Carp, Ontario

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Carp is a large village west of urban Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The Diefenbunker, a Cold War museum is located within the village, and it was featured in the film version of the The Sum of All Fears. The Ottawa/Carp Airport is located near the village.

The village took its name from the Carp River which runs through the village. The main street was formerly a section of the Trans-Canada Highway and carried much of the traffic coming from the west into Ottawa. However the village has now been bypassed with the development of the Highway 417.

With the amalgmation of municipal governments in the region in 2001, Carp is now governed as part of the new city of Ottawa. Carp is used as a mailing address for large areas of the former West Carleton Township. As such, residents of this large area will identify themselves as living in Carp although they may live large distances from the village proper.

A large farmers' market is held in Carp each Saturday from May to October. The Carp Fair is held in September; the first fair was held in 1880. It is now located at the fairgrounds. The fair attracts people from all over the city every year.

There are three schools in Carp at large: Huntley Centennial Public School, St. Michael's and Venta, a private school.

[edit] The Carp River

This river initially took its name do to the overwhelming amount of the carp fish that lived within it. In the early 1800s the river was overrun with the fish because farmers used to throw all of their dead animals in it. Conversely, In "Carleton Saga" by Harry and Olive Walker" the over-abundant fish is said by early French explorers to be suckers and mud-pout, that in French translate as carpe.