New Tecumseth Takes Giant Leap On List of Best Places To Live

This year, The Town of New Tecumseth is the only Simcoe County community to crack the Top 25 Best Places To Live in Canada list put together by MoneySense Magazine. It was ranked 170th on last year’s list but has skyrocketed into the top 25, now the 24th best place to live in Canada in 2018.

New Tecumseth, Ontario Is Number 24

Rank in 2017: 170
Population: 36,745
Estimated Unemployment Rate: 5.7%
Median Household Income: $96,041
Average Household Net Worth: $755,965
Property Tax: 20.5%
Total Days Above 20°C: 122
Crime Rate Per 100,000: 2,906
Family Doctors Per 100,000: 95

“The fact that we don’t have a transit system, I think that pulled us down,” says New Tecumseth Mayor Rick Milne. “We don’t have strong Internet. In some of our rural areas, it is really hard … it’s almost like dial up used to be.”

Mayor Milne says New Tecumseth has grown by about two per cent every year for the last few years, while the community also have a low crime rate, one of the lowest in Canada for a town its size.

How Communities Are Ranked

The rankings are based on a number of factors, including:

• home affordability
• low taxes
• transit friendliness
• crime rate
• weather

New Tecumseth ranked high in the Wealth and Economy and Health Accessibility categories. Oakville topped the list of 415 communities. It is also deemed the best place for New Canadians, the third best place to retire and the fifth best place to raise a family.

How Other Communities In Simcoe County Ranked

Here are the national rankings for communities in Simcoe County and Muskoka (followed by provincial ranking in brackets).

• 91 (41) Collingwood
• 116 (50) Adjala-Tosorontio
• 122 (54) Springwater
• 148 (63) Barrie
• 158 (67) Bracebridge
• 159 (68) Essa
• 192 (80) Orillia
• 227 (97) Tiny
• 236 (101) Midland
• 247 (104) Oro-Medonte
• 252 (107) Wasaga Beach
• 260 (110) Innisfil
• 263 (111) Severn
• 269 (113) Bradford-West Gwillimbury
• 285 (120) Huntsville
• 295 (125) Meaford
• 305 (129) Clearview
• 318 (135) Tay
• 367 (148) Gravenhurst