StrongOntario
It is part of Parry Sound, a census division. 1,624 people live in this town in Ontario.
Is Strong a good place to live?
Crime is low (A). Its weakest subject is schools (D−). Owners valued their homes at a median $352,000 in 2021, which is 4.9 years of the typical household’s pay. Health is weaker too (D). Jobs & income is weaker too (D). It lags on walkability as well (D).
Figures: home values and income: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Canadian towns get an overall grade from 2,500 residents, so Strong has subject grades only.
This town's rent is the 2021 census rent scaled to 2025 by its province's ratio of surveyed to census rents: no rental survey covers it, so its Cost Grade is less sure. Safety less sure: no police service names this town, so its crime figure is the nearest police detachment's, shared with a wider area. Crime here is counted against the people who live here, but many visitors or second-home owners add to it, so the rate per resident runs higher than residents' own risk. 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 Strong grades
Each subject compares Strong with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
Canadian towns get an overall grade from 2,500 residents, so Strong has subject grades only.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Strong stand out
The 3 things Strong does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Strong.
Strong’s schools mostly sit under the middle in Ontario, 3 of the 3 with results
The nearest secondary school is 13 km away, above both Ontario’s towns (1.2 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km). Elementary schools here average 210 students; in Ontario, 365. Also worth knowing: the 3 km around Strong counts 2 elementary schools and 1 secondary school, 990 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sundridge Centennial Public School Bottom fifth in OntarioLargest elementary schoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | Elementary · Grades JK–8 | 250 | English public |
| Almaguin Highlands Secondary School Bottom fifth in OntarioLargest secondary schoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Secondary · Grades 9–12 | 570 | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Strong | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 13 km | 1.2 km | 1.2 km |
| Nearest elementary school | 5.1 km | 0.5 km | 0.5 km |
Provincial school lists and results, 2024-25
For health, Strong sits behind 94% of Canadian towns
Area-wide: health survey and life expectancy, counted over the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit
18% of adults smoke, daily or now and then, higher than both Ontario’s towns (10%) and Canadian towns (12%). The survey puts the region’s share in very good or excellent health at 47%, behind the 51% for Ontario. The region’s 2022/2024 life expectancy is 80.0, with women at 82.6 and men at 77.6. What sets Strong apart within its region is distance: 48 km to a hospital on average, over 30 km for 100% of residents.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Strong | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 18% | 10% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.0 | 82.8 | 81.5 |
| Very good or excellent health | 47% | 51% | 52% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
The force covering Strong records less serious violence than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns, at 35
A best guess: the nearest detachment’s figures, since none is filed under Strong
The force’s area logs 13.4 thefts, break-ins and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 33 over 2023–25, below Ontario’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67) alike. On top of that, for every 1,000 residents of its police area, 5.4 violent incidents are reported each year. Strong doesn’t get its own Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures; the ones here come from the Huntsville detachment area.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Strong | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 13.4 | 30.5 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 35 | 76 | 86 |
| Crime Severity Index | 33 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent crime | 5.4 | 10.5 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Trips to work from Strong take longer than from Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 32 min on average
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Strong | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 32 min | 29 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · These are May 2021 figures, gathered while COVID-19 kept many people home or out of work.
Strong is a town of owners: 88% of households own their home, above Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
A year’s rent came to nearly a quarter of the median household income, above Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (20%) alike. Nearly a fifth of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, lower than Ontario’s towns (22%) and near Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Strong | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 88% | 76% | 74% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $352,000 | $695,000 | $406,000 |
| Rent as a share of income | 23% | 22% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 19% | 22% | 18% |
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.
Few places are as safe from hazards as Strong: it beats 87% of Canadian towns
In Health Canada’s survey, just 1.9% of homes tested in the area exceeded 200 Bq/m³ (6.6% typical). Shaking is about as much of a worry in Strong as in most places, at $0.025 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). The national flood inventory has no study of the town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Strong | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 1.9% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.025 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Summers stay cool in Strong: July afternoons reach 24.3°C, below Ontario’s towns and Canadian towns
December is the snowiest month, with 71 cm on average. A normal winter brings 312 cm of snow, higher than both Ontario’s towns (146 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm). January nights in Strong drop to −17.3°C on average. Frost usually lifts by 15 May and returns around 29 September: 135 days without it.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Strong | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 312 cm | 146 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −17.3°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| July afternoon high | 24.3°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 176 | 139 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (North Bay)
Visible minorities make up less of Strong than of Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 1.3%
3.8% of residents came to Canada as immigrants, lower than both Ontario’s towns (7.6%) and Canadian towns (6.4%). First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 3.5% of residents, above Ontario’s towns (1.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%) alike.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
49.4% of Strong’s residents are women
The 2021 census counted 775 women and 795 men here, where women make up 50.9% of Canada.
| Strong | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 56% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 31% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 19% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 45% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
In Strong, November normally means 3°C afternoons and −4°C nights
Across the year, normals run from −17°C nights in January to 24°C afternoons in July. Precipitation in November averages 97 mm. Snow is normal by November, about 38 cm over the month. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Burk's Falls forecast, on the Weather page.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −6°C | −15°C | 197 mm |
| Spring | 9°C | −2°C | 221 mm |
| Summer | 23°C | 13°C | 282 mm |
| Autumn | 11°C | 2°C | 320 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (North Bay); the forecast is on the Weather page
A small constituency per seat: 320 residents in Strong, fewer than in 91% of Ontario municipalities
Tim Bryson was elected mayor of Strong in October 2022, on a council of 5 seats.
| Turnout | Strong | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal election, 2022 | 43% | 31% | 31% |
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
No public library stands in Strong: the closest, Kearney and Area Public Library, is 22 km away
The next is Powassan & District Union Public Library (Powassan), 39 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
The nearest provincial park, Mikisew Provincial Park, is 3.1 km from Strong
10 beaches are mapped within 5 km, the nearest Halcyon Shore Beach. The largest is Commanda Creek Conservation Reserve: 1,657 ha, 5.0 km from the edge of town. The closest of Canada’s national parks is Georgian Bay Islands National Park, at 77 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Strong | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 1.8% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Everything we know about Strong
Famous people from around Strong
No notable person born in Strong is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
About Strong
Town in Ontario
For Strong, TownRatings uses Statistics Canada’s census-subdivision boundary in Ontario, and every figure on its pages covers that whole area.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 1,624 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Parry Sound
- Census subdivision
- 3549046
Strong’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong | 1,624 | — | — | D | A | D |
| Sundridge | 1,056 | 5.5 | — | C− | A | D |
| South River | 1,211 | 13 | — | C− | B− | D |
| Burk's Falls | 1,031 | 13 | — | D | A | D |
| Armour | 1,698 | 15 | — | C− | A | D |
| Magnetawan | 1,888 | 19 | — | C | A | D |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Strong
Has Strong grown?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 1,439 to 1,566 residents (up 8.8%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 1,624.
Who are the people of Strong?
1% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 4% have an Indigenous identity and 4% are immigrants.
What kind of homes are in Strong?
Single-detached houses make up 95% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 24% of households are one person, and the average is 2.4.
Is Strong a young town or an old one?
54.8 is the median age, 45.2 the median among Canadian towns; 31% of residents are 65 or over and 13% under 15.
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).