Metcalfe is a

population centre In demographics, the center of population (or population center) of a region is a geographical point that describes a centerpoint of the region's population. There are several ways of defining such a "center point", leading to different geogr ...

located in

Osgoode Ward *Osgoode Hall, building in Toronto, Canada *Osgoode Hall Law School *Osgoode Station, rapid transit station in Toronto *Osgoode, Ontario *Osgoode Township, Ontario, ward in Ottawa *William Osgoode, first Chief Justice of Upper Canada The Pro ...

, in the rural south-end of the city of

Ottawa, Ontario 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 ...

, Canada. Prior to amalgamation in 2001, the community was in

Osgoode Township Osgoode Township is a former township that is now a part of the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The township along the Rideau River was established in 1798 and incorporated in 1850. It was an independent township in Carleton County until its am ...

. According to the

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. ...

, it has a population of 1,776.

History

Colonel Archibald Macdonell, believed by some to be the first settler in Osgoode Township, settled just south of the current location of Metcalfe in March 1827. The village was originally called Hawley’s Corners, but in 1877 it was renamed to Metcalfe in honour of

Charles Theophilus Metcalfe Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe, (30 January 1785 – 5 September 1846), known as Sir Charles Metcalfe, Bt between 1822 and 1845, was a British colonial administrator. He held appointments including acting Governor-General o ...

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm ...

from 1843 to 1846. In its early days, Metcalfe was a stop on the stagecoach route from

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 c ...

(known at the time as

Bytown Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a s ...

) to

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...

. The village of Metcalfe was bypassed in the construction of railway lines, limiting its further growth. The railway line to Cornwall passed to the east, through the town of Russell, while another to Prescott passed to the west through Osgoode Village. By 1866, Metcalfe was a post village with a population of 250 of the township of Osgoode, nine miles from the Osgoode station on the Ottawa and Prescott Railway, and twenty miles from Ottawa. The village contained four general stores, an ashery, one wagon shop, five boot and shoe shops, and three carpenters. The 6th Division Court was held here, at the Victoria Hall. It contained the Metcalfe grammar school, and a common school; three churches, the Church of England, the Free Church of Scotland, and the Wesleyan Methodist. The Loyal Orange Lodge No. 205, met on the second Tuesday in each month while No. 688, met on the first Tuesday in each month. In the fall of 2008, parts of Metcalfe were used as sets in the filming of the

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. La ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

Carny Carny, also spelled carnie, is an informal term used in North America for a traveling carnival employee, and the language they use, particularly when the employee operates a game ("joint"), food stand ("grab", "popper" or "floss wagon"), or ride ...

Schools

*Metcalfe Public School *St. Catherine Catholic School *Community Christian School *

Osgoode Township High School Osgoode Township High School is a high school in the Metcalfe community of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1920 by the Carleton Board of Education in what was then Osgoode Township. Since 1944, the school has been under the j ...

- The only high school in the township of Osgoode.

Sports

The village is home to various sports facilities, most notably the Metcalfe Community Centre which bears the name of former

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

all-star defenceman

Larry Robinson Larry Clark Robinson (born June 2, 1951) is a Canadian former ice hockey coach, executive and player. His coaching career includes head coaching positions with the New Jersey Devils (which he held on two occasions), as well as the Los Angeles Ki ...

. The Centre's arena houses the local Junior C hockey team: the

Metcalfe Jets The Metcalfe Jets are a Junior "C" ice hockey team based out of Metcalfe, Ontario. They initially played in Junior "B" out of the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League which was re-branded to the Central Canada Hockey League 2. For the 2017-18 ...

. Notable Jets alumni include Larry Robinson and two of his brothers, as well as

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making ...

' Marc Savard. It also hosts the Metcalfe skating club for figure skating and canskate. The small community also boasts the home to one golf course (Metcalfe Golf Club), seven baseball fields, a tennis court, curling club, and various soccer fields.

Today

The village today serves largely as a residential community for the City of Ottawa. The local agricultural fair, the Metcalfe Fair, has been held each fall since 1856.

References

{{authority control Neighbourhoods in Ottawa Former municipalities now in Ottawa Former villages in Ontario Populated places disestablished in 2001