Alta Vista Drive is a suburban road in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. It runs from Bank Street in the south to Industrial Avenue in the north covering the neighbourhoods of Ridgemont, Alta Vista and Riverview. Alta Vista was created as the result of major residential developments (notably the

Rideau Park Rideau Park is a residential neighbourhood in southwest Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The name Rideau means curtain in the French Language. The neighbourhood is bounded on the west by 111 Street, on the east by Calgary Trail, on the north by White ...

and Alta Vista subdivisions) in the region following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. First referred to as the "100 foot highway", was renamed Churchill Avenue (after

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

) in 1941. It became "Alta Vista Drive" in July 1950 as the result of Ottawa annexing that part of Gloucester Township (there was already a

Churchill Avenue Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

in Ottawa). The first stretch was built between

Smyth Road Smyth Road () ( Ottawa Road #72),http://www.gloucesterhistory.com/Historic%20Gloucester%20Volume%2016%20No%204.pdf is a main road in eastern Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from Riverside Drive to St. Laurent Boulevard. This residential area was ...

and Kilborn Avenue in 1939. Gloucester Township Council passed a by-law on May 3, 1937 permitting its construction. The stretch from Kilborn to Randall was built in 1940; the stretch north of Smyth in 1942 (to what is now Terminal Avenue) and south of Randall to Bank Street (then called "Metcalfe Road") in 1947. Alta Vista originally ran past Industrial and connected with the

Vanier Parkway Riverside Drive ( Ottawa Road #19) is a major road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that follows along the eastern bank of the Rideau River. Its northern terminus is at the Transitway/Via Rail underpass just south of the Queensway, and the road proceed ...

, but the intersection, which also involved Riverside Drive was re-aligned in 1986. Furthermore, in the 1990s, Alta Vista gained bicycle lanes along its entire stretch. Alta Vista is so named for its general height, as the neighbourhoods it runs through are generally higher than the rest of the city (the name means "a view from above" or "high view" in Spanish and Portuguese). The name was first applied to the area in 1913, for a small subdivision built on the north side of Randall Avenue which had a good view of Parliament Hill. For the most part, Alta Vista runs through residential areas, and it is a two to four-lane minor arterial road, with a speed limit of . The area consists mostly of single-home houses, with the exception of three apartment-style, low-rent buildings named the "Alta Vista Towers" located in the north near Industrial Avenue and the Alta Vista Plaza. Alta Vista Drive consists of mixed housing, ranging from small modest houses in the northern parts, to more expensive, small Colonial-style houses and bungalows in the area immediately south to

. The road is characterized by large trees along both sides and the Via Rail train track running parallel between Alta Vista Drive and Riverside Drive from Industrial Avenue to Smyth Road. Alta Vista is home to the National Defence Medical Centre, Canadian Pharmacists Association, Canadian Blood Services,

Canadian Dental Association The Canadian Dental Association (CDA; French: ''Association dentaire canadienne'') is a non-profit professional association representing Canada's 18,000 dentists. Headquartered in Canada's capital city Ottawa, the CDA serves its members and the p ...

Ontario Medical Association The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) is a membership organization that represents the political, clinical and economic interests of Ontario physicians. Practising physicians, residents, and medical students enrolled in any of the six Ontario facu ...

, the

Canadian Medical Association The Canadian Medical Association (CMA; french: Association médicale canadienne, AMC) is a national, voluntary association of physicians and medical learners that advocates on national health matters. Its primary mandate is to drive positive ch ...

, and its affiliate MD Management, and the Conference Board of Canada, located in the area north of the Smyth Road intersection in a stretch of the road that is not residential, as well as Ridgemont High School and St. Patrick's High School located south from Smyth Road. The area is home to the Anglican Church St. Thomas the Apostle, the United Church

, and the Presbyterian Church St. Timothy's. There is one branch of the Ottawa Library and two shopping centres, one being at the northernmost stretch near Industrial Avenue, and the other at the southernmost section abutting Bank Street.

References

{{Ottawa Roads Roads in Ottawa