Highland West, Kitchener

At the end of the streets in Highland West, you can look out over the open farm fields of Wilmot Township, where Kitchener ends. Between the houses, wooded trails run through Lynnvalley Park, Summerside Woods and Shadyridge Woods, cool and shaded on a summer afternoon. On snowy days, the toboggan hill at Forest West Park on Highview Drive is crowded with sleds and the sound of laughter. The shops and restaurants of The Boardwalk are about a kilometre away.

The City's 2021 estimates count about 4,200 homes in the Highland West planning community. About three in five are single detached houses. Row houses make up about one in seven, and semi-detached houses about one in ten. In the 2021 census, about half the homes in the surrounding area were built between 1981 and 2000, and about half after 2001.

Grand River Transit's 204 Highland-Victoria iXpress runs to The Boardwalk Station, where several routes end. Highland Road West runs east toward downtown. The nearest ION station, Grand River Hospital, is about 4 km away. Highland Hills Mall is about 1.8 km away.

Lynnvalley Park, with its natural area and the Huck Park Greenway, covers about 10 hectares. Summerside Woods Park, on Victoria Street, is a natural area of about 3.7 hectares. Detweiler Park, Greengable Park and Countrystone Park are neighbourhood parks, and Shadyridge Woods is a small natural area. Forest West Park, on Highview Drive, has a toboggan hill. The Boardwalk's shops and restaurants are about 1 km away. The Forest Heights Community Centre is about 1.8 km away. The Forest Heights Library and the indoor pool at Forest Heights Collegiate Institute are about 2.2 km away.

• Sandhills Public School — JK to Grade 6. A public elementary school for part of the area, with French immersion from Grade 2.
• Westheights Public School — Grades 7 and 8. The middle school for part of the area, continuing French immersion.
• Forest Heights Collegiate Institute — Grades 9 to 12. A public secondary school for part of the area, with extended French.
• Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School (Baden) — Grades 9 to 12. A public secondary school for the western part of the area.
• St. Dominic Savio Catholic School — JK to Grade 8. The nearest Catholic elementary school.