Westboro

Westboro is a neighbourhood of Ottawa, Canada; often referred to as Westboro Village. Parallel to the Ottawa River, the neighbourhood is bordered on the east by Island Park Drive, and on the west by Woodroffe Avenue. The Southern border can be stretched up to Carling Avenue. Westboro’s northernmost point is a little more ambiguous.

The neighbourhood got its start in the late 19th century, when flyers were published proclaiming ‘Move to Westboro,’ and offering prospective residents ‘views of the Laurentian Mountains.’ This slightly creative name for the distant geological formation along the Eardley escarpment is now better known as the Gatineau Hills. The Gatineau Hills can be seen across the Ottawa River.

19th Century descriptions of the neighbourhood refer to its location along the Macadam Road to Bells Corners. That road is now known as Richmond Road, and where it slices through Westboro it is the commercial heart of the Village-like neighbourhood, once the centre of the old Nepean Township. The old Town Hall on Richmond Road used to house the bell that later became the symbol of the former city of Nepean, now a part of the city of Ottawa. The Maplelawn Garden, boasting the second oldest building in Ottawa (built in 1831) and designated a National Historic Site, is located at the western edge of the village.

Westboro existed as a police village from 1903 to 1949 when it was annexed by Ottawa. An Ottawa streetcar line used to run along what is now a narrow grass strip along Byron Avenue, bringing Ottawa residents to an area once considered cottage country. Many cottage-like residences still exist today, especially by the Ottawa River north of Scott Street.

Today, Westboro is a thriving community with an increasingly lively street scene. Several condominium projects are encouraging densification brings energy to an already lively neighbourhood. The village features many large murals painted by a local artist. The free annual Westfest music festival is held in June. The neighbourhood attracts nature-loving residents with its unrivaled selection of outdoors stores such as Mountain Equipment Co-op, Bushtukah and Trailhead and its proximity to cycling trails, whitewater rapids in the Ottawa River and skiing and hiking trails in the Gatineau Hills. There are a number of community based churches. Citywide Church (formerly known as Westboro Baptist) is in the heart of the Village.

The neighbourhood is served by two stations of the rapid-bus Transitway: Westboro and Dominion.