Whitehaven (Ottawa)

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Whitehaven is a neighbourhood about 10 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa. It is bounded by Carling Avenue to the north, Woodroffe Avenue to the east, the OC Transpo Transitway to the west and highway 417 to the south.

Whitehaven was developed on the lands of Fox farm starting in the 1950s. You can still find the Fox farm homestead on Fox Crescent in the north part of the neighbourhood with its windmill tower now shaded by a large tree. Originally the east side of the neighbourhood was subdivided into large lots, typically 50 by 50 metres. In the 1960s, the west side was developed with smaller lots but mostly large custom homes. At the same time, many lots in the east side of the neighbourhood were subdivided and infill housing was built. Subdivisions have continued through to today, giving Whitehaven a very eclectic housing character. Whitehaven Crescent was built up throughout the mid 1960s as the area's namesake.

The south west side of the neighbourhood contains a large park with a playground, a primary school and a secondary school. The primary school was originally an English public school built in the 1960s and open through the late 1990s called Whitehaven Public School. It was closed for a few years after much dispute and then was reopened and expanded as a French primary school, called Terre des Jeunes. The neighbourhood also includes a the Woodroffe High School.

A warm sense of community, convenient transportation links, plenty of greenspace, and convenient shopping nearby are all reasons drawing people to the Whitehaven area. The Carlingwood and Lincoln Fields shopping malls are in great proximity to the neighbourhood, along with extensive service by OC Transpo considering its propinquity to the Lincoln Fields Transitway station. Whitehaven is also conveniently located to a useful network of bike paths with direct access to downtown Ottawa.