Carp is a compact rural community in
West Carleton-March Ward
West Carleton-March Ward (Ward 5) is a city ward in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Ward 5 was created for the 1994 Regional elections. At the time, it consisted of West Carleton Township, Goulbourn Township and Rideau Township. It was given the name ...
in the City of
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada, located in the northwestern portion of the municipality on the
Carp River. It is about from
downtown Ottawa
Downtown Ottawa is the central area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is sometimes referred to as the Central Business District and contains Ottawa's financial district. It is bordered by the Ottawa River to the north, the Rideau Canal to the east, ...
. Prior to amalgamation in 2001, Carp was located in the
West Carleton Township.
Carp is located in the
Kanata federal electoral riding and the
Kanata—Carleton provincial electoral riding.
According to the
Canada 2011 Census
The 2011 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population on May 10, 2011. Statistics Canada, an agency of the Canadian government, conducts a nationwide census every five years. In 2011, it consisted of a mandatory short for ...
, 1,965 people lived in the area around Carp (Craig Sideroad/Murphy Sideroad on the north, former Township limits on the east, March Road on the south and Thomas Argue Road on the west)
History
By 1866, Carp was a post village with a population of 200 of the Township of
Huntley on the Carp river, from Ottawa. The village contained three stores, workshops, three hotels, and a town hall. The Loyal
Orange Lodge, No. 439, met at the Orange Hall Carp on the first Wednesday in each month. Citizens included J. W. Featherston, general merchant and postmaster.
The village takes its name from the
Carp River which runs through the village.
The main street was formerly a section of the
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...
and carried much of the traffic coming from the west into
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
. However the village has been bypassed with the development of the
Highway 417.
With the amalgamation of municipal governments in the region in 2001, Carp is now governed as part of the new city of Ottawa. Carp is used as a mailing address for most of the former Huntley Township. As such, residents of this large area will identify themselves as living in Carp although they may live large distances from the village proper.
Features and attractions
The town is situated on the southern end of the
Carp Hills, a small range of pristine hills that have been compared to
Gatineau Park
Gatineau Park () is a federal park located in the Outaouais, Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. Administered by the National Capital Commission as part of the National Capital Region (Canada), National Capital Region, Gatineau Park is a wedge ...
. Several walking trails start in or near the town.
The Carleton Masonic Lodge #465, a turn of the century (1900s) church building has been the Masonic Lodge in the Village of Carp since 1925. The building features original stained glass windows and is decorated with beautiful oak furniture that was originally located in a World War I Military Masonic Lodge in France. The original Masonic lodge building, which dates to 1904 was destroyed by fire in 1920.
Carp was the site of an alleged 1989 UFO landing. It has been called "One of the most significant cases in UFO history." Someone dubbed 'Guardian' filmed the entire UFO crash. The American TV show ''Unsolved Mysteries'' filmed an episode on Guardian in 1993.
There are three schools in the Carp area: Huntley Centennial Public School, St. Michael's (Corkery), and Venta, a private school which abruptly closed in late 2017 after the death of its founder.
The
Carp Airport is just south of the village. Carp also has a junior
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
team called the
West Carleton Inferno.
Diefenbunker

Carp's main attraction is the
Diefenbunker, Canada's
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
museum just north of the village, and was featured in the film ''
The Sum of All Fears
''The Sum of All Fears'' is a political thriller novel, written by Tom Clancy and released on August 14, 1991, as the sequel to '' Clear and Present Danger'' (1989). Main character Jack Ryan, who is now the Deputy Director of Central Intellig ...
''. This former top-secret underground bunker was built to house key members of the government in the event of a nuclear attack on Ottawa.
[Doors Open Ottawa](_blank)
/ref>
In 1960, NATO and the Canadian Department of National Defence built a satellite communications (SATCOM) station which supports a diameter metal space frame radar dome (radome) on its roof, which provides environmental protection for the diameter SATCOM antenna it houses. Until 1999 when NATO and DND decommissioned the site, the antenna provided satellite communications between all NATO countries. Two CLM Rotating sirens can also be seen in the photo on the left. In 1999, it was purchased by Canadian Space Services Ltd. to serve as its corporate headquarters.
Carp Fair
With the closure of Ottawa SuperEX in 2011, the Carp Fair is one of the only fall fairs close to Ottawa and established in 1863.
The Carp Exhibit Hall, one of the few remaining octagonal frame fairground buildings in Ontario, continues to function as the main fairground hall for the Carp Fair held in September each year since 1880. During the remainder of the year, the buildings and grounds serve the popular Carp Farmers' Market held each Saturday from May to October.Carp Farmers Market
/ref>
The red-painted Exhibit Hall with white trim, which remains a focal point in Carp was included amongst other architecturally interesting and historically significant buildings in Doors Open Ottawa
Doors Open Ottawa is an annual event held in the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that gives the public access to many of the city's unique and historically significant buildings. Among the buildings included are government offices, museums, radio ...
, held June 2 and 3, 2012.
The Carp River
The origin of the name of the Carp River is unknown.
In "Carleton Saga" by Harry and Olive Walker, the over-abundant fish found in the river were said, by early French explorers, to be suckers and mud-pout, that in French translate as ''carpe''.
References
Sources
Carp Guardian Case
retrieved 2007-11-02
Riding Information
retrieved 2012-14-02
External links
Huntley Township Historical Society
Huntley Community Association website
* Official website of the annua
Carp Fair
Huntley Centennial School Council website
Website to preserve Carp's historic village character
Guide to the Village of Carp
{{authority control
Neighbourhoods in Ottawa