Heron Park is a neighbourhood in
Capital Ward
Capital Ward or Ward 17 (French: ''Quartier Capitale'') is a city ward located in the centre of Ottawa, Ontario. Situated just south of downtown Ottawa, the ward includes the communities of Old Ottawa East, Old Ottawa South, the Glebe, Heron P ...
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
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. Its boundaries are the
Rideau River
The Rideau River (french: Rivière Rideau) is a river in Eastern Ontario, Canada. The river flows north from Upper Rideau Lake and empties into the Ottawa River at the Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. Its length is .
As explained in a writin ...
to the north, the
Sawmill Creek to the west,
Bank Street to the east and
Walkley Road
Walkley Road ( Ottawa Road #74) is a major road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs from Riverside Drive to Ramseyville Road (formerly Baseline Road). It is mostly a four-lane divided road which runs through both residential and industrial area ...
to the south.
The neighbourhood is divided by
Heron Road
Heron Road (Ottawa Road #16) 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, t ...
but is considered all one neighbourhood. The neighbourhood is sometimes called
Billings Bridge
Billings Bridge is a bridge over the Rideau River in Ottawa. Bank Street passes over the river by way of this bridge. The bridge was named after Braddish Billings, who settled in this area and established a farm nearby in 1812. The first bridg ...
, due to its proximity to the bridge, which is the site of a former village and the
Billings Bridge Shopping Centre
Billings Bridge Shopping Centre is a shopping mall located in the Billings Bridge neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is a medium-sized community mall with 83 stores and services. Roughly 7.5 million people visit the mall every year and s ...
. The total population of the neighbourhood is 3,991 (
Canada 2016 Census
The 2016 Canadian census was an enumeration of Canadian residents, which counted a population of 35,151,728, a change from its 2011 population of 33,476,688. The census, conducted by Statistics Canada, was Canada's seventh quinquennial census ...
).
History
Today's Heron Park neighbourhood consists of the western half (west of Bank) of the village of Billings Bridge, which was the first settlement in
Gloucester Township
Gloucester Township is a township in Camden County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 64,634, reflecting an increase of 284 (+0.4%) from the 64,350 counted in the 2000 census. The township ranke ...
in 1812. In 1874, the community of Gateville was founded
at where Metcalfe Road (today's Bank Street) crossed Billings Creek (Sawmill Creek), located south of Billings Bridge. During the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, Gateville was known as "Poverty Hill" and "Deadbeat's Hill".
Gloucester was annexed by Ottawa in 1950 and the Billings Bridge village was expropriated. Soon after, the Heron Park community was built south of Gateville.
[Ottawa, Ontario. 1:25,000. Map Sheet 031G05G, ed. 2, 1963; Open Data Producer: Surveys and Mapping Branch, Department of Energy, Mines and Resources; Date published: 1963-01-01 (publication), 2016-01-01 (publication)]
Parks
*
Heron Park (located at Clover St. and Heron Rd.)
*
Kaladar Park (located at Brookfield Rd. and Kaladar Ave.)
*
Bruce Timmermans Park (located at Gilles St. and Apolydor Ave.)
Features
As well it includes the natural beauty of the pathways beside the Sawmill Creek.
Many neighbourhood businesses are located along
Bank Street, such as the Blue Heron Mall which includes Farm Boy, Icheban Bakery, M&M Meats and Colonnade Pizza.
Community Association meetings are held on the first Thursday of most months at 7pm in the Community Centre at Heron Park.
See also
*
List of Ottawa neighbourhoods
This is a list of neighbourhoods and outlying communities within the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. In 2001, the old city of Ottawa was amalgamated with the suburbs of Nepean, Kanata, Gloucester, Rockcliffe Park, Vanier and Cumberland, and the r ...
References
External links
Heron Park Community Association
{{authority control
Neighbourhoods in Ottawa