Onward Willow, Guelph

West of downtown where the city genuinely mixes it up: old streets, new buildings, corner-store commerce, with Norm Jary Park just there and the core a short walk east.

The 2021 census counted about 3,400 homes in Onward Willow. About a third are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more and about one in five in smaller apartment buildings. Single detached houses make up about a quarter, and row houses about one in seven. About a quarter of the homes were built in 1960 or earlier, and close to half between 1961 and 1980.

Guelph Transit's 10 Paisley, 11 Silvercreek, 20 Northwest Industrial and 98 Speedvale routes serve the neighbourhood. Guelph Central Station is about 2.2 km away. Willow Road, Silvercreek Parkway North, Speedvale Avenue West and Paisley Road are the main streets, and the Hanlon Expressway runs along the west side.

Norm Jary Park covers about 9.4 hectares, with a playground, a softball diamond, a basketball court, a splash pad, a skate park and a community garden. Sleeman Park has a playground and a ball diamond, and Drew Park has a playground and a basketball court. The West End Community Centre is about 2 km away, and the main branch of the Guelph Public Library about 1.8 km.

• Paisley Road Public School — JK to Grade 6. The public school for most of the neighbourhood, with French immersion.
• Willow Road Public School — JK to Grade 8. The public school for the streets near Willow Road, and the middle school for the Paisley Road streets.
• Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute — Grades 9 to 12. The public secondary school.
• John McCrae Public School — Grades 7 and 8. The public French immersion middle school.
• John F. Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute — Grades 9 to 12. The public secondary school for French immersion students.
• St. Joseph Catholic School — JK to Grade 8. The Catholic elementary school, in the neighbourhood.
• Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School — Grades 9 to 12. The Catholic secondary school, on Westmount Road.