Living in Brandon, Manitoba
Credit to Author: Canadian Immigrant| Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2019 20:18:09 +0000
New to Canada and looking for a place to call home? Learn about Brandon, Manitoba, in our “Find a City” series
Brandon is the second-largest city in Manitoba, located 214 kilometres (a two-and-a-half-hour drive) from Winnipeg in the southwestern area of the province. The city is situated along Assiniboine River and was named after the Brandon Hills.
Brandon is one of the sunniest cities in the country and is located just 20 minutes from lakeside cottage country. Safe, friendly and family-oriented, it is an increasingly popular place to settle for newcomers initially attracted by the prospect of work with large food processing companies like Maple Leaf Foods.
Known as the Wheat City, Brandon had its roots as an agricultural town. It is a closeknit community that maintains a small-town feel. The city has been voted one of the top 10 best places to live in Canada and is well resourced for its relatively small size. It is, in fact, the only Canadian city with a population of less than 50,000 that has a university, community college and emergency services college.
Home to the Wheat Kings, a Canadian junior hockey team, Brandon was memorialized in a song by well-loved Canadian rock group, The Tragically Hip.
City of Brandon population statistics
Incorporated as a city: 1882
Population: 48,324 (2016 Census), a rise of 5.9% since 2011
Average age: 38.5
Number of citizens: 41,800
Number of non-immigrants: 39,120
Number of immigrants: 7,480
Number of immigrants from:
U.S.: 200
Americas (other than U.S.): 2,295
Europe: 1,335
Africa: 845
India: 870
Philippines: 460
Korea: 80
Mother tongue:
English: 38,080
French: 620
Non-official languages: 8,085
Total visible minority population: 7,750
Chinese: 1,785
South Asian: 1,410
Filipino: 515
Black: 995
Southeast Asian: 105
Latin American: 2,370
Arab: 120
Korean: 135
Japanese: 45
Neighbourhoods in Brandon
Brandon’s west end, with its pretty tree-lined streets, is a favourite neighbourhood for first-time home buyers and young families looking for housing. The area is walking distance to many amenities including shops, restaurants, parks and the local ice skating rink.
The east end is another popular choice for young families as well as older adults looking for an affordable neighbourhood with close access to amenities. Brandon’s east end is home to an outdoor pool, skating rink, the Rideau Park water park and plenty of green spaces.
North Hill is a great place to live for active people interested in living near recreational opportunities. The Northern Pines Golf Course, Canada Games Sportsplex are located in North Hill’s boundaries, and hikers will love proximity (and views) to the Assiniboine Valley.
Housing in Brandon
The average cost of a single-family home in Brandon ranges between $200,000 and $270,000, slightly below housing costs in Winnipeg. If you can find suitable housing in Brandon, you’ll still be paying well below the average cost of a single family home in Canada.
Rental housing prices range from $800 to $950 per month for a one-bedroom apartment in Brandon, and between $1,200 and $1,500 for a three-bedroom apartment in or around the city.
For more info on rental and housing options, visit:
Brandon Apartment Rentals
Rent Manitoba
Economy in Brandon
Brandon’s agricultural history still has a major influence on its present economic reality. Major industries include farming, manufacturing and retail. Food processing companies and hog processing plants — including Maple Leaf Foods — employ a large number of Brandonites.
The city is an attractive place for businesses to set up shop, with its low costs for doing business. It is expected that an increase in business development in the region will boost the local economy while improving the job market and local spending. Brandon is centrally located in the midst of a large trading area, has access to major transportation networks, a dependable labour supply, low utility rates, and no additional municipal business tax.
The annual unemployment rate as of 2018 was 4.5%.
The top five employment sectors (by industry) are:
- Agri-food processing
- Manufacturing
- Construction
- Health care
- Trucking and rail transportation
Cost of living in Brandon
Brandon’s comparatively low cost of living has made it a very attractive city for newcomers to the country. The province of Manitoba is one of the most affordable provinces in the country, with moderate levels of taxation, affordable housing, and low costs for daycare, electricity, auto insurance and tuition for post-secondary education
Recent statistics have shown that a family of five living on an income of $75,000 per year is left with more than $17,000 per year more in Manitoba than a family of the same size, earning the same income, in Ontario.
Transportation in Brandon
The Brandon Municipal Airport serves the community with WestJet flights connecting Brandonites to destinations in Western Canada. For international flights, Brandon residents would need to travel to Winnipeg’s James Armstrong Richardson International Airport.
Brandon Transit offers bus service throughout the city. A monthly bus pass for an adult cost $72 with discounted rates for students, youths, and seniors.
Taxi fares around the city begin at $3.80.
Climate/Weather in Brandon
Brandon’s flat, rolling terrain — thanks to its location in the Palliser’s Triangle region of the Prairies, a semi-arid steppe region — accounts for its fairly dry climate. The city is accustomed to hot summers and cold, dry winters. In summer temperatures hover around 26 °C and tip to −10 °C in Brandon’s coldest month, January.
Brandon receives about 462 millimetres of rain throughout the year, and including on average 39 days with snowfall between October and April.
Things to do in Brandon
Nature lovers will want to visit Spruce Woods Provincial Park and nearby Minnedosa Lake, great for swimming in the summer and pond hockey, cross country skiing, ice fishing and home to the Winterfest Celebration of winter and family in the cost season. Campers will enjoy Curran Park, Brandon’s main campground, located along the Assiniboine River.
Located about 30 minutes from Brandon in Shilo is Canada’s RCA Museum, Canada’s second-largest war museum. Visit for a look at the printing plates for the original publication of the Colonel John McCrae poem, “In Flanders Fields.”
Brandon’s main street, 18th Avenue, is where you’ll find a strip of the city’s shopping, businesses and dining establishments. For family fun check out Mort’s Mini Golf located at 1530 1st St. North and be sure to try a taste of Mort’s delicious soft-serve ice cream.
The Lieutenant Governor’s Winter Festival takes place each January in Brandon’s downtown core. The Brandon Jazz Festival takes place in the spring, and Brandon’s Folk, Music, and Art Festival in the summer.
Helpful information
These useful resources will help you find your way around the city and the province:
Maps of Brandon
City of Brandon
Province of Manitoba
Brandon Tourism