns (26 min).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | South Keys | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 25 min | 29 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
South Keys has colder winters than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: January lows of −14.3°C
July afternoons in South Keys average 27.0°C. Gardeners get 160 frost-free days, from 29 April to 7 October. Snowfall adds up to 232 cm a year, above Ontario’s towns (146 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. The most precipitation falls in June: 97 mm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | South Keys | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 232 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −14.3°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 27.0°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 154 | 139 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Ottawa (Airport))
South Keys has more protected land around it than 8 in 10 Canadian towns
2.2 km out lies the largest, Rideau Canal National Historic Site, at 19,972 ha. The 10 km around town hold 27 protected areas. For a national park, Thousand Islands National Park is 88 km away. A provincial park, Rideau River Provincial Park, lies 32 km away.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | South Keys | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 8.3% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 11 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Fewer children live in South Keys than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 11% are under 15
29% of residents are 65 or over, above Ontario’s towns (19%) and Canadian towns (19%) alike. Visible minorities make up 36% of the population, higher than both Ontario’s towns (26%) and Canadian towns (15%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
50.7% of South Keys’ residents are women
In 2021 there were 1,455 women to 1,415 men; Canada as a whole is 50.9% women.
| South Keys | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 61% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 29% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 9.8% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 60% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A normal November in South Keys runs from −2°C to 6°C
A normal November brings 74 mm of rain and snow. December follows at −2°C by day and −10°C by night. November usually brings some 21 cm of snow. ECCC’s forecast for Ottawa (Kanata - Orléans) is on the Weather page, hour by hour.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −4°C | −12°C | 192 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 0°C | 222 mm |
| Summer | 26°C | 14°C | 264 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 4°C | 251 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Ottawa (Airport)); 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
Ottawa public library serves the whole of Ottawa, so the library figures on this page are the city’s: 1,083,550 people, South Keys among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Everything we know about South Keys
South Keys’ neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Keys | 2,865 | — | C− | C− | D | A |
| Greenboro West | 5,597 | 1 | B+ | D | A | A |
| Emerald Woods - Sawmill Creek | 5,714 | 1.3 | B− | D− | A | A |
| Ledbury-Heron Gate-Ridgemont | 15,610 | 1.7 | C | D− | B− | A+ |
| Blossom Park - Timbermill | 8,907 | 1.9 | B+ | D | A+ | A |
| Greenboro East | 4,800 | 2.1 | A− | D | A+ | A |
| Riverside Park South - Revelstoke | 3,030 | 2.2 | B+ | C+ | C− | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about South Keys
Do people in South Keys speak French?
Many do: 29% are bilingual in English and French (Canadian towns’ median: 8%), and 0.4% speak French only.
Is South Keys a young town or an old one?
Its median age is 46.6, where Canadian towns sit at 45.2.
About South Keys
Neighbourhood in Ottawa
Where South Keys begins and ends inside Ottawa is TownRatings’s line, traced along census dissemination areas and named after the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 2,865 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- City
- Ottawa
- Census subdivision
- 3506008
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).