Hintonburg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hintonburg is a neighbourhood of Ottawa, Canada. It is located to the west of downtown with its eastern border being the O-Train tracks, with Centretown West beyond. To the north it is bounded by the Transitway (originally the Canadian Pacific Railway main line) with Mechanicsville beyond. To the south it is bounded by the Queensway (originally the Canadian National Railway main line) and to the west by Holland Avenue (Hintonburg Community Association borders) or as far west as Island Park Drive.
Originally part of Nepean Township the area was first settled in 1826, growing in size the village of Hintonburg was incorporated as a village in 1893. It was named after Joseph Hinton, a community leader who died in 1884. As the city of Ottawa grew it expanded west and Hintonburg was annexed to Ottawa in 1907. The municipal government ran a street car line through the area beside Byron Avenue (now a recreational path) and it soon became home to mostly blue collar workers who commuted into downtown.
In 2003, the Hintonburg Community Association (HCA) published Hintonburg & Mechanicsville: A Narrative History by John Leaning; it is available in some local bookshops and through the association. A heritage walking tour of the neighbourhood is also available on their website (see link below).
The northeastern part of Hintonburg still maintains a working class character, and occasionally experiences problems with crime such as drugs and prostitution. A short strip of Wellington, east of Rosemount, has experienced some neglect, with cracked pavement and some empty shopfronts. Businesses on Wellington are characterised by a mixture of largely proprieter-operated retail and service shops catering to both ends of the economic spectrum.
The remainder of Hintonburg, however, has undergone a process of gentrification since the late 1990s. Southern Hintonburg adjoins the Civic Hospital area, separated by the Queensway, and is largely middle-to-upper-middle-class residential. Western Hintonburg, along Wellington Street and Richmond Road between Parkdale Avenue and Island Park Drive, is sometimes called West Wellington or Wellington Village, and has evolved into an upscale food district. Despite their modest size, the original working-class houses in this area have steadily risen in price because of their proximity to the trendy restaurants and shops. This process will probably continue as nearby Westboro becomes more and more affluent.
The HCA in 2005 launched the popular ArtsPark annual event in the Parkdale Market featuring the works of Ottawa artists and music to highlight the community's growing role as an arts district in the city. The association's website lists several galleries that have opened since 2006 in the vicinity of the Market.
Hintonburg is a part of Ottawa's Kitchissippi Ward, represented since November 2006 by councillor Christine Leadman after the retirement of previous councillor Shawn Little.
[edit] External links
K1Y Area - Hintonburg, Mechanicsville & Tunney's Pasture Directory
