Alta Vista (Ottawa)
Encyclopedia
Alta Vista is a neighbourhood
in Ottawa
, Ontario
, Canada
. Its boundaries
can be broadly described as: Smyth Road
in the north, St. Laurent Boulevard in the east, Walkley Road
and Heron Road
in the south, and Bank Street
and Riverside Drive
in the west. However, the name is ambiguous, as there are several sub-neighbourhoods in this area, (see list below), as well as a core Alta Vista area, (which could be defined as south of Pleasant Park Road, north of Heron Road
, and west of the eastern greenspace corridor), centered around Alta Vista Drive.
Alta Vista Drive
is a major street running through the neighbourhood, and shares its name. Both are named for their relative height, as the neighbourhood is generally higher than most of the city. Alta Vista is a highly residential neighbourhood with a strong community
, several schools, churches, and community centres. It also has a vast amount of greenspace
and parks, much of which is part of the Alta Vista Transportation Corridor Environmental Assessment http://www.ottawaeast.ca/AVC.html.
The OC Transpo
Transitway also runs through Alta Vista, with two stations in the neighbourhood itself (Pleasant Park
and Riverside
) as well as two just outside (Billings Bridge
and Smyth
), serving as a vital transit link to the rest of the city.
The General Campus of the Ottawa Hospital, and The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario
are located just on the north side of Smyth Road, in Riverview
, while the Riverside Campus of the Ottawa Hospital is located at Smyth and Riverside Drive. There are two shopping malls in and around Alta Vista: the Billings Bridge Plaza
Shopping Centre at Bank Street and Riverside and the Elmvale Shopping Centre at St. Laurent and Smyth.
Alta Vista had a population of about 23,456 as of the Canada 2006 Census
.
Public elementary schools
Public secondary schools
Catholic schools
See: List of Ottawa schools
Neighbourhood
A neighbourhood or neighborhood is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town or suburb. Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members. "Researchers have not agreed on an exact definition...
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Its boundaries
Border
Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...
can be broadly described as: Smyth Road
Smyth Road
Smyth Road is a main road in eastern Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from Riverside Drive to St. Laurent Boulevard. This residential area was developed in the 1950s...
in the north, St. Laurent Boulevard in the east, Walkley Road
Walkley Road
Walkley Road is a major road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from Riverside Drive to Ramseyville Road . It is mostly a 4-lane divided road which runs through both residential and industrial areas of the southern part of urban Ottawa.-External link/Reference:*...
and Heron Road
Heron Road (Ottawa)
Heron Road is a major road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from Walkley Road at an angle to the Rideau River, where it turns into Baseline Road. Heron is home to the Public Works and Government Services Canada headquarters, as well as the Canada Post headquarters and the Edward Drake Building...
in the south, and Bank Street
Bank Street (Ottawa)
Bank Street is the major north-south road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs south from Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, south through the neighbourhoods of Centretown, The Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Alta Vista, Hunt Club, and then through the villages of Blossom Park, Leitrim, South...
and Riverside Drive
Riverside Drive (Ottawa)
Riverside Drive is a major road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada that follows along the eastern bank of the Rideau River. From its northern terminus at the Transitway/Via Rail underpass just south of the Queensway, the road proceeds south to Limebank Road where it continues as River Road until the city...
in the west. However, the name is ambiguous, as there are several sub-neighbourhoods in this area, (see list below), as well as a core Alta Vista area, (which could be defined as south of Pleasant Park Road, north of Heron Road
Heron Road (Ottawa)
Heron Road is a major road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from Walkley Road at an angle to the Rideau River, where it turns into Baseline Road. Heron is home to the Public Works and Government Services Canada headquarters, as well as the Canada Post headquarters and the Edward Drake Building...
, and west of the eastern greenspace corridor), centered around Alta Vista Drive.
Alta Vista Drive
Alta Vista Drive
Alta Vista Drive is a suburban road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from Bank Street in the south to Industrial Avenue in the north covering the neighbourhoods of Ridgemont, Alta Vista and Riverview....
is a major street running through the neighbourhood, and shares its name. Both are named for their relative height, as the neighbourhood is generally higher than most of the city. Alta Vista is a highly residential neighbourhood with a strong community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
, several schools, churches, and community centres. It also has a vast amount of greenspace
Open space reserve
Open space reserve, open space preserve, and open space reservation, are planning and conservation ethics terms used to describe areas of protected or conserved land or water on which development is indefinitely set aside...
and parks, much of which is part of the Alta Vista Transportation Corridor Environmental Assessment http://www.ottawaeast.ca/AVC.html.
The OC Transpo
OC Transpo
OC Transpo is the urban transit service of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. An integrated hub-and-spoke system of services is available consisting of: regular buses travelling on fixed routes in mixed traffic, typical of most urban transit systems; a bus rapid transit system — a high...
Transitway also runs through Alta Vista, with two stations in the neighbourhood itself (Pleasant Park
Pleasant Park Station (OC Transpo)
Pleasant Park Transitway Station is a bus stop on Ottawa's transitway served by OC Transpo buses. It is located in the southeastern transitway section at Pleasant Park Road near Riverside Drive...
and Riverside
Riverside Station (OC Transpo)
The Riverside Transitway Station is the OC Transpo transitway stop that is connected to the Riverside Campus of The Ottawa Hospital near the intersection of Smyth Road and Riverside Drive...
) as well as two just outside (Billings Bridge
Billings Bridge Station (OC Transpo)
The Billings Bridge Transitway Station is a station on the OC Transpo transitway, adjacent to the Billings Bridge Plaza. It is named for, not only the plaza, but after Billings Bridge itself which is both a nearby bridge and neighbourhood...
and Smyth
Smyth Station (OC Transpo)
Smyth Transitway Station is a bus-stop on Ottawa's transitway served by OC Transpo buses. It is located in the south-eastern transitway section at Riverside Drive and Smyth Road....
), serving as a vital transit link to the rest of the city.
The General Campus of the Ottawa Hospital, and The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario
The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario is a major children's hospital and university teaching hospital in Ottawa, Ontario, serving Eastern Ontario and western Quebec. It is affiliated with The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa, and is funded by the provincial Government of Ontario...
are located just on the north side of Smyth Road, in Riverview
Riverview (Ottawa)
Riverview also known as Riverview Park is a neighbourhood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is southeast of the downtown adjacent to the Rideau River, its location on which is its namesake...
, while the Riverside Campus of the Ottawa Hospital is located at Smyth and Riverside Drive. There are two shopping malls in and around Alta Vista: the Billings Bridge Plaza
Billings Bridge Plaza
The Billings Bridge Plaza is a shopping centre located in Ottawa, Canada. Originally built in 1954, it was the first shopping centre built in the city. It did not become enclosed until 1972. It is located immediately south of the Rideau River on the corner of Bank Street and Riverside Drive,...
Shopping Centre at Bank Street and Riverside and the Elmvale Shopping Centre at St. Laurent and Smyth.
Alta Vista had a population of about 23,456 as of the Canada 2006 Census
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
.
Sub neighbourhoods
The Alta Vista area encompasses many smaller neighbourhoods:- Applewood Acres
- Billings
- Canterbury
- Elmvale AcresElmvale AcresElmvale Acres is a neighbourhood in Alta Vista . It was built in the late 1950s by the contractor and property developer, Robert Campeau....
- Faircrest
- Guildwood EstatesGuildwood EstatesGuildwood Estates is a sub neighbourhood in Alta Vista, Ottawa. It can be broadly described as south of Kilborn ave., anything west of the Walkley-Kilborn greenspace, anything east of Parkland and north of Heron road....
- Playfair Park
- Rideau Park
- Urbandale
- Urbandale Acres
Schools
There are several schools in the area, including:Public elementary schools
- Alta Vista Public SchoolAlta Vista Public SchoolAlta Vista Public School is an Ottawa-Carleton District School Board elementary school in the Alta Vista neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada...
- Arch Street Public School
- Featherston Drive Public School
- Hawthorne Public School
- Pleasant Park Public School
- Vincent Massey Public SchoolVincent Massey Public School (Ottawa)The Vincent Massey Public SchoolPrincipalDenis DelormeVice principalFay WooleySchool typePublicReligious affiliationNoneFounded1958LocationOttawa, OntarioEnrollment600-650Faculty39 Campus surroundings...
(on the north side of Smyth, technically in RiverviewRiverview (Ottawa)Riverview also known as Riverview Park is a neighbourhood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is southeast of the downtown adjacent to the Rideau River, its location on which is its namesake...
)
Public secondary schools
- Canterbury High SchoolCanterbury High School (Ottawa)Canterbury High School is an Ottawa-Carleton District School Board high school in the Elmvale Acres neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.It is an arts magnet school, and located at 900 Canterbury Ave...
- Hillcrest High SchoolHillcrest High School (Ottawa)Hillcrest High School is an Ottawa-Carleton District School Board high school in the Elmvale Acres neighbourhood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The school was opened in 1961, and has over 1100 students. Its sports teams are nicknamed "The Hawks". Hillcrest High School is a very ethnically diverse...
- Ridgemont High SchoolRidgemont High School (Ottawa)Ridgemont High School. It is an Ottawa-Carleton District School Board secondary school in Ottawa, Canada. The school is located at 2597 Alta Vista Drive in the Alta Vista neighbourhood of Ottawa. It is next door to St...
Catholic schools
- McMaster Catholic
- Ste-Geneviève Catholic School
- St. Patrick's Intermediate
- St. Patrick's High SchoolSt. Patrick's High School (Ottawa)St. Patrick's High School, located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, is a Catholic high school publicly funded under the Ontario school system as part of the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board...
See: List of Ottawa schools