Willow West, Guelph

Solid, friendly streets around Willow Road where the community centre does the heavy lifting: swim lessons, rec leagues, and a park never more than a block or two away.

The 2021 census counted about 4,000 homes in Willow West. Close to half are single detached houses, about one in five are row houses, and about one in seven are in apartment buildings of five storeys or more. About three in ten homes were built between 1961 and 1980, and about three in ten between 1981 and 1990.

Guelph Transit's 10 Paisley, 17 Woodlawn Watson, 18 Watson Woodlawn, 20 Northwest Industrial and 98 Speedvale routes serve the neighbourhood. Guelph Central Station is about 3.6 km away. Willow Road, Speedvale Avenue West and Elmira Road North are the main streets, and the Hanlon Expressway runs along the east side.

Margaret Greene Park, at 80 Westwood Road, covers about 17.8 hectares, with a playground, soccer fields, a softball diamond, tennis courts, a splash pad and a cricket pitch. Marksam Park, Mitchell Park, Earl Brimblecombe Park and Dunhill Place Park add more green space, and the Sugartree Woodlot is a small woodland. The West End Community Centre, at 21 Imperial Road South, is about 1 km away.

• Westwood Public School — JK to Grade 8. The public school for most of Willow West.
• Mitchell Woods Public School — JK to Grade 8. The public school for the streets around Flaherty Drive.
• Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute — Grades 9 to 12. The public secondary school.
• Gateway Drive Public School — JK to Grade 3. The public French immersion school for the youngest grades.
• Willow Road Public School — Grades 4 to 8. French immersion continues here from Grade 4.
• John F. Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute — Grades 9 to 12. The public secondary school for French immersion students.
• St. Peter 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.