Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs)
About
Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities or NORCs are geographical regions with a large number of older adults living in them.
NORCs can be areas where older adults move because of the amenities it provides - for example, close to shopping centres or public transit. Or NORCs can be communities where people have aged together - at one time they lived there with families and young children, but have remained in the area over time.
NORCs can be described as horizontal (e.g., neighbourhoods) or vertical (e.g., apartment buildings).
NORC Mapping
In 2021-2022, our research team mapped all NORCs across the province of Ontario using Canadian Census data.
These maps are publicly available and are intended for use by diverse stakeholders including but not limited to researchers, policy developers and city planners.
If you have questions about these maps, contact oasis.study@queensu.ca

Map of NORCs in Ontario - 2016
To access the full page map, click here.

Map of NORCs in Ontario - 2006
To access the full page map, click here.