Woolwich Township Village

Homes for Sale in St. Jacobs

St. Jacobs is a historic Mennonite village in Woolwich Township, just north of Waterloo on the Conestogo River. Its main street has shops, restaurants and a brewery, the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market and Country Playhouse are just south of the village, and Conestoga Mall is only about 8 to 10 minutes away by car.

By George Dmitrovic, Realtor with Keller Williams Innovation Realty. Updated October 2026. Jump to the St. Jacobs guide

St. Jacobs at a Glance

Location

Woolwich Township, just north of Waterloo on the Conestogo River

Population

About 1,960 at the 2021 Census

Character

Strong Mennonite heritage; horse-drawn buggies on country roads

Attractions

St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market, Country Playhouse, The Mennonite Story (now on the market grounds)

Trails

Health Valley Trail and Mill Race Trail along the Conestogo River

Commute

About 8 minutes to Conestoga Mall by car; GRT route 21 and Highway 85

St. Jacobs is a small village in Woolwich Township, right on the northern edge of Waterloo. Buyers look here for small-town life with the city a few minutes away: a walkable main street, river trails, a village school and the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market just down the road. Here is what you should know before you buy.

Where Is St. Jacobs?

St. Jacobs sits on the Conestogo River in Woolwich Township, part of the Region of Waterloo. King Street runs north from Waterloo straight through the village toward Elmira, and Highway 85 passes just to the east. The farmers’ market, the Country Playhouse and the outlet shops are a couple of kilometres south of the village centre, where Woolwich meets the City of Waterloo.

It is a small place. The St. Jacobs population centre had 1,959 people at the 2021 Census, almost the same as in 2016. Mennonite families from Pennsylvania settled the area in the mid-1800s, and the village takes its name from Jacob C. Snider, who built a sawmill, a flour mill and a woollen mill on the river by 1852. You will still see horse-drawn buggies on the surrounding country roads.

Homes and prices

With fewer than 2,000 residents, the village has a small stock of homes, so the choice on the market at any one time is limited. I do not publish a median price for St. Jacobs, because the MLS sales data I track covers Kitchener and Waterloo only. For a current figure on a specific home, ask for a free home evaluation or book a free call. For Waterloo prices nearby, see the neighbourhood price table.

Getting around

By car: Conestoga Mall and north Waterloo are about 8 to 10 minutes away, Uptown Waterloo about 15 to 20 minutes and Highway 401 about 30 minutes, depending on traffic.
By transit: GRT Route 21 Elmira runs from Conestoga Station (an ION stop) past the farmers’ market and along King Street through the village to Elmira.
Good to know: service on one bus route is limited, so most households here rely on a car for work and errands.

Everyday amenities

Main street: King Street has local shops, restaurants and a brewery.
St. Jacobs Branch Library (29 Queensway Drive): a Region of Waterloo Library branch, open four days a week with short hours.
Bigger shopping: for large grocery runs and big-box stores, most residents drive south to north Waterloo or north to Elmira.

Schools in St. Jacobs

St. Jacobs Public School (72 Queensway Drive, WRDSB): JK to Grade 8, with about 300 students. It opened in 1929.
High school: Elmira District Secondary School, a few kilometres north in Elmira, is the closest WRDSB high school.
Catholic schools: there is no Catholic school in the village. St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Elementary School in Elmira is linked to St. David Catholic Secondary School in Waterloo.
French Immersion: St. Jacobs PS does not offer it. In Woolwich, John Mahood PS in Elmira offers French Immersion for Grades 2 to 6, and Breslau PS for Grades 2 to 8. WRDSB French Immersion starts in Grade 2, by application.

I could not confirm a current Fraser Institute rating for St. Jacobs PS, so I have not given one. School assignment depends on the exact address and boundaries change, so check any home with the WRDSB and WCDSB school locators before you make an offer. See homes by school district for more.

Parks and Things to Do in St. Jacobs

St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market (878 Weber Street North) is open year round on Thursdays (8 am to 3 pm) and Saturdays (7 am to 3:30 pm), with more than 300 vendors, plus Tuesdays in summer (June 16 to September 1 in 2026). Fire destroyed the main building in September 2013, and a new building opened in June 2015. The Market District around it includes Stockyards Brewing, Market Road Antiques and a small outlet centre. Check the market’s website before you go.

The Mennonite Story: a small museum about Mennonite and Amish history, now in an 1839 log house on the market grounds.
Theatre: Drayton Entertainment runs the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse (40 Benjamin Road East, just inside Waterloo) and the smaller Hildebrand Schoolhouse Theatre on Albert Street West in the village.
Waterloo Central Railway: heritage trains run between Northfield Drive in Waterloo, the market, the village and Elmira, with hop-on, hop-off service on Thursdays and Saturdays from April to October.

For trails, the Health Valley Trail runs about 5 kilometres east from Albert Street East along the Conestogo River, with a level stone-dust surface for the first stretch. The Mill Race Trail is a 1.5-kilometre stone-dust path beside the old mill race, from the Snider mill upstream to the dam at Three Bridges Road. Both are part of the Trans Canada Trail.

What’s Changing Nearby

Planning for growth. The Region of Waterloo is running an environmental assessment on expanding the St. Jacobs wastewater treatment plant, to support the village’s long-term growth. The plant runs at about 70% of capacity, and no construction date is set. See the Region’s project page.
Small-scale new homes. In 2023, Woolwich approved 12 semi-detached homes at the south end of the village.

Is St. Jacobs a Good Place to Live?

St. Jacobs suits buyers who want a quiet village with a real main street, river trails and a K to 8 school close to home, while staying within a short drive of Waterloo’s jobs and shopping. It can also suit downsizers who want a walkable village core.

The trade-offs are real. The choice of homes is small, so you may need patience. It is a driving community, with one bus route and big-store shopping in Waterloo or Elmira. Market days and shows bring visitors and traffic to the area just south of the village. Students leave the village for high school, Catholic school or French Immersion.

If you are comparing St. Jacobs with nearby options, see my pages on homes for sale in Waterloo and Breslau, or my guide to downsizing. Or book a free call and we’ll talk it through.

Originally written by Will Kummer for WRX Property Group and fully updated by George Dmitrovic in October 2026.

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St. Jacobs FAQs

Answers to the questions buyers ask most about living in St. Jacobs.

Where is St. Jacobs, Ontario?

St. Jacobs is a village in Woolwich Township, in the Region of Waterloo. It sits on the Conestogo River just north of the City of Waterloo, along King Street between Waterloo and Elmira, with Highway 85 just to the east. The farmers’ market and Country Playhouse are a few kilometres south of the village centre.

How big is St. Jacobs?

St. Jacobs is small. Statistics Canada counted 1,959 people in the St. Jacobs population centre at the 2021 Census, down slightly from 1,988 in 2016. The 2026 Census results are not out yet. Woolwich Township as a whole, which includes Elmira and Breslau, is much larger.

Is St. Jacobs a good place to live?

It suits people who want village life, river trails and a K to 8 school in town, with Waterloo a short drive away. The trade-offs are a small choice of homes, limited transit, big-store shopping in Waterloo or Elmira and visitor traffic on market days. Most families drive for high school, shopping and work.

When is the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market open?

The market is open year round on Thursdays from 8 am to 3 pm and Saturdays from 7 am to 3:30 pm. In summer it adds a Tuesday market, which ran from June 16 to September 1 in 2026. Hours can change on holidays, so check the market’s own website before you go.

What happened to the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market building?

Fire destroyed the market’s main building on September 2, 2013. No one was hurt. A new, larger main building opened in June 2015, with food vendors on the lower level and artisans upstairs. The market has run from it ever since.

What is there to do in St. Jacobs?

Shop and eat along King Street, walk the Health Valley and Mill Race trails by the Conestogo River, and visit the farmers’ market and The Mennonite Story on market days. Drayton Entertainment stages shows at the Country Playhouse and the Hildebrand Schoolhouse Theatre, and the Waterloo Central Railway runs heritage trains.

How do you get to St. Jacobs from Kitchener-Waterloo?

Most people drive north on King Street or Highway 85, which takes about 8 to 10 minutes from north Waterloo, depending on traffic. By transit, GRT Route 21 Elmira runs from Conestoga Station past the market and through the village. On some days the Waterloo Central Railway also runs from Northfield Drive.