Westboro, Ottawa

Westboro
Neighbourhood

Former Westboro Town Hall
Westboro

Location in Ottawa

Coordinates: 45°23′50″N 75°44′36″W / 45.39722°N 75.74333°W / 45.39722; -75.74333
Country Canada
Province Ontario
City Ottawa
Established 19th Century
Incorporated 1905 (Police Village of Westboro)
Annexation 1949 (City of Ottawa)
Government
 • Mayor Jim Watson
 • MPs Catherine McKenna, Anita Vandenbeld
 • MPPs Yasir Naqvi, Bob Chiarelli
 • Councillors Jeff Leiper, Mark Taylor
Elevation 70 m (230 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Total 22,000
  Canada 2011 Census
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC−5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)

Westboro (often referred to as Westboro Village) is an area in the west end of Ottawa, Canada. Located along the Ottawa River, the neighbourhood is bordered on the east by Island Park Drive. Westboro's northern border is defined by the Ottawa River. Under this definition, the population of the area is 21,280 (2011 Census).[1]

Its community association boundaries are the Transitway to the north, Tweedsmuir Avenue to the east, Carling Avenue to the south and Denbury Avenue to the west.[2] This area excludes the neighbourhood of Westboro Beach, whose community association borders include the area immediately north of Westboro, west of Island Park Drive.

History

The neighbourhood got its start in the late nineteenth century, when flyers were published proclaiming 'Move to Westboro,' and offering prospective residents 'views of the Laurentian Mountains.' This slightly creative name for the distant geological formation along the Eardley escarpment is now better known as the Gatineau Hills. The Gatineau Hills can be seen across the Ottawa River.

Nineteenth-century descriptions of the neighbourhood refer to its location along the Macadam Road to Bells Corners. That road is now known as Richmond Road, and where it slices through Westboro it is the commercial heart of the Village-like neighbourhood, once the centre of the old Nepean Township. The old Town Hall on Richmond Road used to house the bell that later became the symbol of the former city of Nepean, now a part of the city of Ottawa. The Maplelawn Garden, boasting the second oldest building in Ottawa (built in 1831) and designated a National Historic Site, is located at the western edge of the village.

The other prominent street in Westboro Village is Churchill Avenue. This street was known as Main Street, but was renamed in honour of Winston Churchill following World War II. A few blocks to the west, another street was originally named River Road since it bisected the neighbourhood and led down to the beach on the Ottawa River. That street was renamed Roosevelt Avenue for similar post-war reasons. The renaming was also due to Westboro's integration into Ottawa and that there were already streets named River Road and Main Street. One of the secondary streets in Westboro is Dovercourt Avenue; it starts at Kirkwood in Hampton Park and ends at Black Friars Drive near Carlingwood.

Westboro existed as a police village from 1903 to 1949 when it was annexed by Ottawa. An Ottawa streetcar line used to run along what is now a narrow grass strip along Byron Avenue, bringing Ottawa residents to an area once considered cottage country. Many cottage-like residences still exist today, especially by the Ottawa River north of Scott Street.

The Westboro War Memorial Association erected a memorial cenotaph in a Park between Richmond Road and Byron Avenue. Unveiled on 08 June 1985, the cenotaph is dedicated to the memory of the fallen members of Westboro and surrounding area who made the supreme sacrifice in The Great War, The Second World War, and the Korea War.[3]

Today

First United Church in Westboro

Westboro is a thriving community with a lively street scene. Several condominium projects are encouraging densification and promising to bring more people to the neighbourhood. The village features murals painted by a local artist. The neighbourhood also boasts a concentration of outdoors and sport stores including Mountain Equipment Co-op, Vancouver-based Lululemon Athletica, Bushtukah, The Expedition Shoppe and Trailhead and is close to cycling trails and whitewater rapids in the Ottawa River. The influx of these outdoor and sports stores, along with a number of boutiques, restaurants and coffee shops on Richmond Road are considered to be a significant contributor to the gentrification that Westboro underwent in the 2000s.[4]

The neighbourhood is served by two OC Transpo stations: Westboro and Dominion, as well as Route 2, which provides frequent local service along Richmond Road.

Westfest, a free Canadian arts and music festival, was previously held in Westboro from 2004-2015 during the second weekend in June, and featured a variety of local and national performers. It has now been moved to Laroche Park in Ottawa's Mechanicsville area.[5]

Sub-neighbourhoods

Westboro encompasses a large part of the western part of Ottawa, and many smaller sub-neighbourhoods. Including the core Westboro village located north of Richmond Road, there exists the following sub-neighbourhoods:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Population calculated by combining Census Tracts 5050032.01, 5050032.02, 5050033.01, 5050033.02 with Dissemination areas 35061863, 35061864, 35061862, 35061865, 35061866, 35061867 and 35061868.
  2. ↑ http://ourkitchissippi.ca/our-community/community-associations/
  3. ↑ "Westboro cenotaph". National Defence Canada. 2008-04-16. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  4. ↑ Blake, MacMillan, (2010-01-01). "ANT in Westboro : an examination of the applicability of actor-network theory in gentrification studies". curve.carleton.ca. Retrieved 2016-01-10.
  5. ↑ "Hello Mechanicsville! Westfest is moving to Laroche Park (updated)". Kitchissippi Times. Retrieved 2016-04-12.

Coordinates: 45°23′50″N 75°44′36″W / 45.39722°N 75.74333°W / 45.39722; -75.74333

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