Chatham-Kent has ranked 126th of 415 communities in Canada in Maclean’s magazine’s inaugural Best Communities in Canada issue.
The magazine ranked communities across the country based on 10 categories: wealth and economy, affordability, population growth, taxes, commute, crime, weather, access to health care, amenities and culture.
Chatham-Kent ranked eighth best in Canada in weather, based on Environment Canada statistics with Annual days with a low above zero, annual days with rain, snow or other precipitation and annual days with a high above 20 C.
The magazine ranked Chatham-Kent as the 60th best community in Canada to retire in, based on the property tax as 2.5 per cent of the average income and the number of family doctors per 100,000 population as 95.
In terms of best communities in Canada with affordable real estate, Chatham-Kent ranked 63rd in the nation with the average value of primary real estate pegged at $259,647. It listed the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment at $809, the property tax as 2.5 per cent of the average income and the average annual property tax bill as $2,172.
The magazine gave listed access to health care as one of Chatham-Kent’s strong points based on number of specialists, access to emergency care and wait times for surgical procedures.
For a complete list of rankings, visit https://www.macleans.ca/tag/best-communities-in-canada-2019/