WestboroOttawa
12,899 people call this neighbourhood in Ottawa home. It is one of 103 neighbourhoods of Ottawa.
Is Westboro a good place to live?
Health outcomes beat most towns (A+). Work and incomes are strong (A). Buying in is costly (D). Police record more crime here than in most towns (C−). The overall grade comes out at B, #338 of 858 in Ontario. Set against the rest, it does better than 62% of Canadian towns.
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 Westboro grades
Each subject compares Westboro 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 Westboro stand out
The 3 things Westboro does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Westboro.
Health in Westboro beats 96% of Canadian towns
The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 16% of adults, below Ontario’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (17%) alike. The region has fewer smokers than Ontario, nearly one in ten adults to 11%. In the health survey, 56% of adults in the region rate their health very good or excellent, more than Ontario’s 51%. For 2022/2024, the region’s figure is 83.7 years at birth, 85.7 for women and 81.6 for men.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Westboro | 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 · Health survey and life expectancy: one figure for all of the City of Ottawa Health Unit
Home ownership in Westboro, 48%, runs below Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
Measured across the Ottawa-Gatineau metro area: rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom
Owners put the median home at $800,000, above Ontario’s towns ($695,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000) alike. Rent took nearly a quarter of household income, higher than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (20%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Westboro | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 48% | 76% | 74% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $800,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
| Rent as a share of income | 23% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 22% | 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.
Commuters in Westboro have a short way to work, 22 min on average, less than in Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Westboro | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 22 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.
Westboro earns a C− 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
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, below Ontario’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86) alike.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Westboro | 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
Around Westboro, 13 schools of 39 teach in French
Nepean High School is the biggest, at 1,270 students. Results lean high: 15 of 25 in the top two fifths in Ontario. The schools around it answer to 6 boards, above Ontario’s towns (4) and Canadian towns (3) alike. 13,315 students attend the 30 elementary schools, 5 secondary schools, 3 schools for every grade and 1 alternative or adult school in or within 3 km of Westboro.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadview Public School Second fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 865 | English public |
| Nepean High School Top fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 1,270 | English public |
| École Jean-de-Brébeuf FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| Elmdale Public School Top fifth in OntarioResults in the top fifth in OntarioElementary · Grades JK–6 | Elementary · Grades JK–6 | 565 | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Westboro | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 6 | 4 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
Westboro is on Canada’s flood inventory: 2 listed, led by Municipalité de Pontiac
Radon around Westboro is ordinary for Canada: 6.2% of tested homes over the guideline (6.6% typical). Averaged over the years, quake damage costs $0.15 per $1,000 of buildings, higher than both Ontario’s towns ($0.043) and Canadian towns ($0.030). Figures for earthquake risk are published for the city of Ottawa as a whole, not for Westboro alone.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Westboro | 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
January nights in Westboro drop to −14.0°C (Ontario towns −9.1°C, Canadian towns −13.5°C)
Rain and snow peak in June, at 95 mm. Between the last spring frost, 30 April, and the first in autumn, 6 October, lie 158 days. Some 185 cm of snow falls in a typical year, above Ontario’s towns (146 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm) alike. Snow peaks in January: 45 cm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Westboro | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 185 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −14.0°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 26.7°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 147 | 139 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Ottawa (City))
Few places match Westboro for protected land nearby: more than 9 in 10 Canadian towns
For a swim, Westboro Beach is the nearest of 8 beaches within 5 km. The largest is Rideau Canal National Historic Site: 19,972 ha, 2.3 km from the edge of town. 32 protected areas lie within 10 km. A drive of 91 km reaches Thousand Islands National Park, the nearest national park.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Westboro | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 13% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 14 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Westboro skews older, with 23% of residents 65 or over, more than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns
13% are under 15, below both Ontario’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (16%). Visible minorities make up a fifth of the population, below Ontario’s towns (26%) but above 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
Women make up 53.0% of Westboro
By the 2021 count the town had 6,845 women and 6,070 men, while Canada has 50.9% women.
| Westboro | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 64% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 23% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 8.4% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 77% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Expect November days around 6°C in Westboro, nights around −2°C
About 16 cm of snow falls in a normal November. In November, the normal is 72 mm of rain and snow. By December, a normal day reaches −2°C and a night falls to −9°C. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Ottawa (Kanata - Orléans) forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −3°C | −12°C | 191 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | 1°C | 223 mm |
| Summer | 26°C | 15°C | 275 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 4°C | 249 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Ottawa (City)); the forecast is on the Weather page
At 7.6 loans per person served, Ottawa public library lends more than 91% of Ontario’s town libraries
The library figures on this page are Ottawa’s: Ottawa public library serves all 1,083,550 people of the city, Westboro among them.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Westboro’s 1 historic place is a top designation
Older housing, built before 1961, accounts for 28% of homes, above both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
- Maplelawn & Gardens 1831
| Heritage | Westboro | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 28% | 22% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Westboro
Carleton University and 45 more in and around Westboro
What there is to see in Westboro and within a short drive, starting with the places most people have heard of.
MuseumCarleton University3 km outside town, to the east
Big drawMuseumCanadian Museum of History4.5 km outside town, to the northeast · 1.3M visitors a year
MuseumCanadian Museum of Nature4.4 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumCanadian War Museum3 km outside town, to the northeast
Big drawMuseumCanadian Children's Museum4.5 km outside town, to the northeast · 500K visitors a year
MuseumBank of Canada Museum4.2 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Carleton University: Harleyd613, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canadian Museum of History: Wojciech Dittwald, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canadian Museum of Nature: RealGrouchy, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Canadian War Museum: Balcer~commonswiki, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Canadian Children's Museum: Wojciech Dittwald, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bank of Canada Museum: Bank of Canada - Banque du Canada from Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
About Westboro
Neighbourhood in Ottawa
The edges of Westboro 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
- 12,899 (people, 2021 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- City
- Ottawa
- Census subdivision
- 3506008
Westboro’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westboro | 12,899 | — | B | D | C− | A+ |
| Island Park-Wellington Village | 5,486 | 1.2 | A+ | B− | A− | A+ |
| Laurentian | 11,133 | 1.6 | B+ | D | B− | A+ |
| Carlington | 16,354 | 2.1 | B− | D− | B− | A+ |
| Hintonburg-Mechanicsville | 10,966 | 2.3 | B | D− | C | A+ |
| Civic Hospital | 6,091 | 2.7 | A | C− | B− | A+ |
| Whitehaven - Woodpark - Glabar Park | 11,111 | 2.9 | B | D− | B− | A |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Westboro
Do people in Westboro speak French?
Many do: 39% are bilingual in English and French (Canadian towns’ median: 8%), and 0.6% speak French only.
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).