The ArchipelagoOntario
Its census division is Parry Sound. Home to 1,057 people, this town lies in Ontario.
Is The Archipelago a good place to live?
Jobs and pay hold up well (A). Its weakest is safety (C−). Health is a weak point (C−). Natural hazards weigh less here than in most Canadian towns (A).
The Archipelago is graded subject by subject, but Canadian towns need 2,500 residents for an overall grade.
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 The Archipelago grades
Each subject compares The Archipelago with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
The Archipelago is graded subject by subject, but Canadian towns need 2,500 residents for an overall grade.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes The Archipelago stand out
The 3 things The Archipelago does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in The Archipelago.
Few places are as safe from hazards as The Archipelago: it beats 91% of Canadian towns
For earthquakes The Archipelago is middling, $0.018 a year per $1,000 against $0.030 for the typical town. Radon is lower than usual: 1.9% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. The national flood inventory has no study of the town.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | The Archipelago | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 1.9% | 4% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.018 | $0.043 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Fewer commuters in The Archipelago drive than in Ontario’s towns or across Canadian towns: 58%
Commutes averaged 23 min, below Ontario’s towns (29 min) and Canadian towns (26 min) alike.
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | The Archipelago | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 58% | 88% | 89% |
| Average trip | 23 min | 29 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
Violent crime weighs more where The Archipelago is policed than in Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: a violent severity index of 196
A best guess: the nearest detachment’s figures, since none is filed under The Archipelago
The index for the force that serves it came to 107, higher than both Ontario’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67). Its police area records 7.3 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | The Archipelago | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 196 | 76 | 86 |
| Crime Severity Index | 107 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent crime | 7.3 | 10.5 | 12 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Area behind the Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 figures: the Southern Georgian Bay (Georgian Bay) detachment area
More smokers around The Archipelago: 18% of adults, where the typical Canadian town has 12%
Health survey and life expectancy for the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit
On average 19% of adults live with arthritis, diabetes or high blood pressure, above both Ontario’s towns (17%) and Canadian towns (17%). A baby born in the region can expect 80.0 years, 82.6 for a girl and 77.6 for a boy (2022/2024). Adults here are less upbeat about their health than the province: 47% very good or excellent, against 51% in Ontario. For The Archipelago itself the measure is access, and it lags: 5.6 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | The Archipelago | 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
More households own their home in The Archipelago than in Ontario’s towns or across Canadian towns: 92%
14% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, lower than both Ontario’s towns (22%) and Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | The Archipelago | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 92% | 76% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 14% | 22% | 18% |
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.
The boundary of Georgian Bay Islands National Park runs along The Archipelago
Protected areas cover 14% of the land within 10 km; for the typical Canadian town it is 2.3%. Within 10 km, the count of public protected areas is 25, above both Ontario’s towns (4) and Canadian towns (4). For a swim, Waubuno Beach is the nearest of 8 beaches within 5 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | The Archipelago | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 14% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 25 | 4 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Visible minorities make up less of The Archipelago than of Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns: 3%
Nearly one in ten residents came to Canada as immigrants, above Ontario’s towns (7.6%) and Canadian towns (6.4%) alike. First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 4% of residents, above both Ontario’s towns (1.6%) and Canadian towns (2.8%).
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
46.4% of The Archipelago’s residents are women
Here the census found 455 women and 525 men; across Canada the share of women is 50.9%.
| The Archipelago | Ontario | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 7.1% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 56% | 65% | 64% |
| 65+ | 37% | 19% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 58% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Ontario and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Winter nights bite in The Archipelago: January lows of −15.3°C, colder than Ontario’s towns or Canadian towns
July afternoons reach 25.3°C on average, about level with Canadian towns (25.5°C) and below Ontario’s towns (26.7°C). The most precipitation falls in October: 111 mm in a normal year. Muskoka, 70 km away, supplies the normals.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | The Archipelago | Ontario | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| January night low | −15.3°C | −9.1°C | −13.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 175 | 139 | 159 |
| Precipitation a year | 1,062 mm | 902 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 25.3°C | 26.7°C | 25.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Muskoka)
A normal November in The Archipelago runs from −3°C to 5°C
In November, the normal is 103 mm of rain and snow. Then December: −1°C by day, −10°C at night. Normal highs peak at 25°C in July; nights bottom out at −15°C in January. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Parry Sound forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −3°C | −13°C | 235 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −2°C | 244 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 12°C | 267 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 2°C | 316 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Muskoka); the forecast is on the Weather page
The Archipelago has a council seat for every 100 residents, fewer than 99% of municipalities in Ontario
Northern Ontario’s provincial ridings differ from the federal ones, and no open file of them exists, so The Archipelago’s riding for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario isn’t shown.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
The nearest public library to The Archipelago is Parry Sound Public Library, 5.4 km away
After it comes Rosseau Library (Seguin), 33 km away.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Everything we know about The Archipelago
Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts and 2 more in and around The Archipelago
Sights in The Archipelago and close by, ordered by how widely each is known.
Famous people from around The Archipelago
No notable person born in The Archipelago is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
Photo credits
Bobby Orr: Aaron Frutman, CC BY 2.0 · Francis Pegahmagabow: Canadian government, Public domain · Mark Ideson: LGOntario from Ontario, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0
About The Archipelago
Town in Ontario
For The Archipelago, 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
- 1,057 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Ontario
- Census division
- Parry Sound
- Census subdivision
- 3549005
The Archipelago’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Archipelago | 1,057 | — | — | — | C− | C− |
| Parry Sound | 7,584 | 5.8 | D | D | C | C |
| McDougall | 3,002 | 17 | D− | D | C− | C− |
| Carling | 1,609 | 18 | — | — | — | D |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about The Archipelago
Is The Archipelago growing?
Yes: the census counted 531 in 2016 and 979 in 2021, a rise of 84.4%, against 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 1,057.
Who are the people of The Archipelago?
Visible minorities are 3% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 10%, and Indigenous people 4%.
What kind of homes are in The Archipelago?
100% of homes are single-detached houses, against 64% for the median of Canadian towns, and 0% are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. A household averages 1.9 people; 39% are one person living alone.
How old are the people of The Archipelago?
Half its people are older than 60.4 (the middle of Canadian towns: 45.2); children under 15 make up 7%, people 65 and over 37%.
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).