The Glebe

The Glebe is a unique neighbourhood in Ottawa. It is located just south of Ottawa’s downtown area and has  it’s own ‘downtown’ along Bank Street with wonderful shops, restaurants, and coffee houses populating the main circuit running all the way into Old Ottawa South. It’s  northern border is the 417 of the Queensway highway. To the south and east it is bounded by the Rideau Canal while to the west it ends just beyond Bronson Avenue.

The Glebe is a very popular neighbourhood in Ottawa and is mostly populated by families. It provides a broadbase of community services including  Glebe Collegiate High School, Glebe Montessori School, several junior schools such as Second Avenue and Corpus Christie and several Churches. The Resident’s Association in The Glebe is very active and very little change happens without the local resident’s careful consideration of the overall impact of any decision. There was never a more challenging time for this active Residents’s Association as the activities in 2010 – 2012 surrounding the development of Lansdowne Park! The redevelopment of the stadium with condos, retail space and a sports plex created significant discussion and the resident’s had major input into the re development of this focal point.

The area is called “The Glebe” because in the initial 1837 survey of Ottawa the area was allocated to St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. The word “glebe” means church lands and the area was originally known as “the glebe lands of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church”. The area was opened for development in 1870 and folks began to refer to it simply as “The Glebe”.

The stretch of Bank Street that runs through the Glebe is one of Ottawa’s premier shopping areas with many small stores and restaurants offering a wide variety of services. The Rideau Canal flows along the boundary of the Glebe and generates great excitement with activities throughout the year in the neighbourhood. With boats and paddlers moving slowly in the summer to the skaters off to and from work through out the winter, it has become a focal point of the area. Two bodies of water jut into the Glebe; Patterson Creek and Brown’s Inlet giving these two small pockets a strong desirability for real estate.These areas are surrounded by parks and some of the city’s most expensive homes.

The last Saturday in May of each year brings the “Great Glebe Garage Sale” to the neighbourhood; every household that participates puts items out for sale, attracting a large contingent of bargain hunters to the area. Sellers are expected to donate a portion of the proceeds to a designated charity.